Bringing the Theater Back to Life

<p>Three months into Broadway’s shutdown because of the coronavirus pandemic, Michael Paulson, a theater reporter for The New York Times, got a call from a theater in western Massachusetts — they planned to put on “Godspell,” a well-loved and much-performed musical from 1971, in the summer.</p><p>Today, we explore how, in the face of huge complications and potentially crushing risks, a regional production attempted to bring theater back to life.</p><p>Guest: Michael Paulson, a theater reporter for The Times. </p><p>For more information on today’s episode, visit <a href="http://nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-thedaily" target="_blank">nytimes.com/thedaily </a></p><p>Background reading: </p><ul><li>Masks, partitions and a contactless crucifixion — the Berkshire Theater Group’s<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/08/theater/godspell-review-berkshires.html?searchResultPosition=1?smid=pc-thedaily" target="_blank"> production of Godspell</a>, labeled one of the “huggiest musicals ever created,” is also a kind of<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/05/theater/godspell-berkshires-coronavirus.html?searchResultPosition=2?smid=pc-thedaily" target="_blank"> public health experiment</a>. </li></ul>