HUDSON VALLEY SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL Cancels 2020 Summer Season
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Apr. 30, 2020
The Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival announced today that, due to the crisis gripping New York and the country, as well as the ongoing restrictions on public gatherings, the 2020 Summer Season will be canceled for the safety of staff, artists, and audiences.
"As much as we wish it were otherwise, in the end we had to face the fact that canceling the season was our only option." explained Davis McCallum. "We are hugely disappointed not to be able to gather under the tent this summer, but the health and wellbeing of our artists, our audiences, and our community must come first."
The summer festival, which performs in Garrison, NY, is an annual destination for Hudson Valley residents, New York City residents, and beyond, welcoming 35,000 attendees every summer. It is also a major economic engine for the Hudson Valley, generating an estimated $7.5 million economic impact in the region. The festival employs over 150 people seasonally, collaborates with more than 30 local vendors, and brings more than 50 visiting artists and staff to stay in the Hudson Valley from May-September.
"We are aware of the profound impact that a summer without performances will have not just on artists and staff members at HVSF, but on the entire surrounding community and local businesses," adds Kate Liberman. "We would not take this step if we had any alternative, and we look forward to finding new ways to engage and support our community in the coming months."
The Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival will continue to serve the organization's mission with its year-round educational programming. Most recently, the institution has been working with teachers, schools, and HVSF's team of teaching artists to adapt curriculum to online workshops. HVSF is also hoping to remount the planned tour of MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, directed by Kholoud Sawaf, before the end of calendar year 2020, and is developing free online playwriting workshops, and other virtual programming to stay engaged with its audience and the community throughout the summer.
"Like so many other cultural institutions, we are on pause for this summer due to these unforeseen circumstances, but we know that when the world rights itself, people will be hungrier than ever for connection and community, and we are looking forward to being a part of that in 2021," said Davis McCallum.
Patrons who had purchased tickets for the Summer 2020 season - including HVSF's previously announced OPEN AIR FLEX PASS - will be contacted directly by the box office.
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