The shows must go on?
State clears performance spaces for reopening, but venue owners remain wary
BY BEN VERDE
After a year of closure, Gov.
Andrew Cuomo on March 3 released
guidelines allowing indoor
venues to host reducedcapacity
performances — but
don’t expect to pack into a concert
hall anytime soon.
Under New York State
guidelines, entertainment venues
across the Five Boroughs
can reopen at 33 percent capacity
on April 2, with a maximum
of 100 attendees, or 150 guests
if the venue can administer
rapid coronavirus tests. Still,
many venues — shuttered since
the coronavirus outbreak in
March, 2020 — say they have no
plans to reopen until they can
safely host full-capacity shows.
“I don’t feel that it makes
sense,” said Oren Bloedow,
owner of the Owl Music Parlor
in Prospect-Lefferts Gardens.
“You need to relax when you’re
having this kind of experience,
and being masked up and trying
to maintain social distance
— that’s not relaxing.”
COURIER L 26 IFE, MARCH 19-25, 2021
The layout of the pint-sized
Owl Music Parlor, which Bloedow
likens to a storefront
church, would make the possibility
of a COVID-friendly concert
nearly impossible before
herd immunity is reached.
“At one end you’ve got people
singing, and at the other end
you’ve got people drinking and
talking,” he said. “There’s no
room, you can’t get away from
people.”
Though, not all hope is lost.
Other venue owners say they’re
considering reopening with
reduced capacity come May,
when vaccines are expected to
be more widely available. But
even then, they said, the restrictions
would make breaking
even nearly impossible for
smaller operators.
“The economics of small
music venues is such that it’s
hard to break even in the best
of times,” said Andrew Muchmore,
owner of Muchmore’s in
Williamsburg. “Trying to do so
at 33 percent capacity is not especially
viable.”
The Havemeyer Street
venue is blessed with a corner
storefront, giving the venue
ample space for outdoor food
and drink service — something
Muchmore predicts could help
subsidize the performance
space while restrictions on capacity
remain.
“Under our old model it
would not make sense to reopen
with 33 percent, but if we start
relying more on the outdoor
seating and food and drinks, I
think it could work,” he said.
The venue owner said he’s
also considering a pivot to more
stand-up comedy acts, both as
a way to allow for more social
distancing through tables and
chairs, and to keep up with the
changing demographics of Williamsburg,
Muchmore said.
“Neither venues or bars and
restaurants are going to be able
to 100 percent police social distancing,
and make sure that no
one ever comes within six feet
of anyone else,” he said. “If we
at least have tables set up and
those are reasonably spaced
apart, that will help ensure adequate
social distancing.”
Two of Brooklyn’s biggest
venues, Music Hall of Williamsburg
and Brooklyn Steel, will
also remain shuttered until 100
percent capacity is permitted,
Dennis Deheny, a spokesperson
for the operating entertainment
company told Gothamist.
In the meantime, Bloedow
said he looks forward to the day
he can fi nally welcome musicians
back into his Rogers Avenue
space.
“I’m holding the space for
our community of listeners
and musicians,” he said, “and
as soon as we can get fully vaccinated
events going here, we’ll
try to reopen as soon after that
as we can.”
SHOWTIME: Brooklyn Steel is one of the borough’s many venues holding
out for a full-capacity reopening. File photo by Stefano Giovannini
Apply for & manage
Department of
Social Services
Be safe. Skip the trip.
To help stop the spread of COVID-19, we are asking New Yorkers to avoid
Assistance, use the ACCESS HRA app on your phone.
nyc.gov/accesshra
Call 311 or Text 311-692 Here For You
Upload document
images
Apply for & manage
Check your
balances
/accesshra
