Broadway Star Laura Osnes Reportedly Fired from Hamptons Production for Refusing COVID Vaccine

"We are concerned about maintaining the safety of our staff and our audiences," Josh Gladstone, the artistic director of the Guild Hall in East Hampton, New York, said

Laura Osnes
Photo: Paul Archuleta/Getty

Laura Osnes was reportedly fired from an upcoming theater production after refusing to get vaccinated.

According to Page Six, the 35-year-old Broadway star has been removed from a one-night-only performance of Crazy for You after she allegedly refused to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

Set to take place at the Guild Hall in East Hampton, New York, on Aug. 29, the venue explained in a statement to the outlet that it requires both staff and performers to either be vaccinated or submit a negative COVID test.

"The policy of Guild Hall is that performers have the option to provide proof of full vaccination or a recent negative COVID test result," a rep for the Guild Hall said, also confirming that Osnes exited the show, without commenting on why she left.

In a separate statement, the theater's artistic director, Josh Gladstone, told Page Six, "We have a requirement now along the lines of what Actors' Equity is requiring, and what Broadway is requiring, for performances."

"We're sorry not to have Laura on this, [and] we will look forward to working with Laura again," he added. "We are concerned about maintaining the safety of our staff and our audiences."

Neither representatives for the Guild Hall nor Osnes immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.

Laura Osnes
Daniel Zuchnik/Getty

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The actress will now be replaced in her role in the show by fellow theater star Sierra Boggess.

The show is being directed and choreographed by Susan Stroman, who won a Tony for choreographing the original Crazy for You.

The move by the local Hamptons theater comes about after The Broadway League, the national trade association for the Broadway industry, announced that audiences must show proof of COVID-19 vaccination before entering any venue when theaters begin to reopen next month.

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Attendees must also be masked at all times, except while eating or drinking in designated locations, the organization said. Vaccinations will also be required for performers, backstage crew, and staffers in all 41 theaters in New York City.

The mandate is set to last through October, though it may relax later in the year "if the science dictates," the association confirmed in a news release.

Multiple large-scale studies have found that vaccines are safe. There is no scientific link between vaccines and autism, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

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