The Sydney, Australia, productions of Hamilton, Come From Away, and more have been shuttered due to rising coronavirus cases in the area. A two-week stay-at-home order went into effect June 26 for all residents of Sydney, Randwick, Woollahra, and Waverley鈥攁long with any employees who were in that area over the past 14 days, which includes cast members and theatre workers who may not live within those four districts.
reports there is confusion about whether audience members who attended a show recently and live outside the stay-at-home boundary are being asked to quarantine as well. Some productions, like Hamilton and Come From Away, had been playing to 50 percent capacity as decided by the producers. There were no COVID-19 related government restrictions for theatres until the stay-at-home order was issued.
Several other productions have been affected, some having been in rehearsals or previews, including The Wedding Singer at State Theatre and the Hayes Theatre Company鈥檚 Merrily We Roll Along. The Cherry Orchard at Belvoir, Happy Days at Old Fitzroy Theatre, and Grand Horizons at Roslyn Packer Theatre have closed early. The Opera Australia stagings of Aida and Attila, which were already affected by earlier shutdowns, have been paused again.
鈥淭he prevailing mood is one of d茅j脿 vu but we鈥檙e still buoyant,鈥� said Lisa Campbell, a producer at the Hayes. 鈥淲e were able to have our first preview in front of a half-capacity audience, and it was wonderful. At least we鈥檙e able to press pause and be confident that when we press play again, everything will be fine....We are hoping for support because this is a mandated lockdown. We are still continuing to pay people under contract.鈥�
Elsewhere around the world, London theatres had hoped to open at full capacity in mid-June but a steady number of cases . Theatre producers like Andrew Lloyd Webber, Cameron Mackintosh, and Sonia Friedman to release data that could aid in a full reopening.
Broadway with the return of Springsteen on Broadway at the St. James Theatre. Capacity was at 100 percent, but proof of vaccination was required. The next show slated to open on the Main Stem is Antoinette Chinonye Nwandu鈥檚 Pass Over, at the August Wilson Theatre.
