As the ban on mass gatherings—which officially began March 12 as mandated by Governor Andrew Cuomo—continues, check in below for the latest postponements, cancellations, and scheduling updates for Off-Broadway theatres.
We'll also regularly update with companies' alternative programming, which includes online readings and live streams, virtual workshops, behind-the-scene exclusives, social groups, and much more.
If you'd like to support an institution, visit each organization's website for instructions on how to make a donation.
READ: Exactly What Does It Mean to an Off-Broadway Theatre to Cancel a Production?
(UPDATED JULY 2)
59E59 THEATERS
Season: All live programming has been suspended through 2020.
Alternative programming: Hershey Felder's Beethoven streams July 12.
ABRONS ARTS CENTER
Season: All live programming has been suspended.
Alternative programming: Abrons Arts Center offers digital programming of past productions for free on its Vimeo. Among the titles offered are the 2020 world premiere of No one likes an ugly revolutionary, Distances Smaller Than This Are Not Confirmed, and KLUTZ. The company also offers a list of resources for artists struggling during the crisis. For more information, visit AbronsArtsCenter.org.
ARS NOVA
Season: All in-person programming is suspended until further notice.
Alternative programming: Follow Ars Nova's Instagram for things like the live Rags Parkland concert, which featured songs and stories from the show, surprise musical guests and more. Most of the company’s digital content has been suspended in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.
ATLANTIC THEATER COMPANY
Season: All remaining performances of Anatomy of a Suicide and Atlantic for Kids’ She Persisted, The Musical, are canceled. The Sarah Silverman, Adam Schlesinger (who passed away in April due to COVID-19 complications), and Joshua Harmon musical The Bedwetter will return in the 2020–2021 season at the Linda Gross Theatre. Organizers are looking at when they can stage Ethan Coen's A Play is a Poem.
Protests: The Linda Gross Theater is currently open daily 12 PM to 7 PM. Accessible bathrooms are available; as are snacks, water, first aid, and feminine hygiene products.
Alternative programming: Atlantic Theater Company and its affiliate Atlantic Acting School are offering both free and tuition-based digital classes for varying ages, backgrounds, and skill levels. Among the education offerings are weekly, free, hour-long performance-focused workshops (Technique Tuesdays). The company has also launched #FeelGoodFriday, featuring a weekly clip from the archives posted on its social channels, and Live at Atlantic conversation series. Most programming is currently in solidarity with the BLM movement through the last week of June. For a list of programming visit AtlanticTheater.org.
BROOKLYN ACADEMY OF MUSIC
Season: All planned live performances are canceled, including Lungs and Cyrano De Bergerac.
Alternative programming: BAM is offering curated digital content in a series called Love from BAM, featuring archived performances and talks, as well as films streamed through partnerships with distributors. Offerings are updated weekly and a recent update includes content in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Visit BAM.org to view content and for more information.
CHERRY LANE THEATRE
Season: The production of Esai’s Table is currently postponed with new dates to be announced.
Protests: The lobby will reopen 6/19 from 10 AM-4 PM. Accessible bathrooms are available; as are water, wifi, and outlets.
CLASSIC STAGE COMPANY
Season: The final production of the season, Assassins, has been postponed. CSC intends to resume rehearsals and present the production in the coming months.
Protests: The company has opened its lobby, which shares its space with Everyman Espresso, daily but hours vary (check the cafe’s Instagram for the latest update). Accessible bathrooms are available; as are water, snacks, outlets, PPE, and hand sanitizer.
Alternative programming: CSC moves its discussion series, Classic Conversations, to Thursdays at 6:30 PM ET on YouTube and Facebook (and available to view afterwards on these platforms and Instagram IGTV).
CLUBBED THUMB
Season: The 2020 Summerworks season, originally scheduled for late spring and summer is on hold. The submission deadline for the Biennial Commission has been delayed until July 5th.
Alternative programming: Follow along on Clubbed Thumb's Instagram stories for a retrospective of the last 24 years.
ENSEMBLE STUDIO THEATRE
Season: Live programming is suspended, including Brittany K. Allen's play Redwood, which will be rescheduled.
Protests: EST’s lobby is open every Sunday–Tuesday from 1-7 PM. Bathrooms are available, as are water, snacks, hand sanitizer, first aid, PPE, outlets, and voter registration.
ENSEMBLE FOR THE ROMANTIC CENTURY
Season: Eve Wolf's Akhmatova: The Heart Is Not Made of Stone has been postponed.
FAULT LINE THEATRE
Season: Live programming is postponed.
Alternative programming: Every Tuesday and Friday on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook Fault Line Theatre presents [...] in the Time of Corona. The series pairs writers with actors to create new short projects—a story, monologue, poem, or mini-play—to be shared on the company's social platforms. Check it out here.
THE FLEA THEATRE
Season: All live performances are canceled until further notice. This impacts the world premiere of Taylor Mac's The Fre, which was in performances, Flea Fridays, and Sara Farrington's Cosmicomics, amongst other spring programming.
Alternative programming: The Off-Off-Broadway has postponed upcoming episodes of SERIALS @ The Flea: ONLINE! in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter. Previous episodes of the digital series are available on the Flea’s Instagram and YouTube channels.
Additionally, The Flea's artistic director Niegel Smith has teamed up with Mac, Kristin Marting, Morgan Jenness, Emily Morse, and over 50 New York City artists to launch The Trickle Up, a video streaming service—available at $10 a month—from which donations will be used to help artists living below the poverty line during the coronavirus pandemic. Sign up to receive content from The Trickle Up here.
IRISH REPERTORY THEATRE
Season: As previously announced, Irish Rep’s stagings of The Smuggler and A Touch of the Poet have been postponed until theatres can resume operations.
Alternative programming: The company’s first-ever Online Summer Season is now underway, with the world premiere of Darren Murphy’s The Gifts You Gave to the Dark available to stream through October. The piece was written in direct response to the COVID-19 crisis. Additional titles in the lineup include live, virtual presentations of Yes! Reflections of Molly Bloom (through June 20), Conor McPherson’s The Weir (July 21–25), and Love, Noël (August 18–22). These are in addition to its continuing The Show Must Go Online performance series and the Meet the Makers digital conversations.
LA MAMA
Season: All public events and live shows are suspended until further notice. Although the theatre itself is closed, La MaMa will open its lobby Tuesday and Sundays, 2–6 PM, to provide shelter and supplies in the wake of Black Lives Matter protests. Text LOBBY to 661-465-6229 for more.
Alternative programming: The downtown company continues its slate of Online Happenings in partnership with CultureHub. Upcoming events include Downtown Variety, featuring resident artists of Poetic Societies in commemoration of Juneteenth (June 19) and a family-friend Raga presentation featuring Indian musician Neel Murgai (June 25).
LABYRINTH THEATER COMPANY
Season: LAByrinth’s 27th season was cut short this spring. No word yet on future programming.
Alternative programming: The Survival Guide to Self-Isolation regularly provides new digital content, from bedtime stories and recipes to personal essays and social advocacy resources. Check it out here.
LINCOLN CENTER THEATER & LCT3
Season: LCT’s spring programming has been postponed and is eyeing a fall reopening. This includes Intimate Apparel, the new opera adaptation of Lynn Nottage's play, which will return to the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater where the run was previously cut short during previews.
Alternative programming: The Lincoln Center at Home portal offers various educational programs and streams of past performances. Additionally, LCT’s 2017 production of Pipeline, by Dominique Morisseau, is available for free via BroadwayHD. Visit LincolnCenter.org for a weekly schedule and to view content.
MANHATTAN THEATRE CLUB
Season: The remainder of the 2019–2020 season has been canceled, with plans to reschedule Qui Nguyen’s Poor Yella Rednecks and Emily Feldman’s The Best We Could (a family tragedy) in a future season.
Alternative programming: The newly launched MTC Digital features live Q&As, home concerts, and weekly educational offerings.
MCC THEATER
Season: The remainder of the 2019–2020 season has been canceled, which includes two world premieres: Jocelyn Bioh's comedy Nollywood Dreams and Lucy Thurber's Perry Street.
Alternative programming: MCC Virtual Events launched April 28 with a streamed benefit reading of Beirut, starring Marisa Tomei and Oscar Isaac on MCC's YouTube Channel, followed by play reading Series Live Labs: One Acts, every Wednesday at 5:30 PM. Participating playwrights include Robert Askins, Aziza Barnes, Peter Hedges, C.A. Johnson, Matthew Lopez and Talene Monahon. Register for events at MCCTheater.org here.
MINT THEATRE COMPANY
Season: Meet Miss Baker, scheduled to begin performances in May, has been postponed to summer 2021. The double bill of Elizabeth Baker plays, Chains and Partnership, were set to run simultaneously at Theatre Row.
NATIONAL BLACK THEATRE
Season: Live programming as part of the 51st season is on hold.
Alternative programming: National Black Theatre launched NBT@Home, a free five-part weekly digital series curated by ChelseaDee and featuring hour-long artist discussions. Every Thursday, NBT will also opens its archives for #ThrowbackThursdays, the digitally release of some of its most popular exhibitions, documentaries and performances. They can be accessed by following NBT’s Instagram or signing up for its mailing list by visiting Nationalblacktheatre.org.
NEW GROUP
Season: The company's next scheduled production, Black No More, is set to go ahead in October. The New Group was forced to cancel remaining performances of its spring show, Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, in March.
Alternative Programming: New Group launched Why We Do It, a free, live streamed conversation series with company alums. The series is publicly available on Facebook Live and later archived on The New Group’s YouTube page. Bonus: for a $50 tax-deductible donation, you can join the artists for a "virtual happy hour" and intimate Q&A with the artists via Zoom.
NEW YORK THEATRE ROW
Season: Live programming is suspended until further notice.
NEW YORK THEATRE WORKSHOP
Season: NYTW has officially concluded its 2019–2020 season, affecting its production of Martyna Majok's Sanctuary City and Clare Barron's adaptation of Three Sisters. The company hopes to produce both in an upcoming season. Three titles under the theatre's Next Door series—Islander, La Paloma Prisoner, and Raisins Not Virgins—were also canceled.
Alternative programming: Every Wednesday at 5 PM, members of NYTW’s artistic community lead conversations on assorted topics. Visit NYTW.org for a calendar of events.
NEW WORLD STAGES
Season: Live programming is suspended through September 6. This includes productions of Jersey Boys, The Play That Goes Wrong, Rock of Ages, Gazillion Bubble Show, Katsura Sunshine's Rakugo, The Imbible, and Drift.
PLAYWRIGHTS HORIZONS
Season: Live programming is suspended.
Alternative programming: Keep an eye on Playwrights' social for alerts on things like live reunion readings of The Heidi Chronicles, as well as the company's YouTube page for behind-the-scenes videos like this one, from the cut-short production of Unknown Soldier. Other offerings include Soundstage, a new scripted fiction podcast penned by playwrights and composers. Learn more by visiting PlaywrightsHorizons.org.
THE PLAYWRIGHTS REALM
Season: Live spring events have been canceled, including Noah Diaz's Richard & Jane & Dick & Sally, as well as the company's annual gala.
Alternative programming: The Realm is shifting to being a full-time playwrights service organization, which will include the convening of a new cohort of playwrights who will take part in The Realm’s existing, robust, developmental programming, as well as exploring new ways to support early-career writers artistically, financially, and emotionally. Sign up for the Realm's email list for updates.
PRIMARY STAGES
Season: The final show of the 2019–2020 season, Jiehae Park’s Peerless, has been moved to the 2020–2021 season. The darkly comic re-imagining of Shakespeare's Macbeth will kick off the new season at 59E59 Theaters in the fall.
Alternative programming: Check out Primary Plus, a series of online programs aimed at helping artists connect with the theatre and with each other through the pandemic. Among the online offerings are free YouTube master classes and lunch-and-learn group writing workshops for playwrights via Zoom. Learn more here.
THE PUBLIC THEATER
Season: All activities and live performances are canceled through August 31. This impacts the summer season of free Shakespeare in the Park, and the scheduled productions of Erika Dickerson-Despenza's Cullud Wattah, The Vagrant Trilogy, a trio of plays by Mona Mansour, and The Visitor.
Alternative programming: Online programming includes Suzan-Lori Parks live streaming her work sessions from home and free archival performances from the Joe's Pub stage. Stay up to date with the online calendar at publictheater.org.
RATTLESTICK PLAYWRIGHTS THEATER
Season: With live programming suspended, the theatre was forced to close Ren Dara Santiago's The Siblings Play in previews, while offering a limited number of view-at-home-tickets to the production after closing.
Alternative programming: Rattlestick has launched a weekly Virtual Salon Series featuring conversations between theatre artists and leading experts around COVID-19. Online reservations are required, and more information on how to view the discussions, is available at Rattlestick.org.
RED BULL THEATER
Season: All public events have been canceled through July 1.
Alternative programming: Virtual offerings include live, informal conversations with artists, as well as Red Bull Theater Live, a series of live streamed readings that will reunite cast members of earlier Off-Broadway productions. Check RedBullTheater.com for further details.
ROUNDABOUT THEATRE COMPANY
Season: Two spring productions have been moved to the 2021 season: Jiréh Breon Holder’s ...what the end will be, which was originally scheduled to begin Off-Broadway in May; and Dave Harris' Exception to the Rule, previously scheduled to begin April 30.
SECOND STAGE
Season: The season is postponed.
Alternative programming: Follow 2ST's Instagram to see Second Stage alums share some of their favorite stories and memories of the theatre.
SIGNATURE THEATRE
Season: The last two productions of the 2019–2020 season have been postponed: Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 by Anna Deavere Smith, and Confederates by Dominique Morisseau. Both originally scheduled for the spring, the organization is committed to producing both plays in a future season.
Alternative programming: SigSpace, a platform home for live performance and events including concerts, works-in-progress, storytelling, panels, social justice conversations, and self-care activities.
SOHO REP
Season: The world premiere of Hansol Jung's Wolf Play, in association with Ma-Yi Theater Company (March 17–April 19). and Peter Mills Weiss and Julia Mounsey's while you were partying (June 9–July 5) are scheduled to go ahead for the time being.
ST ANN'S WAREHOUSE
Season: The Jungle, which was set to return to St. Ann's Warehouse April 1, has been postponed.
THEATRE FOR A NEW AUDIENCE
Season: Spring programming is on hold, which impacts performances of Will Eno's Gnit (originally scheduled through March 29), now suspended, and Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot directed by Arin Arbus, originally scheduled April 25–May 24, which has been postponed.
THE SHED
Season: All live programming has been suspended until further notice.
Alternative programming: The Shed launches Up Close, bi-weekly virtual events comprised of intimate performances, conversations, curated playlists, and other forms of original content.
THE TANK
Season: All live programming is suspended.
Alternative programming: The Tank hosts a weekly CyberTank, a remote, multidisciplinary variety arts gathering on Twitch, and open to everyone. Each week is centered around a specific question and features guest artists who will perform and facilitate conversation.
VINEYARD THEATRE
Season: All live programming is suspended.
Alternative programming: The VT Show, an online series featuring Vineyard artists sharing conversation, insight and material from past productions as well as work in development for future seasons, returns in August.
WP THEATRE
Season: Live programming is suspended.
