Masks will be optional for theatergoers attending Broadway shows in July.

The Broadway League made the “mask optional” policy announcement Tuesday, while also still encouraging audience members to wear masks. This reverses the current mask mandate, which is in place through June 30. 

“Millions of people enjoyed the unique magic of Broadway by watching the 75th Tony Award Ceremony recently. Millions more have experienced Broadway live in theatres in New York City and throughout the U.S., since we reopened last fall. We’re thrilled to welcome even more of our passionate fans back to Broadway in the exciting 22-23 season that has just begun,” said Charlotte St. Martin, president of the Broadway League. 

Masking protocols for August and the future will be evaluated on a monthly basis. 

Broadway was one of the last remaining industries with a mask mandate and was one of the first to institute it. Audience members have been required to wear masks on Broadway since July 2021. 

The mandate has remained in place as Broadway weathered waves of COVID-19, with several canceled performances in the fall, winter and even recently due to multiple cast members testing positive for the virus. There have not been public reports of audience members contracting COVID-19 in the theater, however the masks have served as a protective layer for both audience members and the unmasked, but frequently tested actors. 

Still, it’s a policy that many industry insiders have grumbled may have kept audience members away from the theater, in a time when the industry is seeking to rebuild. 

The mandate for proof of vaccination for audience members, also set in July 2021, was lifted at most Broadway theaters starting May 1. 

The decision on masks comes about one week after the Tony Awards, where the nominees and other audience members sitting in the orchestra section, i.e. the most televised section, were not required to wear masks. These audience members had to submit a negative PCR test, while those sitting in higher sections still had to wear masks. A day after the Tony Awards, nominee Hugh Jackman, who also performed during the ceremony, announced that he tested positive for COVID-19. 

New York City is in the process of coming down from its most recent COVID-19 wave. New York lists its current alert level as high, which includes that recommendation that all New Yorkers wear a mask in any public, indoor setting, while the CDC lists the area at a medium alert level. The medium level has a mask recommendation for indoor, public places in which vaccination status is not known. 

Since his tenure started in January, Mayor Eric Adams has removed many of the city’s mask mandates, including at public schools. On June 13, Adams also made masks optional for two to four year old children in school or other organized settings.