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  2020-05-12

  When Will We Want to Be in a Room Full of Strangers Again? Theater, an industry full of optimists, is reckoning with a heartbreaking realization.

  In this article written for the Atlantic on May 12, 2020- Helen Lewis writes, "As a live art form, theater is particularly affected by the coronavirus, along with concerts and stand-up comedy performances. As I talked with writers, directors, and producers, the same refrain recurred: When will anyone want to be in a dark room full of strangers again? Many of those I spoke with were quietly updating their scenario-planning documents to account for a return next spring, and warned that, without a bailout, that long of a shutdown would financially cripple some institutions. Even when theaters reopen, social-distancing rules could hamper rehearsals, and force venues to sell fewer (and therefore more expensive) tickets. Most believe theater will eventually rebound, but there is talk of a generation of artists and audiences being lost." The effects that COVID-19 will have on the performing arts industry are innumerable but elusive to define. We know things will change, but how and to what extent remains to be seen.