MORRISBURG – “We’re in good company,” said Upper Canada Playhouse Artistic Director Donnie Bowes. “All the theatres on Broadway are having to change their plans as well. We’re all assessing when we can start up again. We want to be as clear as possible about any updates to our 2020 Season and intend to keep close communication with our patrons throughout the COVID-19 situation.”
Following the cancellation of their March concert, Sweet Dreams: A Tribute to Patsy Cline, UCP has now cancelled its upcoming concert Remembering the Hits of the 60s & 70s, scheduled to run April 28th-May 3rd. As with the Patsy Cline concert, Remembering the Hits of the 60s & 70s will be re-scheduled for a similar 2021 date along with any other shows that end up being cancelled for this year.
Bowes stressed that this is not a cancellation of the entire Playhouse 2020 season at this point, but a temporary suspension of all programming and rental activities until May 4th. The playhouse will re-assess the continuation of their 2020 scheduled season at that point and notify the audience about the status of upcoming shows.
Some smaller theatres who only operate summer seasons have been forced to shut down completely. The Playhouse season spans a greater length of time running through the fall and into Christmas so the theatre is taking an incremental approach by assessing each show one by one as the year proceeds and cancelling when necessary as more information becomes available. It also stresses that all cancelled shows will be re-scheduled in similar time slots in 2021.
Bowes said that patrons will be given options at the Box Office for any purchased tickets for cancelled shows. They may choose to keep and transfer their reservations for when these shows shift to the 2021 season, exchange their tickets for another show or a gift certificate or get a refund.
Patrons may contact the Box Office by email, phone or fax only starting May 4th. They are asked to refrain from visiting the theatre in person until further notice. The box office can be contacted at boxoffice@uppercanadaplayhouse.com, by calling 613-543-3713 or 1-877-550-3650 or by fax at 613-543-4388.
The theatre had originally announced that the Box Office would re-open on April 14 and any updates about the 2020 Season would be made on April 20th. These dates have shifted to May 4 for a better opportunity to assess the season.
“Our audience should know that we will stay connected with them until we can once again gather to enjoy the laughter and music of the Playhouse experience,” said Bowes. “We all look forward to that day more than ever now!”
