Broadway theatres now closed until early January 2021

Updated on 1 July 2020

Broadway theatres will remain closed until at least 3 January 2021, it has been confirmed. The news was announced today by The Broadway League who also revealed that all tickets purchased until that date will be automatically refunded. However, no statement has been released as of yet on when exactly New York houses can reopen. Broadway was originally only set to be closed until 6 September 2020, but due to rising coronavirus cases in the US, this has now been extended through to the New Year.

Broadway theatres to remain dark until next year

The president of The Broadway League, Charlotte St Martin, said: "Our membership is working closely with the theatrical unions and in concert with key experts and some of the greatest minds inside and outside of the industry to explore protocols for all aspects of reopening. We are focused on identifying and implementing necessary measures that will enable us to resume performances safely for Broadway audiences and employees."

All New York City theatres went dark on 12 March 2020 when the coronavirus swept the Western world. Though the rate of infection in New York has been on the decline in the past several days and many businesses are due to reopen soon, the US as a whole has seen a large spike in coronavirus cases just this past week, which lead to the new extension of Broadway theatre closures.

Since Broadway has been placed on lockdown, many shows have already moved up their opening dates, including the hotly anticipated Broadway transfer of Caroline, or Change starring Sharon D Clarke, David Mamet's American Buffalo, and The Music Man starring Hugh Jackman.

Will the West End reopen before Broadway does?

With Broadway closures now extended by four months, many are wondering what the future holds for London's West End. So far, no clear date has been given on when UK theatre can reopen. Recently, UK Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden released a 5-stage roadmap for reopening theatres without mentioning specific dates or announcing any plans to provide funding for failing theatres.

📰 Stay up to date. Keep following LTD's news centre for all the latest UK theatre announcements.
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Nicholas Ephram Ryan Daniels

By Nicholas Ephram Ryan Daniels

Ephram is a jack of all trades and enjoys attending theatre, classical music concerts and the opera.