NY is relaxing restrictions on venues. So where do theaters go from here?

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At Redhouse Arts Center, the employees miss having new experiences. Instead of watching their productions alongside community members at the center, their work has been reduced to a computer screen.

But, starting April 2, smaller arts, entertainment and event venues like Redhouse can reopen, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on March 3. Venues will be allowed to reopen at 33% capacity with crowds of up to 100 people indoors and 200 outdoors. If attendees show proof of a negative COVID-19 test, capacity increases to 150 indoors and 500 outdoors.

For Samara Hannah, executive director of the Redhouse Arts Center, the shift in guidelines allows her to begin planning for live performances. While she does not have the specifics for the fall season planned, having more information on how many people she can have in the theater gives her the opportunity to put together a live show by the end of the year.

“We’ll do something before the end of the calendar year to bring our audience back,” Hannah said. “Something that is new and fresh, and exciting and upbeat and positive. We’re all desperate to do something social and be around other people.”

But for other venue owners in Syracuse, the new guidelines don’t mean they can reopen their doors to a live audience soon. Mike Intaglietta, the executive director of the Landmark Theatre, said it’s not economically feasible for the Landmark to operate at an audience of fewer than 150 people when it boasts 2,800 seats.

To sustain the theater with live shows, which requires paying staff members and producing performances, the capacity would have to be at least 75%, Intaglietta said. Even though it doesn’t impact his theater, Intaglietta is still happy about the change overall.

“It’s wonderful if there’s an opportunity for theaters that can accommodate to be able to offer programming, if that makes financial sense for them,” Intaglietta said. “It just doesn’t make sense for the Landmark.”

Shannon Kirkpatrick | Presentation Director

Jill Anderson, managing director for the Syracuse Stage, said that it isn’t cost effective to bring back audiences at the recommended capacity. Most of Syracuse Stage’s productions need to run at about 80% capacity to fully fund the shows it produces.

And even if Syracuse Stage wanted to put on live performances, the theater would need approval from Actor’s Equity Association, an actors’ union that represents actors employed at the theater. The challenges to resuming in-person performances are greater than one mandate from the governor, she said.

Anderson said the union just granted her permission on Tuesday to do in-person rehearsals for the upcoming play “I and You.” But she hasn’t had the chance to discuss bringing back live audiences. The show will air in May in front of a virtual audience.

Anderson doesn’t plan to bring back audiences soon since Syracuse Stage has just recently brought back live rehearsals. But if COVID-19 cases continue to decrease, she would aim to bring back live audiences in the fall.

“With things evolving as quickly as they are, it’s not out of the realm of possibility,” Anderson said.

Bob Hupp (left) and Jill Anderson both work at Syracuse Stage. Anderson is personally thrilled that actors can travel to Syracuse to rehearse in person. Lucy Messineo-Witt | Asst. Photo Editor

Other venues like the Westcott Theater depend on touring artists to reopen. But owner Dan Mastronardi said very few artists are seeking to book performances.

He said he’d consider reopening if the recommended capacity was over 50% and everyone receives a vaccination, which he hopes will allow them to bring back live performances in fall 2021 at the earliest.

“There’s really not much we can do as far as making (the artists) want to play shows,” Mastronardi said. “Nor do I think that we’re fully ready to open on it from a music standpoint. It’s going to just be a slow and steady opening.”

Redhouse, on the other hand, has the space to operate at the recommended guidelines. The state mandate allows smaller theaters to hold live audiences at 50% if the capacity remains at 100 people. Hannah said the center holds up to 300 people, which means at 50% occupancy with testing, it can hold 150 people.

It will still take months for Redhouse to plan social distancing and produce shows at a much smaller budget due to the revenue lost during the pandemic. Hannah is considering the possibility of putting on a live performance before the end of their fiscal year in June or putting on outdoor shows in the summer, which would accommodate more people.

“We’re planning forward, and we’re excited for that,” Hannah said. “We’re talking to our audience members, and a lot of them are waiting to get vaccinated or have a date. As more of our audience members have received the vaccine, I think they’ll be more ready to come out.”

With summer approaching and a higher capacity, outdoor music venues such as the Paper Mill Island have a higher chance of bringing back a live audience. Richard Clarke, the mayor of Baldwinsville, is uncertain how the change will affect Paper Mill, but the event promoter told him last month that he is willing to plan safety protocols to reopen at the required capacity.

Venues in New York will be allowed to reopen at 33% capacity with crowds of up to 150 indoors and 500 outdoors. Lucy Messineo-Witt | Asst. Photo Editor

“We’re kind of in limbo right now,” Clarke said. “We’re certainly hoping that with the vaccine and that the numbers will go down significantly enough.”

Anderson said while the possibility of bringing audience members back to Syracuse Stage remains uncertain for her, she is thrilled that actors can travel to Syracuse to rehearse in person and she endorses the state’s change in guidelines.

“It’s a tremendous step in the right direction,” Anderson said. “Every step we can make in that direction is a little bit of sunlight and encouragement for our folks.”