SYDNEY, N.S. — Two of Cape Breton’s major entertainment venues are closing their doors until further notice amid COVID-19 concerns.
Those announcements come amid a flurry of entertainment-related cancellations that include most of Tuesday's St. Patrick’s Day festivities. It’s best to check ahead before planning to attend any event over the next few weeks, especially since the Cape Breton Regional Municipality has closed all of its buildings to the public and others may be following with their own closures.
Sydney’s Highland Arts Theatre and Glace Bay’s Savoy Theatre will be postponing scheduled local productions and for the most part, closing their doors for at least two weeks.
The Savoy announced Friday that they would be postponing shows and on Monday, executive director Pam Leader expanded on that.
“After much consideration for the health and safety of our staff we have decided that the building will be completely shut down for the next two weeks until March 30,” said Leader in an emailed statement to the Cape Breton Post. “We will be sorting out new dates for shows that have been postponed and will contact people with new dates as soon as we are able.”
As well, Leader says any and all performance-related activities will be postponed until further notice.
For the Highland Arts Theatre artistic director Wesley Colford, having to close at this time is particularly heartbreaking since students have been working hard on staging a run of "Frozen Jr." for later this week that had nearly sold-out.
“We had 60 kids who have been working really hard for about three months and because they’re all incredibly talented, they’re also incredibly busy — it’s a lot harder to find dates that work for everyone,” said Colford. “We have a few options because right now it’s going to go on in May but we realize that we may not be able to do it even then. We’ve got a few backup plans but that’s definitely the most heartbreaking. We understand the situation and so do the kids but for me to tell them … has been tough.”
Presently “Frozen Jr.” will be staged May 21-24.
Over the weekend, the Highland Arts Theatre postponed the final two performances of its musical comedy, “As You Like It” to March 29 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.
“Anyone who missed a performance earlier in the week due to concerns about the virus is welcome to rebook to these dates, and if necessary, we will add additional performances to accommodate demand,” said Colford. “We recognize that this crisis may not have resolved by this date, and if so, we will postpone further as necessary. All ticket holders will be apprised of updates via email or telephone.”
Because “Frozen Jr.” and “As You Like It” were both near sellouts and were to supply the theatre with 10 per cent of its ticket sale revenue, the delays are going to hurt financially, Colford admits. Because the theatre receives no operating funding, it derives more than 80 per cent of its annual funding from ticket sales.
“If we had to actually cancel, it would be devastating,” he said. “We’re certainly going to be performing these shows at some later date. Even if it’s during the summer, we’re going to make sure these shows happen.”
In addition to cancelled shows, all remaining rehearsals, classes and workshops from the HAT Academy have been suspended until further notice. This includes the upcoming spring term which was scheduled to begin the week of April 5. Current classes will resume once social gathering protocols go back to normal. The feasibility of a spring semester will be reassessed at that time.
Box offices at both the Savoy and HAT will be closed to in-person visitation. Both Leader and Colford are asking for patience and restraint in dealing with ticket refunds at this time.
“If you are ultimately unable to attend, we will of course offer a full refund, however, we encourage you to consider accepting the refund as a credit for future HAT purchases, or if you like, we can convert your ticket price into a donation to the theatre for which we would be able to issue a fully tax-deductible charitable receipt,” said Colford.
“I am hoping you will be patient with us as we navigate this situation in the best interest of our staff and patrons,” said Leader, adding that new dates for productions will be released when they know more.
“It is what it is and every industry is dealing with it the best they can and we don’t hold any special privilege,” said Colford. “We’re just going to do our best.”
