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| Surprised off Broadway and cabarets haven't opened....any info? | |
| Posted by: huskyital (huskyital@yahoo.com) 01:25 pm EDT 03/23/21 | |
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| The governor announced that theaters could open with either 100 or 150 patrons. I would think some smaller venues could make a profit with these guidelines as I am sure most theatergoers have gotten their vaccines. I know that Broadway won't open until the fall when most people will be vaccinated, but don'[t you think many of us would attend a smaller venue now. My movie theater is opening this weekend and I intend to see a movie. | |
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| In San Fran movies have opened but | |
| Posted by: dramedy 02:29 pm EDT 03/23/21 | |
| In reply to: Surprised off Broadway and cabarets haven't opened....any info? - huskyital 01:25 pm EDT 03/23/21 | |
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| No concession stands, which is a huge part of the profit model for a movie theater. Frankly, it wouldn’t be profitable to have concessions for the few people showing up anyway—I’m seeing courier tonight and there were 8 people with tickets this morning. Depending on whether a venue could sell drinks might be an issue in cabaret to make money. Also, movies can have multiple showings with low attendance, a live performance can’t do that. |
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| re: In San Fran movies have opened but | |
| Posted by: TourBoi 03:17 pm EDT 03/23/21 | |
| In reply to: In San Fran movies have opened but - dramedy 02:29 pm EDT 03/23/21 | |
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| I saw on the news SF may enter the Orange tier as soon as Wednesday.... not sure what restrictions are loosened there but I believe live music is allowed to return for small audiences and cinemas ca go up to 50%. No clue about concessions in the tier. | |
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| re: Surprised off Broadway and cabarets haven't opened....any info? | |
| Posted by: ryhog 01:43 pm EDT 03/23/21 | |
| In reply to: Surprised off Broadway and cabarets haven't opened....any info? - huskyital 01:25 pm EDT 03/23/21 | |
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| First of all, as I recall, the reopening starts in April, so that explains why it has not happened yet. Secondly, the capacity limits are limited by the percentage limit (33% I believe), so a "smaller" 199 space would be limited to 65, 99 to 32, and so on. And additionally, this is further subject to the social distancing requirement which for most fixed seat venues would cut the number even more. Moreover, of course, there are mask enforcement and other safety protocols that would cost money. We are going to see some limited reopenings, as have been announced, but they are all in much larger venues without fixed seats. | |
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| re: Surprised off Broadway and cabarets haven't opened....any info? | |
| Posted by: NewtonUK 01:37 pm EDT 03/23/21 | |
| In reply to: Surprised off Broadway and cabarets haven't opened....any info? - huskyital 01:25 pm EDT 03/23/21 | |
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| The onerous AEA requirements for reopening are keeping OB closed - and even OB needs about 3 months planning time from knowing they can reopen to having a show on the stage ... | |
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| re: Surprised off Broadway and cabarets haven't opened....any info? | |
| Posted by: ryhog 01:48 pm EDT 03/23/21 | |
| In reply to: re: Surprised off Broadway and cabarets haven't opened....any info? - NewtonUK 01:37 pm EDT 03/23/21 | |
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| I know you love to hate unions, but we are nowhere near the point that any union requirement is relevant. As I post below, it's the math. Is it onerous to worry about human life? All you have to do is look at the Armory fiasco to see why you might want to rethink your words. Patience is a virtue. | |
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| re: Surprised off Broadway and cabarets haven't opened....any info? | |
| Posted by: NewtonUK 05:28 pm EDT 03/23/21 | |
| In reply to: re: Surprised off Broadway and cabarets haven't opened....any info? - ryhog 01:48 pm EDT 03/23/21 | |
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| I actually have great relations with people at all of the unions, although I do feel they do really stupid things from time to time. AEA's protocols are not practical at any time - and they will change soon. As far as how many people can attend an event - that's a government call. Vaccinating 100% of people onstage and backstage would seem to solve the problem as well as it is ever going to be solved - without private car services and hotel rooms. No responsible theatre is going to open before there are protocols in place which seem as stringent as necessary. I just question why AEA didn't let the government do its job re health and safety. Nothing will be perfect., And as the UK Minister of Health said today, the odds are Covid is never going away - we wont eradicate it. But with annual booster shots, we can control it like we control so many other diseases. According to WHO, only two diseases have ever been eradicated - Small Pox, and Rinderpest. |
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| re: Surprised off Broadway and cabarets haven't opened....any info? | |
| Posted by: ryhog 06:05 pm EDT 03/23/21 | |
| In reply to: re: Surprised off Broadway and cabarets haven't opened....any info? - NewtonUK 05:28 pm EDT 03/23/21 | |
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| I cannot speak to what people you may or may not have certain relations with; I only know what sentiments you regularly exhibit here. I think you misapprehend the purpose of the "protocols" which, by their terms, are (and can be) no more than placeholders. I think you also apparently misapprehend the role of the union vis-a-vis the government: their interests are not co-extensive. Government does things for a variety of reasons and in relation to a variety of constituencies. Unions constitutionally cannot yield to government in upholding their obligations to their members; that is between the leadership and the membership, in the first instance, and management in the second. Government does not dictate the terms of those relationships; it just sets the contours. And it is well to remember that while we may not think of New York as allowing anything that is not safe (there are those who would differ, vigorously), there are many states that have opened the floodgates and AEA is not about to pay their rules any mind. And finally, while I would not follow any UK official down their Tory path, the expectation that covid will be controlled is not a controversial notion. I don't see what that has to do with anything. The fact remains, we are not at the point of confidently reopening theatres broadly and great care will be needed to make sure we don't have any repeats of what just happened at the armory. Or do you think that's ok? | |
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| re: Surprised off Broadway and cabarets haven't opened....any info? | |
| Posted by: NewtonUK 07:59 am EDT 03/24/21 | |
| In reply to: re: Surprised off Broadway and cabarets haven't opened....any info? - ryhog 06:05 pm EDT 03/23/21 | |
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| I think we'll learn a lot more when theatres begin opening in the West End - if the current schedule holds for 50% audiences, 1 meter distanceing from mid May, 100%, no distancing (but still masks) from late June. At last count 26 shows are set to open from mid May thru October. Under protocols issued by the Government. Putting audiences aside, the Vienna State Opera has streamed 3 operas live from their stages (with no audiences) with no ill effects reported amongst cast, crew, chorus and orchestra. One was a new production of CARMEN which they also had to rehearse extensively. The Salzburg Festival did 105 performances with 50% audiences in August, with only one staff member testing positive - and therefore not allowed in any buildings of the Festival. The Royal Ballet has done a series of performances, some with small audiences, some with no audiences, with no ille effects to dancers, orchestra, or crew and staff. The Berlin Philharmonic has been playing their entire season (in empty hall) with no ill effects. Its lucky for us that other countries are going first - and countries with equally serious health issues - so we will know how this works. Will anyone end up testing positive? Probably, That risk will likely continue for a year or two, diminishing. Especially for anyone refusing vaccines. Do I bash unions? Well - yes I do on occasion - because there are rules that make our industry next to impossible. I can do a cast album of a musical for $35-40,000 in London. $250,000-300,000 in the USA. Why? Unions. I recently looked at two budgets side by side, for a musical that started OB, transferred to Broadway, and then to The West End. The identical show. Even some of the same cast. To pay to load in, set up, and tech the show? Broadway, $1.2 milion. West End $105,000. Why? Unions. Its not their fault, I will readily say, alone. From decades the SHuberts negotiated all of the union contracts unilaterally - their only goal was never to have their theatres shut down. During these decades they gave away everything - which the League has been trying (very hard) - to claw back from in every negotiation. Salaries and benefits are not exorbitant, especially for those of us who live and work in the NY area. But its the add ons. And the work rules, And the craft lines. Having produced a lot in the West End, Europe, and US, there are great people in our biz everywhere. I was sitting in a West End theatre during a tech rehearsal for a new play. The final scene was not quite working write. I saw my director and set designer huddled at the back of the theatre, the designer drawing. I went over, and they showed me that they were working on a new scenic solution to the final 5 minutes of the play, which required an effect. Our crew head noticed the three of us. He asked what we were working on. The designer told him. The crew head said, "Sound great. Listen, we (the crew) don't have much to do during techs, a friend has a scene shop not too far away. When you have drawings we'd be happy tp go obver to the shop and build it for you. You're paying us anyway. We'd be happy to do something for you. It's your time!" That's why many of us love working in London. Because everyone is on the same team. ANd works a 40 hour week. At some point Broadway will have to reform its model - I don't mind paying someone $3,500 a week (or more) for salary benefits and taxes. But I'd kind of liek a 40 week in return, not show calls. As just one example. |
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| re: Surprised off Broadway and cabarets haven't opened....any info? | |
| Posted by: ryhog 10:18 am EDT 03/24/21 | |
| In reply to: re: Surprised off Broadway and cabarets haven't opened....any info? - NewtonUK 07:59 am EDT 03/24/21 | |
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| re UK reopening, we shall see, but no a reopening that assumes that some will "probably" test positive is not cool. The UK has done one thing well, which is the vaccination rollout. That's likely gonna change now that the EU has shut down exports but the high percentage (higher among theatre-goers no doubt, just as it is here) will help. Re the risk, as I have related previously, the timelines you are talking about relate to the epidemiological risk (which continues until we near herd immunity) but not the personal risk. If you are vaccinated, you have immunity; if the employees are vaccinated, they have immunity; if the audience is vaccinated, they have immunity. No masks, no social distancing, just good old fashioned live theatre. All of this while the idiots who refuse to do the sane and rational thing (and who are mostly not theatre-goers anyway) continue to get sick. Also NB that the first goal is not having everyone test negative, it is eliminating symptomatic infections. We will have vaccine passports by this summer, and employees will have to be vaccinated to work. Re performances without audiences, you have been told this before but don't seem to want to process it: we have protocols in place for performances filmed without audiences and we have them happening right here in NYC. (See, e.g., SNL.) So what's your point? Re bashing unions, res ipsa loquitur. |
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