Three days after the Broadway League announced that masks would be an option in all 41 theaters from July 1st, one of those theaters decided to use the mandatory face cover.
The producer of the Starry Sky Resurrection in the 1975 drama “American Buffalo” by David Mamet about the three planners of the junk shop masked on Friday until the scheduled end of the show in the Square Circle. Announced that it needs a theater on July 10th.
Ten days after Broadway plans to remove masking requirements across the industry, this is just one show, but the consensus between producers and theater owners may not be solid.
There are several factors that make the “American Buffalo” situation unusual.
Starring Sam Rockwell, Laurence Fishburne, and Darren Criss, the play is performed in the Square Theater Circle, Broadway’s only theater-in-the-round (actually almost a round because there are no seats). Does not surround). In other words, there are more regular customers sitting within the spit distance of the actor than in other theaters.
Also, the 751-seat Circle in the Square, which is currently being organized, is the only Broadway theater not run by large corporations or nonprofits, so that decision is not tied to the decision of a large corporation.
Rockwell expressed concern about the end of the masking policy in an interview with New York Times columnist Ginia Bellafante this week.
The show announced a policy change in a news release, saying “because the audience was close to the actors as a result of the theater’s intimate size and staging in the round.” Production and theater owners did not immediately respond to requests for further comment.
It’s not clear if this decision will affect other Broadway shows. The majority will take place in theaters run by a handful of landlords who have approved the mask option decision. Broadway’s four nonprofit theater operators were more cautious about Covid, but haven’t held a show this summer. And Broadway summer fares are dominated by large musicals where spectators tend to be biased towards tourists. Many tourists come from places where masks have been around for a long time. At this time of the year, New York’s older play fans are declining (and the amount of shows is declining; currently only 27 shows are on Broadway).
After “American Buffalo” closes next month, Circle in the Square will be vacant until October, when the preview of a new musical called “KPOP” begins.
Actors’ Equity, a union representing performers and stage managers, refused to comment on the audience’s safety protocol, but sent an email to its members this week. Previously reported by Deadline“This decision was made unilaterally without the opinion of your union or others, and the union was notified in advance only a few hours before the announcement,” he said.
This decision was announced by the Broadway League, but is made by theater owners and operators, who will review the protocol every month.
