Culture and Sport Minister Chilli Tropper and Health Minister Yuli Edelsein announced on Sunday that theaters in Israel will reopen starting on June 14 on condition that only 75% of the seats will be full and there will be no intermission.
The remit includes not just the theater, but all stage shows, from opera to stand-up. Ticket purchases will be done online only, and sitting will be done in clusters with a vacant seat between clusters. Visitors will have to wear a mask and have their temperature taken before being admitted in.
Museums will be allowed to admit visitors starting on Monday. The report did not include any specific instruction concerning movies, and previously movie-theater chains announced they will not reopen following the coronavirus outbreak because they need to sell most of their tickets, not to mention popcorn and soda, to make a profit. Various movies postponed their release dates so as to be able to reach their audiences, among them Wonder Woman 1984 with Israeli actress Gal Gadot. which will be released in August instead of June.
The Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra and several theater companies had taken to performing online and even creating new shows which include Zoom, yet this year’s Israel Festival was postponed after it became clear performers will not be able to arrive to the country because of the coronavirus travel restrictions. In reaction to the statement made by both ministers the Committee to Save Culture, a collection of industry workers and artists who were hurt by the COVID-19 restrictions, said that many culture fields are not addressed by the ministers and while these are good news, “we are not yet returning to normalcy”, a press release on their behalf reported on Sunday. They also pointed out that the ministers failed to discuss any financial support to the 150,000 workers who were unable to work when productions were cancelled and shows taken down.
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