NEW YORK - It's been a rough week I think for the whole city, and the off-Broadway community is a part of that ecosystem. And I think many small businesses, which we all are, are facing some pretty scary times.

Jeremy Blocker is the managing director of the New York Theatre Workshop in the East Village, one of the city’s most celebrated off-Broadway not for profits. Due to the mandatory Coronavirus shutdown the organization had to close up shop on 2 shows: “Endlings” and “Sanctuary City." The same thing happened in Chelsea for The Irish Rep.

It's been a rough week I think for the whole city, and the off-Broadway community is a part of that ecosystem. And I think many small businesses, which we all are, are facing some pretty scary times," Blocker said.

"We had two shows running at the time - “Incantata” and “Lady G” - and both of those were canceled, and we were in rehearsals in the end of our third week for Eugene O’Neill’s “A Touch of the Poet” and we stopped that," said Ciaran O'Reilly, Co-Founder, Irish Repertory Theatre.

O’Reilly says like many other off-Broadway theater companies his organization relies heavily on theatergoers to make their money. Currently there’s no income stream, and he says he’s out more than $100,000. Ciaran has a makeshift plan to keep his theater alive for the time being.

"Members of our company are doing various pieces from plays and poems and stories, and we're gonna put that out there for our patrons. So at least if they can't come to the Irish Rep, we’ll bring the Irish Rep to them," O’Reilly said.

While his staff is working remotely to help keep the curtain up - and to make ends meet - almost the entire staff for The Tank, a not for profit arts presenter and producer, has been laid off. Danielle King serves as the managing producer.

"We had to cancel very quickly on Friday 37 companies who were doing more than 109 performances during that time," King said.

"I think the scariest part is not knowing when it will end and how we know that this could last weeks to months," said Meghan Finn, artistic director of The Tank.

As for a solution? The theater leaders who I spoke with say once it’s safe to be out and about, it’s important for audiences to support smaller theater companies and artists. 

"If you are a theater lover and you have a theater that you love, now is the time to give a gift. Any amount that you would have bought a ticket, now is the time to give a gift in a greater amount if you would so choose," Blocker said.