Shakespeare Festival postpones summer production in KC due to coronavirus concerns
The Heart of America Shakespeare Festival has announced it is postponing its summer production of “The Tempest” due to concerns related to the coronavirus crisis in Kansas City.
The show was originally scheduled to run June 16 to July 5 at Southmoreland Park.
Festival organizers announced Thursday that the “The Tempest” will be postponed until summer 2021.
Virtual summer camps and other programs and events will continue as planned.
“We did not make this decision lightly, but as Kansas City deals with issues related to the COVID-19 virus, we were faced with immediate challenges like uncertainty about the availability of space to create the production, guidelines regarding safe public gatherings this summer, and other logistical issues involved in successfully producing a performance,” Sidonie Garrett, executive artistic director, said in a statement.
The festival’s annual summer theater production is among several large summer events, including Big Slick Celebrity Weekend, Boulevardia and the Kansas City Zoo’s Jazzoo fundraiser, that have been canceled or postponed amid the coronavirus pandemic.
