Thursday, November 12, 2020
Will the Vaccine mean Broadway will come back early?
The Producer's Perspective: It’s been a good week for the theater world.
First, we had the election. Enough said.
Second, Pfizer announced a vaccine that was 90% (!) effective in preventing Covid-19. (To put that in perspective, the FDA stated they’d take a shot on a shot that was 50% effective.)
And yesterday, on CNN, Dr. Anthony Fauci said that the average person would have access to the vaccine by April, 2021!
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I was also was thrilled to hear the news about the advancements in the vaccine. My mind instantly jumped to all of the things that we would once again be able to do in the world when it was available to the general public. At the tippy top of that list of course was live theatre performances, both on broadway and off. I cannot wait to be able to once again watch a performance none the less be a part of one. However the article made a very good point in being realistic about expectations. While it may be sooner than we initially thought, the virus and end of Corona is still a ways off, and there is lots to be done before we can jump back in full force to normal life. Their third point about the new wave of the virus is also very pertinent. Although we may want to believe that we are on the tail end of this event that is simply not true and with the new rise in cases there must also be a new rise in persuasions so that we can keep the progress we have made and not have to backtrack.
When my friend first told me about the vaccine coming out, I was immediately so relieved. The end of all this is finally in sight. I'm so excited to go places and live life in full again. As much as I want Broadway to return as soon as possible. I don't think the opening date will be brought forward. I think they would want to wait, give people time to get the vaccine and prove that it would surely prevent any more spread of the virus. Hopefully, though, the closure won't be extended any longer, and we can finally get back to attending and creating theater. It is upsetting to think, though, that we could have had a vaccine and opened Broadway much sooner if our leadership had been more capable and empathetic. There are so many countries that have been having less than 10 new deaths since the summer, but we are still dealing with it today. I hope everything is back to normal so we can all be back in Purnell by next fall.
I think that this entire process is going to happen in small increments and in very distinct phases. It's easy to think that broadway will be back and we'll be performing in front of packed houses in just a short time, but that would be incredibly naive. Firstly, in order to make backstage operations safe and secure, we're going to need to keep numbers down backstage and have masks all around. I know that this isn't a perfect science, but the theater industry has a responsibility to make this as safe as possible. We're not like other industries, us doing theater isn't a necessary risk. We aren't essential workers and broadway is certainly not essential. On another end, things like front of house and audience interaction will have to still be handled very carefully- its going to take a while before the vaccine is widespread and everyone in the world has it. And i say world because that is the audience of theater goers.
I think while the vaccine is looking very promising and it is so exciting we still have a long way to go. The vaccine has to be distributed and it will be given to those who are most vulnerable first and then to others in phases. People need to take the vaccine and in the US I hate to admit it but I"m not too confident that everyone will accept the vaccine. I think it will take time to get back to normal even with a vaccine. It is relieving to know that the end is in sight even if it may be far. But I personally don't think that theaters or the world will be opening as normal for a little bit. I think also that a vaccine in sight is no reason to let our guard down and people should still be incredibly cautious especially during the holiday season and the impending second wave.
I was so thrilled to hear the news about the vaccine: 90% effective! Like most, I’m looking forward to the day that we can move past this pandemic. Going to live theater? Partaking in live theater? Yes, please. And even being able to continue by studies in person. I think it is a good reminder that even though there is a vaccine in the making, it’ll be a few more months until that's even available for the majority of the population. Beyond that, we currently have a massive second wave of cases- it is going to take a long time to be in a place where theater as we knew it will be feasible and safe. It would be reckless to rush into something like that, and unsafe for everyone involved. I cannot express how thrilled I am at this news, however, and eagerly anticipate the day we can all be in the theater again.
Maybe I am a pessimist for this, but I am wary (not of the vaccine itself, please get vaccinated if you can). I think it will take longer for things to ‘return to normal’. So much of what we have done has been turned upside down. We really SHOULD take the time to reopen. Make sure we are safe. Just because a vaccine is around, does not mean the disease is completely eradicated. It will take months to get people vaccinated, also assuming that everyone WANTS to get vaccinated since we all know anti-vaxxers are a thing. Anyways, this is all going to take time, I think. Patience will need to be practiced. It needs to be practiced. I do not think that this vaccine will end all troubles. A lot has been exposed about the world we live in due to the pandemic, and I hope we do not lose sight of it just because we have a glimmer of hope and a ‘return to normal’ on the horizon.
While I'm so happy that there are advancements happening in the science side and theres been a huge advancement in the vaccine, I am still very very skeptical about this entire thing. A vaccine does not mean a virus will be completely gone within a month or so, especially a virus with traits similar to the corona strand virus. This virus would also have to be distributed to centers where they then have to be given to the people. I think the more we rush this vaccine to be available country wide the worse this virus may become and the virus may not be as effective. This also does not take account people that question of all vaccines let alone a vaccine that has just been created and rushed to release. Broadway will most likely be one of the last industries to open as the hub is in such a populated city that has been riddled with this virus. As much hope as this vaccine gives me, I am expecting the industry to take at least a couple of months to open up again let alone recoup enough to be successful. Hopefully this vaccine means that educational programs can start to open up and foster the future.
I think it’s a bit premature to start thinking about what a vaccine will mean. First, because I think the incredibly rushed timeline on the development of the vaccine means it can look promising but then issues can develop that keep it come from getting FDA approval. Second, we as a country are not equipped for mass distribution of this vaccine, and in all likelihood the work that should be happening now won’t be able to start until January 20th. So even with a vaccine technically in existence, it’s not going to be available to the general public that quicky. However, I don’t want to be all gloom. I do think that theater makers should have a plan in place for what opening up looks. What percentage of vaccinated people will be their benchmark for opening up. Look to a staggered reopening policy. Start with once or twice a week shows at 20% capacity, where there is a low risk and ideally enough people are vaccinated than start building from there so that as the vaccine as does become more available we can take bigger “risks” with crowd sizes.
I feel like we are getting a little too excited about this vaccine. I don’t know if these conversations, about Broadway coming back, are going to be had realistically or proactively for a very long time. We are still very much so in this pandemic, there are still new cases everyday and cases spiking, I don’t think that thinking about Broadway coming back is a realistic expectation. I don’t know, maybe I’m just a pessimist, but there has been such information that has been negatively fed to people which resulted in a lot more harm than good, about COVID that I never know who to believe, so being as cautious as possible is the only safe optikon? I don’t I just wouldn’t get my hopes up I think because I feel like it’s nice to have something to look forward to and hope for of course, but this is one that has very high stakes against it so It's always better to be safe than sorry and take our time with recovering from this pandemic.
I wish we could say that this will all be over once the vaccine is released. I can't wait for life to go back to "normal". But I think people are getting a little ahead of themselves. If the vaccine actually does get released in April, that does not mean the virus will simply disappear over night. And even if the virus could miraculously disappear, the effect it has had on the economy will take much longer to fix. Unfortunately, Broadway is not the most important thing to bring back once the virus subdues. Especially from the governments perspective. It is going to take time to rebuild the industry, and its going to take money that they don't have yet. Personally, I am not getting my hopes up on the return of Broadway in 2021. Maybe a few shows will open, and maybe we'll be able to do some form of performance at school, but to think that the industry is going to magically recover, is out of hand.
I also believe people need to keep a sense of skepticism when it comes to the vaccine. By all means, take it if there is enough honest evidence for it, but it seems like the vaccine has turned in to a political ploy, and politics rarely has the best interest of the common people at heart.
This is obviously a very attention-grabbing headline, and rightfully so! The question on everyone's mind, above how to deliver a theatre experience in a new medium, above what to do with a closed theatre building, is when we can open for good. And this article does point out that despite this good news, we can't know for sure. But luckily it does get us closer to a better guess. I think I speak for (nearly) everyone when I say we want to be out and back in normal life again, though it's easy to get carried away by this good news. Also in the press conference where Pfizer announced its efficacy numbers, a myriad of logistical concerns were voiced. The biggest, most likely, is that the vaccine needs to be stored at -80 degrees. Second, a full immunization requires two shots, effectively doubling the amount of vaccine that needs to be made. So... there's a lot of work to still be done and there's still a lot of time between us and "normalcy". While it's great to be optimistic, a healthy level of skepticism is not a bad thing to keep around in times like this.
First of all, I think that if this vaccine is actually 90% effective, that is quite an incredible feat of mankind seeing as the flu shot is only 50-60%. I understand why there are already so many comments on this article, as it is very hope filled and hooking to this population of theatrical artists. Obviously, even with the vaccine, things will not get better for a long while. The article fails to remember distribution, accessibility, and the overall science to deem it safe for the public. It makes me wonder if it is right of this article to post such a high risk title. The original thought was that productions would come back in 2022, and I still firmly believe we should wait for this deadline. Maybe towards the end of 2021 depending on how our new president handles the covid pandemic situation, it will be possible. But indeed, as many people are saying, we shouldn't put all our hope in this one vaccine just because it has been 8 months.
The optimism that is expressed in the first part of this article is a type of optimism that I don't really agree with and is also something that I can see as being slightly dangerous. While I understand the need and want to go back to normal, I think that planning such dramatic things such as reopening/hiring is not a good thing to do right now, at least not at full force. It's one thing to be hopeful about something, but starting to make plans and get people excited for a maybe is not a good way to go about things. I think that several industries, including theater, need to take every piece of news about a vaccine with a large grain of salt, otherwise they might move in a pace that get too far ahead of itself and harms itself more by having to lay off people, cancel shows, and shut down again. The rest of the article is more down to earth and does list valid reasons to be apprehensive about reopening, which is just rehashing old information but good to have as a follow up to the first part of the article.
Like most others, I was thrilled to hear about the vaccine progress, and hopeful for an end to the pandemic, but also feeling cautious and trying to not get hopes up too hard. The return to ‘normal’ will be slow and live entertainment will be one of the last industries to fully reopen, simply because of the high-risk inessential nature of the industry. I know the news of a potential vaccine was like a life ring thrown to the drowning industries, but making plans for full, packed summer seasons seems premature to me, particularly right now with cases higher than ever. Being better safe than sorry is the best way to take steps right now, and while I understand the rush, until we actually see a vaccine with full distribution capability to the average person, until enough people have received it to actually be effective, and until public health professionals believe that large gatherings are safe again, theater needs to stay shut or else risk propagating the spread even more so than it already is.
A vaccine has been something that we have been looking for since the world realized how serious and contagious COVID-19 actually is. While this vaccine is the potential answer we have all been waiting for, this article is correct when it says that a vaccine is 0% effective if nobody takes it. While data shows that around half of the country has said they would take the vaccine, that is not nearly enough to allow for the speedy return to this “normal” life we have all been missing so dearly. The potential for a vaccine in April does potentially mean that summer stock theatres might open up for a 2021 season which is exciting. I agree with the article when they say they trust Dr. Anthony Fauci and Pfizer pharmaceutical and I will be more than willing to get a vaccine that scientists deem safe and effective for the general public. Hopefully, more people will receive the vaccine so the world can slowly and strategically develop past the world we are all living in today.
Hearing about the Pfizer vaccine and it's potential to bring this pandemic to a long-awaited end really reinvigorated my hope for the future, not just for theatre but for the world in general. However, I think one thing that wasn't really discussed in this article is people's willingness to return once a vaccine is released. For one thing, this article makes the hasty assumption that Pfizer's vaccine will be completely effective in stopping the pandemic. While it does mention that people actually have to take the vaccine for it to work, it relies too heavily on its 90% effectiveness rating. We would need to wait for a decent amount of time after the majority of the population was vaccinated to ensure that the vaccine would truly work. There is still a lot that is unknown about COVID, and even the ability for a person to contract the disease twice is still up in the air. Even with a vaccine on the horizon, I unfortunately still believe that it is too soon to get our hopes up for a quicker return to "normalcy" in the world and that the most likely scenario will be that it will still be at least a year before the world can breathe a sigh of relief.
When I read the title the first thing I thought was “let’s not get ahead of ourselves.” Which is funnily enough what the author said at the end of his introduction. It might be because I lost a lot of hope after people said we would be back to normal after spring break then April, summer, and fall. Now I’m going to college on my laptop. Don’t get me wrong, I think the vaccine is great news that should be celebrated but it’s only the first step. Personally, I’m really nervous about people refusing to get the vaccine. I know there are so many people who are anti-vaxxers, but there are also people who are just scared of rapid production and don’t have much trust in the government anymore. If scientists give it the green light, I will certainly stand in line to get it no matter how much I hate needles.
This article can sound a little naïve, although the author admits that the vaccine isn’t a miracle, they still banter on about how this vaccine is going to be a miracle for live theatre, and I think they need to take several seats before getting this excited. When I heard of the vaccine news, I didn’t allow myself to get excited because it is still way too early, and there are so many things that can go wrong in this next trial, and dangerous things can happen when a vaccine is rushed through. So, I want to be excited about it, but 2020 taught me not to get about anything. So, with that being said, IF this vaccine is effective and does get pushed through, it is going to be a hell of time to convince covid-deniers and anti-vaxxers to get the vaccine. It’s not going to happen overnight. But, yes, I would like theatre to be open in the summer. I would love to have a job in the fall. So much hangs on the success of this vaccine, but I understand that the spread is going to get a lot worse before it gets better and we need to be realistic and patient
Yeah, this seems incredibly naïve. First of all, what exactly does “the average person [will] have access?” Who is the average person? Who is excluded? Are we talking about geographic access, financial access, logistical access? It is pretty safe to assume that rich folks will be able to get it, and it is reasonably safe to assume that “average person” covers middle-class urban and suburban families, but what happens to everyone else? Will the ushers in these theatres be able to access the vaccine? Will the people who are probably still sanitizing everything every day? From everything we have been reading since March, it could take a year for a full vaccine roll-out. I really think it is too early to project that Broadway could open early (or at all in 2021, frankly). Also, I only give a little hoot about Broadway—what about all of the other, less financially stable theatres? They will probably need longer to get up and running, and we are going to lose a lot along the way.
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