Photo Source: nycgo.com
Broadway, a unique aspect of the concrete jungle we call New York City, is having a crisis. Broadway is a place where many aspiring actors make their careers–at least it was until we were all hit with the global pandemic better known as COVID-19, a strand of the Coronavirus. Typically, when one turns onto Broadway they are greeted by billboards, advertisements, flashing lights, as well as crowds of people. Currently, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Broadway has gone dark, with no people in sight, and the only thing for one to hear is crickets.
The storm that this is raining economically on Broadway and its finances is unprecedented and damaging, experts fear, beyond repair. The effects are being felt from the top, the actors and actresses, all the way down to the concession workers, ticket ushers, and security guards. With the mass effects of the Coronavirus, it does not matter in what capacity one works, the fact of the matter is that everyone has been relieved of their duties until further notice.
Due to the closures on Broadway, you have an unimaginable amount of people not receiving their weekly paychecks. Unfortunately, due to the unprecedented high volume of individuals out of work, unemployment funds have been made available to very few. This is causing some concerning issues for the unemployed workers. What do you do about paying your mortgage/rent? Utility bills? How do you feed your family? Decisions that could be exceedingly difficult to make. While it has been recently reported that Broadway will remain closed until Labor Day, hopefully, the lights will be back on soon so that the masses of people can charge back into the theatres in order to catch a Broadway show, a hub of tourist attractions in our city.
