Some had already received a head’s up from their productions, while others saw the extended shutdown as inevitable given the continued spread of coronavirus and the development timeline for a vaccine.
Wednesday, October 14, 2020
As shutdown continues, Broadway industry looks for an advocate
Some had already received a head’s up from their productions, while others saw the extended shutdown as inevitable given the continued spread of coronavirus and the development timeline for a vaccine.
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It is sad but unsurprising to see Broadway’s shutdown being extended through May 30th, 2021. I hope that is as long as the shutdown lasts, but I also respect it if it lasts longer in order to protect people’s lives. I do agree with the article that if it lasts that long, artists desperately need help and a voice. There are so many workers in the theatre industry that are out of work and financially struggling to make due. The pandemic was so unexpected, and many people did not have savings for this or have already run out of them. I truly hope the government can provide some sort of economic relief, even if it is paying them to create pieces for the government instead of just paying greater unemployment checks. It is such a large industry, in and outside of Broadway, that it is surprising that there has been little change throughout the pandemic. Theatre acts as a voice, and now we need one on our side.
-Ariel Bernhard
We’re in a very long hallway. I can’t put into words how that last sentence made me feel. I’ve felt this way before. It’s agonizing. My heart hurts for everyone in the performing arts right now. I feel so incredibly lucky that I’m not older than I am. If this had happened 10-15 years from now, myself and my classmates would be feeling this shutdown in the same way. As someone who’s experienced financial struggles over the past five years, and not being able to do anything about it, I understand how helpless these people feel. Money doesn’t mean anything and yet it means everything. The stress our friends are under is one many of us have never felt, and can’t begin to imagine. That, combined with the loss of their work/passion/art, must feel insurmountable. I’m not one to pray, but I find myself thinking about our siblings in the industry everyday, and hoping that soon their pain will end.
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