Hudson Yards' Shed To Host Live Performances This Spring

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — The Shed at Hudson Yards became one of the most high-profile venues to announce a return to live performances, saying Thursday that it would host music and comedy shows starting in April.

The series, dubbed "An Audience with...," will run from April 2–22 at The Shed, a nonprofit arts center that opened in 2019.

It will be held on five nights, with 150 guests allowed inside The Shed's expansive, 18,000-square-foot space, which includes 115-foot ceilings and a state-of-the-art ventilation system, according to the facility, which normally seats about 1,200 people.

Opening night will feature the singer and cellist Kelsey Lu, followed by musicians from the New York Philharmonic on April 14 and 15, the soprano Renée Fleming on April 21 and comedian Michelle Wolf on April 22.

The performance space, which is connected to the 15 Hudson Yards skyscraper, is defined by its retractable roof that can be moved around to create new performance spaces.

"After an unprecedented yearlong shutdown of indoor performance in New York, The Shed looks to once again celebrate the irreplaceable communal experience of attending a live show," Alex Poots, The Shed's CEO and artistic director, said in a news release.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced this month that live performances could resume across the state. The new policy did not apply to some of the city's most popular performance spaces, however, including Broadway theaters, which plan to stay largely shuttered through at least May 30.

In addition to the reduced capacity, the venue will seat guests in socially-distanced pairs, implement contactless ticket scanning, timed entry and exit, have no coat check or concessions and add a relatively short maximum performance length of 80 minutes.

"Through music and comedy, we hope An Audience with... will provide some much-needed beauty and joy for both artists and audiences and, along with our other spring/summer programs, will contribute to our city’s recovery."

Tickets will go on sale next week, with first priority going to Shed members.