Broadway’s The Kite Runner will require audiences to wear masks at Wednesday matinee performances at the Hayes Theater beginning September 7. This mandate is in addition to the the previously announced mask requirement for Friday evening performances. The two mandates will be implemented through the remainder of the show's run, which concludes October 30.
"We began this experiment with one masked weekend night which was well-received and wanted to offer a weekday matinee as well," said producers.
Additional performances will follow The Broadway League policy stating that face masks are optional for audience members attending Broadway shows until further notice. The organization also lifted vaccine requirements.
READ: The Kite Runner's Azita Ghanizada Makes Emotional Curtain Call Speech on 1-Year Anniversary of Taliban Takeover
In a previous statement The Kite Runner Producer Victoria Lang stated that the new mask-requirements were to give "everyone" an opportunity to see the show. "We have received feedback from some theatregoers who remain cautious about being in an audience with non-masked patrons, as well as others who are still immunocompromised. We want to give everyone the opportunity to see The Kite Runner and are offering this option to accommodate them."
The work, based on a novel by Khaled Hosseini and adapted by Matthew Spangler, follows Amir from a young boy living in Kabul, Afghanistan to adulthood, as he confronts his past and searches for redemption.
Leading the cast is Amir Arison as Amir and Faran Tahir as Baba. They are joined by Mazin Akar, Barzin Akhavan, Demosthenes Chrysan, Azita Ghanizada, Danish Farooqui, Joe Joseph, Déa Julien, Dariush Kashani, Beejan Land, Amir Malaklou, Christine Mirzayan, Haris Pervaiz, Alex Purcell, Eric Sirakian, Houshang Touzie, and Evan Zes. Salar Nader plays the tabla, a percussion instrument.
READ: Amir Arison Soars Onto Broadway in The Kite Runner
The production comes to New York after premiering in the U.K., including two runs in London’s West End. Giles Croft directs, having previously directed the production in the U.K., and is joined on the creative team by scenic and costume designer Barney George, lighting designer Charles Balfour, sound designer Drew Baumohl, projection designer William Simpson, composer and musical supervisor Jonathan Girling, movement director Kitty Winter, casting director Laura Stanczyk, cultural advisor and script consultant Humaira Ghilzai, and associate director Damian Sandys.
The work is produced by Lang, Ryan Bogner, and Tracey McFarland of Broadway & Beyond Theatricals; Jayne Baron Sherman and Hunter Arnold, in association with UK Productions Ltd. and Flying Entertainment Ltd/Kilimanjaro Group Ltd. Daryl Roth serves as executive producer.
Visit TheKiteRunnerBroadway.com.
