Huntington Theatre Company Postpones Start Of 2020-2021 Season

Huntington Theatre Company has announced that it will postpone the start of its 2020-2021 season, cancelling all in-person performances for the remainder of 2020.

The Huntington shut down its venues and operations on March 12, 2020 at the start of the pandemic. At that time, the company was one week away from the first preview of the world premiere comedy Our Daughters, Like Pillars by Kirsten Greenidge at the Calderwood Pavilion. Subsequently, the Huntington postponed productions of The Bluest Eye adapted by Lydia R. Diamond and Lackawanna Blues, written and performed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson, as well as a presentation of The Simon & Garfunkel Story.

The Huntington announced its 2020-2021 subscription season on February 24, 2020. The season was scheduled to begin July 28, the earliest start to a Huntington season in its history, with the Pulitzer Prize finalist What the Constitution Means to Me by Heidi Schreck, and was scheduled to end in June 2021 first with the Obie Award-winning comedy Hurricane Diane by Madeleine George, and then a rescheduled Our Daughters, Like Pillars. A complete list of the affected shows can be found at the end of the release.

"The Huntington remains committed to producing all the plays in this extraordinary subscription line-up," says Peter DuBois, Norma Jean Calderwood Artistic Director. "Postponing our shows has been a difficult but necessary decision. We really miss seeing our artists and audiences, forging those connections, and creating theatre together, and look forward to getting back to it as soon as it is safe."

Given the uncertainties of the coming year, the Huntington has not yet scheduled the dates or the sequence in which the previously announced shows will be produced. Performances may resume as early as next spring, and the Huntington hopes to confirm a new schedule by December 2020.

"Theatre has been around for thousands of years," says Managing Director Michael Maso, "and has survived previous plagues, pauses, and upheaval. The Huntington is resilient, and while we don't know when it will be, we look forward to the day when we can all gather together to enjoy live theatre once more."

Huntington subscribers and ticket holders to productions in the 2020-2021 season will receive information regarding their options and next steps, or can reach out directly to Huntington Ticketing Services at 617 266 0800.

The Huntington will continue to offer digital programming through its Huntington@Homeschool program, a robust series of online classes ranging from playwriting to figure drawing, Shakespeare, and more, and is in the process of creating additional online content, including a series of audio plays, in addition to the Huntington@Home program.

This unprecedented shutdown is a direct effect of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, and will have a large impact on the Huntington's revenues and budget. Without the opportunities for earned revenue through ticket sales and venue rentals, the Huntington anticipates cutting its operating budget by approximately 50% and beginning layoffs, furloughs, work reductions, and salary reductions on July 1. Approximately two-thirds of the Huntington staff will be laid off or will be on furlough for the immediate future.

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