For the first time in its history, the show will not go on at Powerhouse Theatre.
The historic stage, and seats, will remain empty due to the coronavirus pandemic and necessary precautions and restrictions in place which limit gatherings.
“We’re looking at an empty slate for the fall for the first time in Powerhouse’s 57-year history,” president Bob Oldfield said.
The first production for this 2020/21 season was Avenue Q, to be directed by Monty Hughes, but is now postponed likely until the fall of 2021. Meanwhile the theatre is waiting on a final decision about its second show, Mum’s the Word, to be directed by Adele Kuyek. Mum’s the Word is due to be staged at the end of February 2021 and a decision about whether the show can proceed will be announced later in September.
“We hold on to a distant hope that our third show, a re-staging of last season’s COVID-19-cancelled third show Ben Hur will still be able to go ahead, but we simply do not know yet,” Oldfield said.
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With the uncertainty in place, the purchase of season tickets cannot proceed.
“We wish we had more optimistic news for you but we are obviously duty bound to comply with the orders from the authorities and we would clearly not want to put the health and safety of one single person at risk by rushing to open the doors,” Oldfield said.
Season ticket holders are thanked for their consistent support over the years.
“It is not lost on us that for many of you, being a season ticket holder has been an unwavering year after year commitment, a commitment that allows us to move forward with confidence each season knowing that we have such wonderful support,” said Oldfield.
“We hope this blip in normal service will soon be over and that we can return before too much longer.”
In the meantime, the theatre is working on repairs for the fall and will update the community via social media.
READ MORE: Musicians appreciate outlet amid COVID-19 at Vernon event
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