By Ari Boldur
After a long hiatus, Broadway has officially announced its reopening this fall. Artists and audience members alike are excited for New York City’s theatrical landmarks to reopen since Broadway is home to many people, whether it is a form of work, entertainment, or just a treat. Despite this great news, the logistics of Broadway’s return is yet to be announced, since crowding is inevitable in a theater.
Many producers and theater companies will be taking this return into their own hands because everyone’s health and safety is the first priority. Producers have decided specific return dates for their productions, and “Hadestown” is currently the earliest show to reopen, with the first performance set for September 2. Following this 2019 Best Musical winner are big hits such as “Wicked,” “Chicago,” “Hamilton,” and “The Lion King,” which are all having their first performances on September 14.
“Hamilton” producer Jeffrey Seller has confirmed a COVID-19 vaccination requirement for all of the cast and crew involved when the show returns. However, according to “The New York Times,” audiences will not have to provide proof of vaccination if they want to attend “Hamilton.” In the near future, more shows will announce their guidelines and requirements regarding the return of theater.
Source by Ari Boldur
Advisers Mr. Ferrar and Mr. Radi meet with eighth grader Asmita Saha, sophomore Ishita Bansal, seventh grader Siddhanth Surya, junior Julia Esposito, sophomore Debarati Chowdhury, senior Thalia Torio, and freshman Matthew Zatz over Google Meet to plan this year's virtual musical.
Broadway’s return means that theater in high schools may be able to safely return as well. This year, a live musical was not possible due to COVID-19 restrictions, but there is hope for next year that students will be able to do a full musical.
“I think that if Broadway is able to reopen at capacity, there shouldn’t be any reason NHP Theater wouldn’t be able to return to their regular program, and with the new creative direction that’ll come about with Broadway being back after such a long time, I’m sure that there will be some great inspiration for how the club can flourish and come up with new ways to inspire and entertain. The virtual musical wasn’t ideal for us, but our director truly did a fantastic job turning it into a fun and memorable experience for all, the end result is adorable and I love that it’s something I’ll have for such a long time,” said senior Sydney Hargrove.
While the virtual musical was not the best situation, it was still enjoyable for the seniors to end their high school theater experience. Next year’s seniors will likely have their normal musical as COVID-19 vaccinations are helping to stop the spread of the virus.
“I believe and truly hope that NHP Theater will do what it does best and have a full production with sets, interaction and maybe even a pit next year. My experience with the virtual musical had me really torn because I really do love theater, but what motivated me everyday was my friends that I saw perform and put their blood, sweat and tears into the productions. My friends are truly what makes NHP Theater what it is, so it was hard to accommodate to this new setting, coupled with a depleting motivation from online learning. However, I pushed through and the result was actually really cool,” said senior Gauri Shyamnath.
Comments