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.

Today, we explore how, in the face of huge complications and potentially crushing risks, a regional production attempted to bring theater back to life.

Guest: Michael Paulson, a theater reporter for The Times.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily

Background reading:

• Masks, partitions and a contactless crucifixion — the Berkshire Theater Group’s production of Godspell, labeled one of the “huggiest musicals ever created,” is also a kind of public health experiment.