Richard Jordan: We can learn from South Korea, where theatre has stayed open for business – The Stage

Most of the worlds theatres have shut their doors for the foreseeable future, but in South Korea the government has been praised for its fast reaction to dealing with the outbreak of coronavirus, which has allowed theatres to stay open.

While all wait to see if the country will be hit by a second wave, at the time of writing, 242 deaths due to the virus are confirmed with lockdown restrictions widely revised or withdrawn.

South Korea, which has a burgeoning theatre economy with a size and scale to rival the West End, has become the big player in Asia. Its producers are also making significant investments in many Broadway and West End productions.

Its theatres were given the choice, rather than demanded, to close. A 15-day quarantine restriction has been applied to any theatre that remained open if a member of the audience or company develops Covid-19 symptoms, with a system in place to quickly contact and test all attendees and staff.

While many of its theatres still chose to briefly close their doors and postpone productions at the outbreak of the virus, two hit musicals continued to play on: the Korean versions of Rebecca and Dracula. For both, the attendance rate has been over 90% capacity.

The international touring production of The Phantom of the Opera also joined them, although this production was forced into a period of quarantine from March 31 when two company members tested positive.

In South Korea the government has been praised for its fast reaction to the outbreak

The Canadian and American cast members became unwell after returning from trips home where they may have caught the virus. The entire 126-member cast and company were then all immediately tested, and, impressively, so were the 8,578 audience members who had attended the production between March 15 and 31.

To date, everyone has tested negative. After 15 days in quarantine, the company was then retested and confirmation given that on April 23 performances could resume.

These measures are undoubtedly reassuring for cast members and theatregoers. But it is still not entirely clear why, based on the extensive reporting about the seriousness of Covid-19, audience members would choose to put themselves at risk.

The answer may rest in Rebecca and Draculas star power - each is headlined by a massive K-Pop star - and the hype surrounding a major event such as the international production of The Phantom of the Opera playing in the country. In 1,255 and 1,241 seat theatres, even during South Koreas virus peak in February, these shows played at over 95% capacity.

Already a beloved musical in South Korea, The Phantom of the Opera arrived in Seoul in March and will play there until June before touring the country.

Here is the original post:
Richard Jordan: We can learn from South Korea, where theatre has stayed open for business - The Stage

Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero