Debate Rages As To Whether Shows Should Go On During Coronavirus Pandemic – Forbes

South Korean President Moon Jae-in speaking about efforts to combat the spread of COVID-19 on ... [+] February 25, 2020, at Daegu City Hall in Daegu, South Korea. (Photo by South Korean Presidential Blue House via Getty Images)

The show continues to go on in some countries, and not everyone is happy about it.

After the number of individuals suffering from COVID-19 soared in late February, South Korea raised its infectious disease alert to the highest level. The central government, local governments, health officials, medical personnel, and the entire people must wage an all-out, concerted response to the problem, stated President Moon Jae-in in an emergency press conference.

Instead of shutting down the whole city or a county like Italy and parts of the United States, South Korea aggressively identified COVID patients and proactively notified those who might have come in contact with the patient, and encouraged them to take the test, explained U.C.L.A. professor Suk-Young Kim. South Korea avoided a total lockdown, she said, and the government only ordered schools to shut.

However, many local businesses decided to follow suit.

Streets are empty, [and] restaurants and shops [are] closed, observed Dr. Lee Jun-yeup, the director of communications for the Daegu Medical Association. It actually looks like a scene from a disaster movie, he stated.

Seoul looks like a ghost town, echoed another resident. The streets that were constantly full of traffic and pedestrians are now peppered with a few uneasy masked faces, the person noticed, remarking that I feel like Im living in the end times.

Several television networks stopped letting people attend their tapings, and popular musical groups like BTS chose to cancel their concerts. Local theater companies pulled the plugs on many of their musicals and plays, and Seensee Company announced that its upcoming production of Mamma Mia! would be postponed.

Yet, one of the South Korean theatre companies decided that its shows must go on, and boasted about their high attendance.

Last week, EMK Musical Company notified a Korean newspaper that 92 percent of all seats were filled during its recent production of the Viennese musical Rebecca at the Chungmu Art Center in Seoul. Even in January and February, when COVID-19 hit Korea, 98 percent of the seats were occupied, the reporter wrote.

Though we are facing a hard time, the support and cheers of the audience could not be covered up by the masks, remarked actress Shin Young-sook, who performed in the show alongside Ock Joo-hyun, the former lead singer of the musical group Fin.K.L.

In addition, EMK Musical Company confirmed that its new production of the Frank Wildhorn musical Dracula, is also attracting large crowds. Starring Kim Xia Jun-su of the popular musical group JYJ, the show has filled up 95 percent of the 1,241 seats at the Charlotte Theatre in Seoul.

[T]he numbers you see are not massively exaggerated, commented Yoonha Choi, a producer at one of the other leading Korean theater companies, CJ ENM. Our experience suggests that both Dracula and Rebecca were in factbig hits with near capacity performances (paid and comps), mainly due to Kim Jun-su and Ock Joo-hyun'sstar power respectively, he explained.

What's important is that instances such as Dracula and Rebecca are incredibly rare right now, and only a tiny handful of shows with superstars or smaller shows that have literally die-hard fans who risk their health (and others health) achieve this level of occupancy, he explained. Although in Korea there has never yet been a government imposed shutdown of theaters, the vast majority of the shows have voluntarily suspended, cancelled performances, or played to near empty houses due to the COVID-19 effects, he said.

While one can applaud tenacity and passion, obviously this comes with risks of worsening what has been quite a successful national response to the epidemic so far, Choi stated.

While EMK Musical Company might be trying to rake in more money while there is less competition in an effort to recover its costs in an industry where about 15 percent of shows ever return their initial investments, it is also possible that the local presenter does not want to deal with the hassle of re-scheduling the shows. Some of the performers and the theaters might not be available in a few months, and the firm would need to pay again for rehearsing the cast and loading in the sets.

In addition, although executives at EMK Musical Company declined to discussed the situation, it is possible that a lack of insurance coverage might be motivating its decision.

[A]s an organizer, you cant just cancel because its the right thing to do," commented LeConte Moore, a managing director at the insurance broker DeWitt Stern. Of course, you can, but it wouldnt be covered, he said, explaining that the cancellation has to be something made necessary. It cant just be the fear of the virus spreading, Moore stated, adding [t]hat never has been or will be covered."

Some policies might exclude coverage for contagious disease, mentioned one insurance litigator. Others might only have exclusions for pandemic," the lawyer cautioned, emphasizing that [t]he specific language in each policy really matters.

But, a government order to close theaters should trigger most insurance policies.

Had producers closed Broadway of their own volition, there may not have been a potential payout, explained litigator Ethan Krasnoo. But, since it was a government edict that mandated the shutdown, losses may more likely be recoverable, he said.

Like in South Korea, the United Kingdom has not yet ordered theaters to close in Londons West End. While Prime Minister Boris Johnson declared that public venues such as theaters should no longer be visited, he mentioned that the proprietors of those venues are taking the logical steps that you would imagine, [and] you are seeing the change happen already." As for enforcement, we have the powers if necessary but I don't believe it will be necessary to use those powers, Johnson said.

The government measures and insurance dont help us in any way, complained David Babani, the artistic director of the Menier Chocolate Factory, which has voluntarily closed with all other West End theaters through Sunday, April 26. We are being left to fend completely on our own with zero income and zero prospect of any income for the next few months, he stated.

While shutting the theaters in South Korea might help theater companies submit insurance claims, it should also help prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

So far, social distancing has not been rigorously put in place, admitted one Ministry Health and Welfare official. People are still turning up in places where the risk of catching the virus is high, such as bars and nightclubs, in big numbers, the person observed. At this rate, we dont know when the next Shincheonji is going to happen, the government official stated, referring to the large church where one woman spread the virus to several dozen worshippers.

Almost all educational institutions have been closed for months now ... [as] part of the governments social-distancing campaign, and I highly doubt that theatre is any more important than education, commented Hanyang University ethics professor John McGuire. There should be an end to these large gatherings until we are free of the COVID-19 threat, he urged.

Read the original:
Debate Rages As To Whether Shows Should Go On During Coronavirus Pandemic - Forbes

Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero