The Old Globe Postpones 2020 Summer Season Productions to Summer 2021

By: May. 19, 2020
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The Old Globe Postpones 2020 Summer Season Productions to Summer 2021

The Old Globe today announced that it is moving the productions in its 2020 Summer Season to the summer of 2021, although exact dates have not been settled upon. The season's titles include a classic American musical, a new adaptation of a 20th century thriller, and two of Shakespeare's masterworks on the Globe's outdoor stage.

Barry Edelstein, The Old Globe's Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director, said, "As the coronavirus pandemic continues to hold the world in its grip, The Old Globe, like so many theatres everywhere, is moving to adapt. Our decision to postpone our summer season is prudent and necessary in order to protect the wellbeing of our artists, staff, and audiences, and to ensure the long-term viability of the company." Edelstein continued, "The ongoing crisis has already required us to take some difficult steps, but this one is especially painful. Summer 2020 will be the first time since World War II that there will be no live theatre in Balboa Park, no Shakespeare under the stars. Just as the Globe reopened after the war, so we will reopen when the pandemic eases, and at some future date these shows and the wonderful work of the great artists making them will once again bring light into our venues. But for now we acknowledge a real and grievous loss to our region and its culture."

Globe staff is currently reaching out directly to subscribers. They are offering a range of ticketing options, which include moving existing tickets to the play's rescheduled run when it is announced; converting tickets into a 100%-tax-deductible donation to support the Globe's ongoing operations; receiving a credit toward a future ticket purchase, including a subscription renewal; or receiving a refund.

The coronavirus pandemic has devastated the nation's not-for-profit arts institutions, and The Old Globe has already experienced significant financial losses. If possible, retaining their tickets for rescheduled shows from this season is the easiest way for ticket holders to show their continued support for The Old Globe and the artists on their stages. Their choice to do that and/or to make a donation will help ensure the ongoing stability of the Globe, now and when they reopen.

The 2021 Summer Shakespeare Festival will kick off with director Shana Cooper's daring and contemporary staging of Shakespeare's masterful comedic take on the battle of the sexes, The Taming of the Shrew, which turns everything we think about love, marriage, and gender on its head. The Bard's thrilling history play Henry V follows, under the aegis of one of the most important Shakespeare directors working today, Tony Award winner Daniel Sullivan (The Old Globe's Julius Caesar). This unflinching look at warfare and power is a rousing portrait of courage against all odds. Both will play outdoors under the stars in the Lowell Davies Festival Theatre.

Indoors, the Age of Aquarius will dawn again with Hair, the American tribal love-rock musical, with book and lyrics by Gerome Ragni and James Rado and music by Galt MacDermot. Directed by James Vásquez (the Globe's American Mariachi, Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, and Tiny Beautiful Things) and choreographed by Rickey Tripp (associate choreographer for Choir Boy and Once on This Island; appeared in Broadway's Hamilton, Motown The Musical, and In the Heights), performances of this legendary rock musical, with its Grammy Award-winning score, will run on the Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage in the Old Globe Theatre, part of the Conrad Prebys Theatre Center. Prepare for thrills and chills with Dial M for Murder, a new version of the celebrated murder mystery by Frederick Knott (Wait Until Dark) that inspired Hitchcock's masterpiece! Acclaimed playwright Jeffrey Hatcher (Scotland Road) brings us an edge-of-your-seat, Globe-commissioned world-premiere adaptation of this modern classic, directed in high style by Globe veteran Stafford Arima (the Globe's Allegiance and Red Velvet) in their most intimate performance space. Performances will run in the Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre, part of the Conrad Prebys Theatre Center.

SINGLE TICKETS for most shows begin at $30. When standard operations at the Globe resume, tickets and subscription packages can be purchased online at www.TheOldGlobe.org, by phone at (619) 23-GLOBE [234-5623], or by visiting the Box Office at 1363 Old Globe Way in Balboa Park. Discounts are available for full-time students, patrons 29 years of age and younger, seniors, military members, and groups of 10 or more.



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