A person in a surgical masks walks by Manhattan’s Broadway Theatre district after Broadway exhibits introduced they’ll cancel performances as a result of coronavirus outbreak in New York, March 12, 2020.
Andrew Kelly | Reuters
Broadway theaters will stay closed by Might.
The Broadway League, a commerce group representing producers and theater homeowners, introduced Friday that Broadway’s 41 theaters will stay closed by not less than Might 30.
“With almost 97,000 staff who depend on Broadway for his or her livelihood and an annual financial affect of $14.eight billion to town, our membership is dedicated to re-opening as quickly as situations allow us to take action,” stated Charlotte St. Martin, president of the Broadway League. “We’re working tirelessly with a number of companions on sustaining the business as soon as we increase our curtains once more.”
Individuals holding tickets by that date are suggested to contact their level of buy for refunds or exchanges. Broadway has been closed since March 12, and it is unclear when theaters will resume operations.
Over the past Broadway season — from Might 28, 2018, to Might 26, 2019, — exhibits tallied greater than $1.83 billion in ticket gross sales, marking its highest-grossing season in historical past, in line with an annual report printed by the Broadway League.
The league has not launched the numbers for the 2019-2020 season, which might have resulted in Might, however we all know that Broadway snared solely round $300 million in ticket gross sales in 2020 earlier than shuttering.
Broadway’s closures reverberate far past the theater world. Vacationers who enterprise to New York Metropolis to see musicals and performs contribute billions of dollars to the local economy as they pay for taxis, food and hotel rooms.
Individuals who come to go to town from different states or international locations account for 65% of Broadway’s annual ticket gross sales. These guests contributed round $11.5 billion to the New York Metropolis economic system final 12 months.
Round $eight billion of that spending was at eating places, resorts, outlets and for public transportation.
