All Upcoming Performances at the Harris Center Have Been Cancelled

Based on the latest guidelines from the Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, all performances at the Harris Center through May 14 have been cancelled effective 3/17/20.

This March 17 announcement is the second such announcement of cancellations, following that of March 12th that canceled or postponed the balance of March events at the Harris Center. All told, 95 events have been cancelled.

"Here at the Harris Center, we normally bring the community together for celebratory events. But the safety of our patrons, artists and staff is our highest concern," notes Harris Center Executive Director Dave Pier. "In this unprecedented situation, direction from government authorities and our own campus and college district is unified and crystal clear. The safety of all is best served by not gathering people together."

Effective March 18, all Los Rios Community College District facilities, including the Harris Center, will be closed, with staff working from remote locations. The website www.HarrisCenter.net remains open for business and will continue to update the public about the impact of the pandemic on the Harris Center's operations going forward. Patrons needing assistance during the closure of the Ticket Office should email TicketOffice@harriscenter.net.

The Harris Center began issuing refunds to ticket buyers for cancelled performances last week. For more information, patrons should visit the Harris Center website at https://www.harriscenter.net/events/cancelled-events which includes a list of affected events and an indication of the status of refunds updated daily. A second webpage, https://www.harriscenter.net/visit/coronavirus, has more information about the Center's response to the Coronavirus pandemic.

Many have asked about how they can support the Harris Center through this trying time; donations are always welcome at www.harriscenter.net/donate.

But the Harris Center is larger than the building itself. "The Harris Center works closely with national and International Artists and touring companies to bring their artistry to the capital region," notes Pier, "and the financial hardships resulting from this pandemic could well be devastating to them. Likewise, our many regional community partners, like El Dorado Musical Theatre, Folsom Lake Symphony, Folsom Concert Association, Carrera Productions, SBL Entertainment - the list is too long to mention in its entirety - are all going to feel the disruptive impact of the pandemic, and I encourage you to support each of them however you can."

"We all share this labor of love, of bringing people together under one roof to experience the power of performance on a given evening upon a given stage. The arts cannot shelter in place; normally we are actively engaged in doing the exact opposite of that. But shelter in place is what we all must do now, and I'm counting the hours until that time when we can swing open our doors again, and do what we do best. Thank you all for your patience and understanding."

The Harris Center was not alone in canceling performances early in the pandemic. Performing arts programs at UC Berkeley's Cal Performances, UCLA's Center for the Art of Performance, Pepperdine University, Scripps College, UC San Diego, UC Santa Barbara, the Mondavi Center at UC Davis have similarly cancelled performances in response to COVID-19.

"As many of our artists are currently on national or international tours, their travel plans are tied to appearances at venues across the country and around the world. A change in one leg of a tour often disrupts the entire tour. Given this, we are in regular communication with their representatives. We expect to have more information on a show-by-show basis that may result in further postponements or cancellations in this season," said Pier. "Where possible, we are working with Artists to reschedule their appearances in future seasons."

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