Listeners, on this podcast, we usually bring you national politics and national issue conversations of the day, right?

But we had a conversation last week on my local New York show about reopening some of New York City's indoor spaces,

like sports and concert arenas, comedy clubs, and music venues.

So on this weekend special, you'll hear me talking to the owners of three

venues in New York, but the issues they're grappling with capacity limits, vaccine passports,

contact tracing, venues around the country will have to consider those same questions

if they're not already wherever you live. So even though this is more of a local conversation,

it's really local everywhere.

So here is that conversation on reopening safely for music, theater, and sports.

I'm Brian Lehrer. This is my daily politics podcast from WNYC Studios. This is a weekend special.

Now we'll talk to the leaders of three indoor entertainment venues of different types that are

trying to bring music, comedy, and spectator sports back to New York and to do it safely

now that the state reopening rules allow them to try.

We are delighted that they accepted our invitation to compare notes and take some phone calls.

With us now are Michael Dorff, founder and CEO of City Winery on West 16th Street near the Hudson River in Manhattan and at Rockefeller Center.

They just started presenting live music again, including Patty Smith and others.

Julie Kim, co-owner of Littlefield and arts and performance space at 635 Sackett Street in Gowanus, Brooklyn.

They present various things in normal times.

Tomorrow they're having what they call nerd night.

Next Thursday, a women's comedy show called She Makes Me laugh. Next Saturday, an event called

Shrek entirely from memory. And John Abamondi, CEO of BSE Global, which owns the Barclay Center

and the Brooklyn Nets. It is a good year to be able to say you help run the Brooklyn Nets.

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