When the coronavirus hit in March 2020, how many of us thought that the global pandemic would still be causing border closures, shuttered theatres and lockdowns 18 months later? But here we are. As the Delta variant rampages through NSW and increases its hold in Victoria, it’s been a soul-destroying time for the arts. The Limelight mailbox brings more bad news on a daily basis in a tsunami of live entertainment cancellations and postponements.

Behind each cancellation there are performers and musicians, struggling to come to terms with the disappearance of yet more work, and a creative team locked in purgatory as they attempt to pivot on a dime, plan ahead and reschedule. Somehow it feels worse than in 2020. To see theatres reopen, and performances finally taking to the stage, then have to watch them being cancelled again, has taken its toll on the mental health of many artists. Hopefully there is light at the end of the tunnel as the vaccination rate increases around the country.

Some of the recent COVID cancellations include Opera Australia’s Sydney Winter Season, its new Ring Cycle in Brisbane, and its production of The Phantom of the Opera. The Australian...