Playwrights Horizons to Require Proof of Vaccine Booster for All Audience Members

Playwrights Horizons, the off-Broadway venue dedicated to producing new American plays and musicals, has announced that it will require all eligible audience members to present proof of receiving a Covid vaccine booster shot before attending a performance. This comes amid a surge in Covid cases and an announcement that the theater is postponing the first performance of Dave Harris's Tambo & Bones to January 19 (it was originally scheduled to begin performances January 12). The new opening night will now be on February 7.

Playwrights Horizons joins the Metropolitan Opera, which made a similar announcement last month, becoming the first major performance venue in the New York City to require spectators to be boosted. The off-off-Broadway venue TheatreLab will become the first theater in New York to require a booster when it presents the U.S. premiere of Rita Kalnejais's This Beautiful Future on January 13 (that theater also requires patrons to wear an N95 or KN95 mask at all times). The Met booster requirement goes into effect on January 17 (for a performance of Tosca), while the Playwrights Horizons requirement begins January 19, for the first performance of Tambo & Bones.

Described in press materials as "a rags-to-riches hip-hop odyssey," Tambo & Bones is about two characters who realize they've been written into a minstrel show. The play follows their plot to escape and to get even. W. Tré Davis and Tyler Fauntleroy lead the cast, which additionally features Brendan Dalton and Dean Linnard. Taylor Reynolds directs.

Click here to read a comprehensive breakdown of health and safety guidelines at Playwrights Horizons. This includes accepted vaccines, required documentation, and a table outlining who is eligible for a booster.

UPDATE (1/7): Effective January 21, the Public Theater will require proof of vaccination and booster dose for all eligible audience members. Click here for specific details about the new policy.

UPDATE (1/11): Beginning January 31, all eligible artists, crew, staff, and audience members will be required to provide proof of receiving a booster shot to enter New York City Center. Click here for a detailed explanation of this policy.