What happened: Vancouver's Bard on the Beach Shakespeare festival will not take place this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and organizers' fears that going ahead with the season could endanger performers, guests and others.
Why it matters: This is a sign that the arts community will continue to be hit by the pandemic for many months to come and not only in the near term.
Western Canada's largest Shakespeare festival, Bard on the Beach, has cancelled its 2020 season, and founder and artistic director Christopher Gaze has said that the plays intended to be performed this year will instead be scheduled for 2021.
The festival had intended to run June 10 through September 26 and perform shows such as A Midsummer's Night Dream, Henry V, Love's Labour's Lost and Paradise Lost.
Gaze's theatre company would have been celebrating its 31st annual season this summer, and it has been doing well in recent years. Last year, the organization had 48 actors in its troupe – the most ever, Gaze told Business in Vancouver last year. The festival estimates that about 100,000 people each year are either involved somehow with the organization, or attend the shows.
His festival has a budget in the $7-million range, with a small amount coming from governments. About two-thirds of the budget comes from the box office, and retail sales.
"These are difficult and unprecedented times," Gaze said in a video posted to his organization's website.
"Our team has spent the past month doing a deep assessment of what is possible for our 31st season. We kept safety and well-being at the top of our minds for our Bard family, for our patrons, for our artists, our staff, our volunteers, donors, sponsors, partners and for the greater community that we serve and entertain. It has now become clear that if we stage a festival this summer, we cannot ensure that standard of safety and well-being for all."
