The Public Theater\u2019s annual showcase for experimental work was the latest sign of the variant\u2019s impact on live performance.<\/b>
\nAs 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 \u201cmultiple disruptions related to the rapid community spread of the Omicron variant,\u201d including effects on staff availability, cancellations by artists and audience members, flight interruptions and visa processing delays. \u201cThis is incredibly disappointing,\u201d Laura Rigby, a spokeswoman for the theater, said in a statement, \u201cbut we believe it is necessary given the continued surge and ongoing disruptions.\u201d The lineup for Under the Radar \u2014 the Public\u2019s annual showcase for experimental work, and one of several New York festivals that have formed around the Association of Performing Arts Professionals conference \u2014 was to have included \u201cSeven Methods of Killing Kylie Jenner,\u201d by Jasmine Lee-Jones; \u201cOur Country,\u201d by Annie Saunders and Becca Wolff; \u201cAn Evening With an Immigrant,\u201d by Inua Ellams; \u201cOtto Frank\u201d by Roger Guenveur Smith; and \u201cMud\/Drowning,\u201d with texts by Mar\u00eda Irene Forn\u00e9s. \u201cThe Art of Theater\u201d and \u201cWith My Own Hands,\u201d two monologues by Pascal Rambert, will still be presented by Performance Spaces for the 21st Century in Chatham, N.Y., as part of Under the Radar\u2019s On the Road initiative. In December, the Public announced that it would require full vaccination and, through the end of January, proof of a negative Covid-19 test to access its theaters and restaurant. With no main-stage performances during that time, the policy was aimed mainly at Under the Radar, which had been scheduled to end on Jan.30. Another presentation of experimental performance, the monthlong Exponential Festival, will be presented online, on the festival\u2019s YouTube channel and Twitch.<\/p>\n