Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the performing arts

[14][15] Mean Girls announced on January 7, 2021, that it would not be reopening post pandemic, though it intended to resume its tour and the film adaptation of the musical remained in the works.

For example, the American Ballet Theatre 80th Anniversary Season at the Metropolitan Opera House was cancelled, along with New York Premiere of Of Love and Rage and several dancers' debuts.

This included ceasing the show Riverdance, which was doing a run in Radio City Music Hall for their 25th anniversary tour throughout North America.

[41] In response to the cancellation of many of its planned productions, Finnish National Opera commissioned, created, and produced Covid fan tutte, a comic opera about life during the pandemic using music from Mozart's Cosi fan tutte, starring a Finnish cast and premiering 28 August 2020 with small audiences and social distancing restrictions.

[47] The Sydney Theatre Company commissioned actors to film themselves at home discussing, then performing, a monologue from one of the characters they had previously played on stage.

[56] The Maltings Theatre, St Albans performed an interactive production of Twelfth Night with both cast and audience being Zoom participants.

[64] In August, the musical Diana announced that the Broadway production will be recorded with no audience to be released on Netflix on October 1, 2021, ahead of its newly scheduled opening on December 1, 2021.

A virtual concert presentation of it, produced by Seaview Productions, streamed for 72 hours on TodayTix beginning January 1, 2021 to benefit The Actors Fund.

It was directed by Six co-creator and co-director Lucy Moss from a script adaptation by Michael Breslin and Patrick Foley, both of whom co-executive produced the concert with Jeremy O. Harris.

The cast included Kevin Chamberlin as Gusteau, Andrew Barth Feldman as Linguini, Titus Burgess as Remy, Adam Lambert as Emile, Wayne Brady as Django, Priscilla Lopez as Mabel, Ashley Park as Colette, André De Shields as Anton Ego, Owen Tabaka as Young Anton Ego and Mary Testa as Skinner.

[68][69][70][71][72] In February 2021, the planned narrative film adaptation of the musical Come from Away was cancelled in favor of recording the Broadway production with its cast reprising their roles.

[77] Other masks for woodwind and brass players, including components to cover the bells of instruments as needed, have also been produced,[78] and are being sold through standard equipment retailers.

[82] Conductor Iván Fischer designed a mask with plastic cups attached at the ears to enhance the acoustics of a live performance as experienced by the wearer.

[83] Numerous music schools have devised protocols regarding the use of personal protective equipment as part of their return to on-campus studies and live performance.

[84][85] Due to the closure of productions and the simultaneous shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) several theatre costume departments – including that of the Berlin State Opera – converted to creating face masks.

[87] The filmed version of the stage musical Hamilton, originally scheduled for an October 15, 2021 theatrical release, but was later moved up to July 3, 2020, exclusively on Disney+, as announced by the show's creator Lin-Manuel Miranda on May 12, 2020.

[98] In the United States, as the pandemic spread and closures became the standard rather than the exception, institutions started publishing expected revenue shortfall calculations.

[102] A planned performance of 'Tis Pity She's a Whore via videoconferencing software was cancelled at the last minute due to a dispute between the theatre producers and the union.

The AEA argued that during a time when almost everyone in the arts is going without a regular pay cheque and is worried about their health care, "it's deeply sad to see that some employers will still ask Equity actors to work without the protections of a contract.

"[103] The theatre producers argued that "cyberspace" is not within the AEA's jurisdiction nor "...should free online-only experience, in which actors participate from the safety and comfort of their own home on teleconference, without rehearsal or admission price," be subject to the Off-Broadway agreement.

[104] On 11 January 2021, it was announced that Indonesian–Japanese idol group JKT48 will forcibly mass-remove 26 of its 59 remaining members due to crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and government-imposed large-scale social restrictions.

[106] With the extensive financial disruption across all areas of the economy, many governments announced fiscal stimulus and economic bailout packages which included specific resources for the arts and cultural sectors.

[108] It also expanded unemployment assistance in response to the pandemic – dubbed JobKeeper – however it specifically excluded "freelancers and casuals on short-term contracts, or who have worked for a series of employers in the last year".