Broadway League Weighing CDC Recommendation Of Eight-Week Cancellations

The Broadway League, the trade organization representing theater owners and producers, is in discussions about new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control calling for the eight-week postponement or cancellation of gatherings of 50 or more people. An eight-week timeline would double the current monthlong Broadway shutdown that has performances returning April 13.

No decision has been made to extend the current four-week closure. In a statement, the League said, “We are currently in discussions about the most recent recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and are prepared to follow the direction of any mandated closures from city, state, and health authorities. We continue to closely monitor the changing situation daily.”

The CDC on Sunday urged the cancellation or postponement of events with 50 or more attendees for the next eight weeks to help contain the spread of coronavirus.

In an unusual cooperative pact, the governors of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut have announced the closures of restaurants, gyms and casinos – Broadway theaters were shut down last week – and banned gatherings of more than 50 people or more. But no set timeframe was provided for the new spate of closures, with NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo saying only that the ban would remain in effect “until further notice.”

Broadway went dark for the one-month shutdown on March 12, with productions currently set to reopen April 13.