Wednesday, April 15, 2020

Updates on What is Happening at CT Theaters During Covid Virus Shutdown



Here are some updates on what's happening around the state's professional theaters:

ACT (Contemporary Theater of CT)
  • Cancelled the remainder of the 2019-2010 season.
THE BUSHNELL
  • Shows and events are cancelled through May, including the Broadway tour of Dear Evan Hansen.
CT REPERTORY
  • Cancelled the 2020 Nutmeg Summer Season.
GOODSPEED
  • Candide has been cancelled and South Pacific has been moved to the fall. It will be the sole musical produced this year, instead of the usual three. The summer production of the new musical Anne of Green Gables will move to the 2021 season.
HARTFORD STAGE
  • Hartford Stage has decided to reschedule the run of Ah, Wilderness! (originally scheduled May 7-31) to Oct. 22–Nov.15, 2020 and The Complete History of Comedy (Abridged) (originally scheduled June 11-21) to Oct. 1-11, 2020.
  • Hartford Stage cancelled remaining performances of Jane Eyre. the entire run of The King’s Speech and its fundraising gala for the 2019-2020 season. 
  • Positions have been eliminated and furloughed resulting in a decrease of 70 percent of operating staff
  • Four shows have been announced for 2020-2021, the first full season selected by  new Artistic Director Melia Bensussen.
IVORYTON PLAYHOUSE
  • Forbidden Broadway (tentatively re-scheduled beginning May 27) and The Great Gatsby were cancelled. 
LONG WHARF
  • Cancellation of Lloyd Suh’s The Chinese Lady  and and Lauren Yee’s The Great Leap  along with education and community programs.  
  • with cancellation of the 2019/20 season and the  2020 Gala celebration the theater is projecting a loss of more than $750,000. STaffing positions have been eliminated and others have been furloughed and/or have had hours cut. 
MUSIC THEATER OF CT (MTC)
PALACE THEATER (Waterbury)


PLAYHOUSE ON PARK
  • Ugly Lies the Bone by Lindsey Ferrentino scheduled for April 22 - May 10, 2020 has been cancelled.
  • All Playhouse Theatre Academy classes follow their corresponding towns’ school emergency closing schedules. All classes and class showcases have been cancelled through Sunday, April 19.
  • Stop/time dance theater’s production of DIVAS originally scheduled for March 25 - April 5, 2020 and then postponed until April 29- May 10 has been postponed again. The new dates are tbd.
SEVEN ANGELS THEATRE
  • Always a Bridesmaid and The Wedding Singer were cancelled.
SHARON PLAYHOUSE
  • Summer 2020 series beginning in June still appears to be on sale.
SHUBERT THEATRE (New Haven)
  • All events are cancelled through April 30.
THEATERWORKS
  • An abbreviated 2020 season, with three plays instead of the usual five, was previously announced to begin in July, but now, the entire 2020 season has been postponed to 2021 when a five-play season will run from mid-April through mid-November, built around a re-imagining of the Tony Award-winning musical Ain’t Misbehavin’, which was originally scheduled for this season. Pending availability of artists, design teams, and licensing, other productions previously announced for 2020 may be produced next year.
  • Additional online activities are planned on Facebook Live, like tonight's Living Room Concert with David Lutken (Woody Sez).
WESTPORT COUNTRY PLAYHOUSE
  • Postponing its 2020 season until spring 2021, due to the global pandemic. All programming will move to 2021, including the season’s five main productions, Script in Hand Playreading series, Family Festivities presentations, and the New Works Initiative. This year would have marked the historic, professional theater’s 90th season. Since its founding in 1931, the Playhouse has been closed for only four seasons, from 1942 through 1945, during World War II.
YALE REPERTORY
  • Cancelled the remainder of the 2019-2020 season.


INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF ARTS & IDEAS
  • The 25th anniversary year will feature a variety of online artistic experiences, virtual food experiences, cell phone-guided walking tours, and various NEA Big Read activities. The virtual Ideas programming centered on the theme “Democracy: We the People” will feature interactive events and conversations with vital thinkers, including 2012 Inaugural Poet Richard Blanco, award-winning scholar Dr. Khalilah L. Brown-Dean, NEA Big Read Author Stephanie Burt, and renowned writer Anand Giridharadas. All programming will be free. 
  • Virtual and physically distanced programming will begin online in the coming weeks on a rolling basis. Details will be announced weekly and will be shared on the Festival’s website, www.artidea.org
O'NEILL THEATER CENTER
  • The 2020 Monte Cristo Award previously planned for Sunday, April 19, 2020 in New York City has been postponed. Ticket & table buyers will be contacted directly. Additional details will be announced at a future date.
  • At present, there are no planned changes to the 2020 Summer Season. ​​​​​