Stars from three of Broadway’s hottest tickets united on Good Morning America May 11 to reveal that their shows—Hamilton, Wicked, and The Lion King—will welcome back audiences for the first time since the coronavirus shutdown September 14. But as these titles and more flood inboxes and social media feeds with reopening announcements, calls for a more equitable and safe theatrical landscape persist. Broadway will be back, but in addition to health measures in the wake of a pandemic, how will Broadway reckon with the spotlight shined on racist, abusive, and intimidating practices as theatres remained dark?

"We've taken a lot of steps not only to make sure the theatre is going to be safe for all audience members, but to make sure that our cast and crew have been trained in anti-racism training, also making sure that we as a brand are pushing forward social justice," said Krystal Joy Brown, representing the company of Hamilton. (Brown joined the cast as Eliza three months before the shutdown). The Lion King's L. Steven Taylor (a longtime Mufasa) cited the work of such cohorts as Broadway Advocacy Coalition, Black Theatre United, and Black Theatre Coalition, which have mobilized in the wake of the Black Lives Mater movement to dismantle white supremacy, to ensure the industry is "not only returning, but returning stronger and better than we were before." Alexandra Billings, the first openly trans performer to play Madame Morrible in Wicked, highlighted the significance of trans youth finding representation on stage in a time when state legislation across the country threatens their health and well-being.

But in a year of wakenings and reckonings, artists have made their voices heard even if in the absence of a stage.

Some performers have vowed to withhold their work and artistry until producers share more specifics. At the recent Broadway United for Racial Justice rally, Tony nominee Adrienne Warren, who up until the shutdown has been starring in the title role of Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, said she would not sign another contract until the lines of communication widen. “Every single person of color that comes in that room comes in with a weight you cannot begin to understand,” she said during the May 1 event. “What I am asking you, Broadway, is that you choose to help alleviate some of that weight. That you make the choice, because you can, and because right now this country is not doing it. Set an example, please.”

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