The Public Theater Cancels 2022 Under the Radar Festival

The Public Theater has announced that it is canceling all performances in the 2022 Under the Radar Festival, citing difficulties stemming from the rapid spread of the Omicron variant. The news was announced in a Tweet and on the Public's website.

The festival, which was to take place in January 12-30, has been a showcase for nearly two decades of most exciting experimental theater from around the globe. After going entirely virtual in 2021, the festival was to return to live performances this year.

Those live performances would have taken place under the most stringent audience requirements in New York City: In addition to providing proof of vaccination and remaining masked throughout the performance, theatergoers would have also been required to show a negative Covid test before entering the theater. Currently, Broadway ticketholders are not required to show proof of a negative test if they are fully vaccinated.

"While our robust COVID-19 protocols have created a safe environment within our theaters, multiple disruptions related to the rapid community spread of the Omicron variant – including artist and staff availability, artist and audience cancellations major flight interruptions, and visa processing delays – have prevented a viable way to move forward with presenting Under the Radar 2022," the Public's statement reads. It goes on to explain that ticketholders should expect an email with further information.

The most highly-anticipated show in the 2022 festival was Jasmine Lee-Jones's seven methods of killing kylie jenner, which debuted at London's Royal Court in 2019. In her review, critic Daniella Harrison called the 2021 remounting of that play, which draws on the language of social media, "pure dynamite." You can read more about it here.