‘It’s a really big hit’: Bay Area theater companies struggle to cope amid COVID-19 shutdowns

The impact of the coronavirus is having a devastating effect on Bay Area theater companies, with cancellations, postponements, and a general sense of anxiety sending waves of uncertainty throughout the industry.

Under orders from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local municipalities enforcing shelter-in-place edicts, one theater organization after another has been shuttered, with closures affecting top professional companies and community theaters alike — while representatives on all sides say that staying in business is going to be a monumental challenge in the weeks and months to come.