COVID-19 made 2020 a brutal year for Charm City’s arts and cultural organizations. The France-Merrick Performing Arts Center/Hippodrome Theatre was no exception.
“We have been shuttered since March 12th by an executive order from the governor,” says Ron Legler, president of the Hippodrome. “We’ve had to lay off 99% of the people who work here. It’s been a very tough year.”
Earlier this month, the historic theater at 12 N. Eutaw Street announced it will reopen this fall. Legler said the decision was made in consultation with “the industry, the Broadway League, [Actors’] Equity and producers.”
To ensure safety, Legler says the theater’s board has been working with Joseph G. Allen, director of the Healthy Buildings program at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. In addition, the theater is benefiting from the expertise of the facilities team at LifeBridge Health.
“Neil Meltzer [LifeBridge’s president and CEO] is a [Hippodrome] board member and he’s had his facilities team come through and they’re guiding us in a plan to a safe reopening” says Legler. “A lot of it has to do with additional ventilation throughout the building. Thankfully, with the ceiling heights in our historic theater, we’re in a good situation to come back as healthy as we can.”
Regarding other safety precautions, Legler says the theater is actively working with state and local government officials to reopen following local, state and federal health guidelines.
Hippodrome leadership is also paying close attention to how other entertainment venues will handle their reopenings. For example, he says, some theaters are planning to conduct temperature checks and rapid testing at venue doors.
While it is too soon to determine whether the Hippodrome will adopt those precautions, Legler says “we will follow local, state and CDC guidelines on masks.”
“It’s not going to be normal, you know? We’re going to have security people walking up and down the aisles, and if somebody takes their masks off in the middle of the row, we’re going to have disruption. But we’re promising to do everything we can to make sure that people abide by the rules,” says Legler, who adds that plans include updating restrooms with touchless faucets and toilets, as well as conversion to automatic doors where possible.
Despite the hardships associated with closing the theater and the expense and work of safely reopening, Legler says there is plenty of good news.
“We basically lifted up our season and moved it a year in advance,” says Legler. “We were able to save seven out of eight of the shows we originally announced.”
Though he regrets that “To Kill a Mockingbird” will not be part of the 2021 lineup, Legler says he is confident the show will come to Baltimore in 2022. In place of “To Kill a Mockingbird,” Hippodrome audiences will be able to see the Tony Award-winning musical “Dear Evan Hansen.”
During the pandemic, Legler says the Hippodrome has worked collaboratively with other Baltimore theaters such as Everyman Theatre and Baltimore Center Stage. “We know we’re in this together and we’re working very closely and meeting regularly,” he says. “That doesn’t usually happen and it’s really encouraging.”
Since announcing the reopening of the theater and its Broadway Across America productions, Legler says he has been gratified by the support of Baltimore fans. Only 1% of Hippodrome subscription holders cancelled their subscriptions while the theater was closed. What’s more, after the announcement that the theater will reopen in the fall, the Hippodrome has sold more than 600 new subscriptions, he says.
“I’m so thankful and so proud of the Baltimore community,” says Legler. “They really wanted to show us they can’t wait to get back. It just shows their resilience. They’re going to fight through this and get better and come back and enjoy the things they want to enjoy, and thankfully the Hippodrome’s Broadway [Across America} is one of them. … We just have to look to the future now.”
Below is the schedule for the fall 2021 Broadway Across America season:
- “Pretty Woman: The Musical” Sept. 28-Oct. 3, 2021
- “Tootsie” Dec. 14-19, 2021
- “The Prom” Jan. 18-23, 2022
- “Dear Evan Hansen” Mar. 15-20, 2022
- “Ain’t Too Proud” May 3-8, 2022
- “Hairspray” June 14-19, 2022
- “Mean Girls” July 12-17, 2022
- “Hamilton” Oct, 4-30, 2022
For information and to purchase tickets, visit BaltimoreHippodrome.com
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