Commentary: Sitting in the audience in 2021 required a dramatic trust fall

There is perhaps nothing more communal than the air we breathe. Now that the oxygen entering our lungs can carry an invisible infection capable of sickening and even killing us, we have lost the very foundation of trust that public space is built upon.

The danger is greater inside, so passing through a doorway into a room filled with strangers requires that we weigh the risks versus the rewards. This is particularly true in the places where we linger longest in close proximity to others: theaters and live music venues.

Performing arts organizations have taken a cruel pummeling during the past 22 months, with most venues remaining shuttered for more than a year. Many hoped vaccines would put a deus ex machina-style end to the virus. Instead, inoculations provided an early summertime reprieve before the