Broadway To Remain Dark Through May 2021

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — All Broadway performances will remain shuttered through May 30, 2021, the Broadway League announced Friday, extending a closure that began in March as the coronavirus took hold in New York.

The previous closure was set to last until January 2021. Thirty-one shows were forced to abruptly close last spring, crippling the city's theater industry, which is now set to remain dormant for more than a full year.

“With nearly 97,000 workers who rely on Broadway for their livelihood and an annual economic impact of $14.8 billion to the city, our membership is committed to re-opening as soon as conditions permit us to do so," Broadway League President Charlotte St. Martin said in a statement.

"We are working tirelessly with multiple partners on sustaining the industry once we raise our curtains again."

Touring Broadway shows across North America will also remain suspended, the League said. Customers who bought tickets for shows through May 30 can contact ticket-sellers about exchanges and refunds.

Individual shows will determine reopening schedules once the shutdown ends, the League said.

Friday's extension is the fourth time Broadway's shutdown has been lengthened, with initial closures set to end June 7 and later, Sept. 6, NBC reported.

Last year, Broadway enjoyed its most successful season in history, raking in $1.8 billion in ticket sales from nearly 15 million people.

Officials and advocates have called for government relief to help the nearly 100,000 workers who have lost income from the closures.

State Sen. Brad Hoylman, who represents Midtown, said Friday that the state should provide rent relief for the workers and consider bailing out the theater industry itself, absent any help from the federal government.

"Theater cannot survive without help from our federal government, and our nation and New York cannot survive without the arts," Hoylman said in a statement.