The Public Theater’s annual showcase for experimental work was the latest sign of the variant’s impact on live performance.
As a surge of coronavirus cases driven by the Omicron variant takes a growing toll on live performance, the Public Theater on Friday announced it would cancel its Under the Radar festival, originally scheduled to begin on Jan.12. The theater cited “multiple disruptions related to the rapid community spread of the Omicron variant,” including effects on staff availability, cancellations by artists and audience members, flight interruptions and visa processing delays. “This is incredibly disappointing,” Laura Rigby, a spokeswoman for the theater, said in a statement, “but we believe it is necessary given the continued surge and ongoing disruptions.
