Tony Awards Will Require Testing, Not Masks, From Radio City Nominees

Celebrities attending the Tony Awards on June 12 are not required to wear masks during the ceremony, but must pass COVID-19 tests before participating, the awards confirmed on Monday.

The orchestra section of Radio City Music Hall (which is not a Broadway theater) is frequented by nominees, as well as producers, theater owners, and other well-known guests. Many actors will appear on stage during the show, which has led to a demand for PCR tests for everyone in the orchestra. Skins are optional for this section, which is likely heavily represented in the TV show.

“As an important part of the orchestra are the Tony Award nominees and they will be taking the stage and/or performing, I felt the need to do the same with the orchestra. Internship requirements include testing and PCR verification,” Tony Award Productions said in a statement.

While the tests are an additional precautionary measure for members of the public, the lack of a mask requirement goes against current Broadway regulation. All those who watch Broadway shows currently needed Wear masks by June 30th as part of an industry mandate that will renew periodically starting in July 2021.

Broadway actors perform without masks after the industry reopens, but are usually tested for COVID-19 at a rate defined by the area’s case numbers.

Participants seated in the mezzanine and balcony sections of City Hall of Radio City Hall must wear the mask during the ceremony, but do not need to be tested.

All Tony Award ticket holders will need a full immunization certificate, as will most Broadway theaters. solved it Demand in May.

Require tests, but optional skins for some participants follow a similar rule Taxed by Academy Awards. Oscars at the March 27 ceremony Nominees and their guests were not required to wear masks and were also required to undergo screening and vaccination tests.

But the lack of demand for masks for some audience members also comes as the Broadway industry tries to emerge from a tense season that has included low ratings and products to combat COVID-19 cases among actors and company members, as well as show cancellations. and changes in security protocols. The Tony Awards show is one of the best commercials in the industry and a sign of a promising return to normality on Broadway.

Broadway COVID-19 safety officers who meet industry safety requirements and coordinate COVID-19 testing of actors and crews are among those invited to the ceremony.

Cases in New York have increased in recent weeks, but now appear to have reached a plateau. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently lowered New York City’s rating to moderate risk, making it easier to recommend wearing masks indoors after weeks of high risk.

Oscar winner and Tony nominee Ariana Deboz Selected Introducing the 75th Annual Tony Awards. The broadcast is split into Paramount+ and CBS. The first part, the hour-long special, which takes place at 7pm ET / 4pm PT, airs on Paramount+ Presenters Darren Chris and Julianne HuffBoth are currently starring in the Broadway show. The awards will continue at 8pm ET/5pm PT live on CBS and live on demand on Paramount+.