New vaccine drive a shot in the arm for NYC’s ailing local theaters

Queens Theatre hopes to resume in-person performances this summer. Photo courtesy of Queens Theatre

By David Brand

A new initiative to vaccinate New York City theater workers is intended to get performers back on stage, audiences back in their seats and money back into an industry crippled by the COVID pandemic. 

That’s good news for smaller theater companies and organizations across the five boroughs, said Rob Urbinati, a playwright and the director of new play development at Queens Theatre.

“In order for us to reopen we will have to all get vaccinated,” Urbinati said. “[Reopening] is essential but it’s essential to do it safely and properly and with all necessary safety precautions in place.”

Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a plan Thursday to introduce a vaccine site in the Broadway theater district to make it easier for performers, playwrights and production teams to get their shots. He said a mobile vaccine unit will administer to casts and crews elsewhere in the city, too. 

A City Hall spokesperson said theater workers outside Manhattan “can definitely access the Broadway vaccine site we’ll be setting up.

“Tell them all to sign up as soon as they’re eligible,” the spokesperson added.

Though Broadway receives the attention and generates significant revenue, the city’s smaller theater organizations are an economic powerhouse of their own. Some 748 small theater groups generated $1.3 billion in 2019, a year before the pandemic hit, according to a report that year from the Mayor’s Office of Music and Entertainment. Broadway theaters generated $1.8 billion in 2019.

The coronavirus has forced many smaller spaces to close down. The Secret Theatre, a beloved Long Island City performance venue, shut its doors for good in May, citing the devastating financial impact of the public health crisis.

Overall, about two-thirds of New York City’s entertainment workers lost their jobs during the pandemic, according to a 2020 report from the city comptroller’s office.

Actor’s Equity Executive Director Mary McColl called the city’s new vaccine plan “an important recognition from the City of New York that a strong theatre industry means a healthy, strong economy.”

Theater workers are not explicitly eligible for the vaccine — they have to qualify through some other criteria — but the new sites are supposed to ease access, de Blasio said. 

Many nonprofit theatre groups, including Queens Theatre, have begun issuing letters to staff to prove their eligibility as public-facing workers, Urbinati said.

Getting vaccines will allow theater staff to get back on stage, behind the lights or into the ticket booth, he said.

Urbinati is currently running the latest session of Queens Theater’s innovative “New American Voices” series, which has allowed playwrights to test out their productions during development. The popular series, founded in 2002, is unique because everyday people, and not just Broadway insiders, flock to the productions and provide authentic feedback, Urbinati said.

“We live in a diverse borough and there are many underrepresented communities whose voices aren’t heard, particularly on stages,” Urbinati said. “This gives those writers an opportunity to have their voices heard and it gives audiences the opportunity to hear those voices.”

Two upcoming plays will be performed virtually, however. The Prisoner, written by Seamus Lucason and directed by Nicola Murphy, will debut April 14 at 8 p.m. Ghost Story written by Lia Romeo and directed by Kimille Howard, will premiere May 12 at 8 p.m.

The programs are a step toward in-person performances, Urbinati said. He said Queens Theatre hopes to resume some live, indoor events this summer.

“We feel strongly that everybody who works for the theater should be vaccinated as soon as possible,” he said. “We are face-to-face workers.”