Optional masks for Broadway audiences was inevitable, but is it time?

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by Chris Peterson, OnStage Blog Founder

It was announced yesterday that Broadway theaters will drop their audience mask mandate beginning on July 1. The announcement was made by the Broadway League, which represents all 41 Broadway theaters in New York City.

Reaction to the news has been mixed. I’ve seen Broadway performers both celebrate the decision as well as others who are ridiculing it.

To me, the decision comes at somewhat of a surprise given the fact that Covid numbers in New York City are still relatively high when compared to the rest of the country. According to health data, there were over 11,000 new cases reported just yesterday.

I’m also not entirely sure what the rush was to make masks optional. I haven’t seen any evidence of the majority of audiences staying away from theaters because they would be required to wear a mask. But I definitely see a large portion of audiences not going to the theater because masks are now optional.

The other important thing to consider is the safety of performers. This industry relies on their health. Putting them in a riskier situation when it comes to getting Covid, is only going to have a negative impact on available performances. In the aftermath of the Tonys, where half the audience was masked and the others were not, we’ve already seen a slew of performances being canceled.

I’m also wondering why this decision wasn’t made jointly with actors equity and all the other unions in the city.

We all knew that this day would come at some point, but in my opinion, we are not nearly there yet. July 1 seems like an arbitrary date with no real reason behind it. If anything, I would’ve liked to of seen mask requirements until at least the fall or when Covid cases dropped to extreme lows.

Now we all also need to understand that none of these decisions are permanent and could easily be changed in a heartbeat. Upon seeing that optional mask-wearing doesn’t help Broadway‘s financial stability could lead to them reversing the policy at the drop of a hat. And I hope they do. This industry is still hanging on by a thread and by being so cavalier with performers and technicians and musicians and theater employees’ health, we’re never going to get out of this rut.