NY PopsUp aims to jump-start

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Theater

New York Theaters Still Slow to Raise the Curtain

Gov. Andrew Cuomo aims to lead the charge with the NY PopsUp fest— and many safety stipulations

By Diep Tran

NEW YORK GOVERNOR

Andrew Cuomo said on Feb. 8 that specific multidisciplinary, flexible venues in the state will have the chance to reopen by Labor Day as part of the NY PopsUp festival. Reopening permissions are dependent on COVID-19 infection and hospitalization rates continuing to trend downward, rapid testing implementation for audiences, and a greenlight from the New York State Department of Health. Cuomo added that he doesn’t have a timeline for the return of Broadway theaters, despite Broadway producers setting May 30 as a reopening date.

The news came as the governor released more details about the New York Arts Revival, which he called “the first initiative in the nation that will accelerate the restoration of the arts and performances and creative energy.”

Cuomo confirmed in a press briefing that Feb. 20 marked the start of more than 300 free live pop-up performances around the state under the umbrella of NY PopsUp. These events won’t all be announced in advance so as not to draw large crowds. They will be performed outside in locations including transit stations, parks, subway platforms, museums, skate parks, street corners, fire escapes, parking lots, storefronts, and upstate venues.

“We want to be aggressive with reopening the state and getting our economy back on track, and NY PopsUp will be an important bridge to the broader reopening of our world-class performance venues and institutions,” said Cuomo. “New York has been a leader throughout this entire pandemic, and we will lead once again with bringing back the arts.”

These events will begin outside, and, as coronavirus restrictions loosen, some events will be held indoors at select theaters. These flexible venues do not have fixed seating, so they can be adapted for social distancing. The venues that Cuomo predicts could reopen include the Shed, the Apollo Theater, Harlem Stage, La MaMa, and the Glimmerglass Festival’s Alice Busch Opera Theater. The venues will work with the Department of Health to make sure that their spaces meet COVID-19 safety protocols.

These reopenings are contingent upon New York perfecting its mass rapid-testing system. Cuomo seemed optimistic, saying that a recent Buffalo Bills game that tested 7,000 people, with no evidence of community spread afterward, was a good sign that rapid testing is doable and that it works.

“You have venues like the Shed, the Apollo, Harlem Stage, [and the] Alice Busch Opera Theater that we can start to reopen with testing,” he said. “So we’ll start with the popups; we’ll then move towards reopening venues with testing on a limited basis.”

When asked about his plans for Broadway, Cuomo said that he doesn’t have a timeline. But he said reopening is possible with limited capacity and testing.

“You can open a Broadway stage with a set percentage of occupants, where people have tested prior to walking into that Broadway theater,” he said. Cuomo recently approved weddings with up to 150 guests starting in March, and he said he didn’t see a difference between that and live theater. “Would I go see a play and sit in a playhouse with 150 people if the 150 people were tested and they were all negative?” he posited. “Yes, I would do that.”