The coronavirus pandemic threatened to end a summertime tradition at the Jersey Shore, so the organizers had to change course.

The Surflight Theater on Long Beach Island performs musicals every summer. But because the pandemic has put a pause on large indoor gatherings, the musicals will be performed outdoors.

Shows will now be performed under a tent in Beach Haven’s Veterans Park. It will be a ventilated tent with folding chairs. Seating will be grouped by ticketholders purchasing together so that social distance can be maintained.

The cast will be tested for COVID-19 before arriving. Testing will continue, along with other safety measures to keep them healthy, according to the theater – including quarantining the cast members together while they rehearse.

Artistic Director Steven Steiner says that while seating capacity in the tent is less than half of the regular shows, the theater had little choice.

“We will lose money with this season. But we would have lost more than half a million dollars had we not done anything. And that would be enough to close the theater,” he says. 

The musical being performed is “Cabaret,” a story set in a 1920s Berlin nightclub that revolves around the story of the iconic character Sally Bowels.

Ticket information can be found on the Surflight Theater website.