And the ultimate impact might be even more long lasting
Theatre Of Youth (TOY) has canceled all performances of its final production in its 2019-20 season: Go, Dog, Do, from May 9 through June 6, 2020, in addition to the previously announced cancellation of performances of The Outsiders.
The fact is, during a pandemic, if you can't perform a show, you can't rehearse one either.
The dominoes of show closures has also happened at Irish Classical, at New Phoenix, at Road Less Traveled, at Second Generation, and so forth.
While the preliminary announcements have highlighted health issues, behind the scenes, financial issues are most assuredly a hot topic. You can't bring in money if your theater is dark.
Each story is unique. What happens to a youth theater when schools are closed. In some instances, a theater could be spending less money while closed, but not at theaters where the resident staff is on salary. Will canceled shows impact subscription renewal?
When we come out of this crisis, what kind of shape will theaters be in?