Bucks County Playhouse Cancels Summer Performance Season
NEW HOPE, PA — The Bucks County Playhouse has canceled its 2020 summer season due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Playhouse’s decision to cancel the summer productions comes after "weeks of deliberation and extensive revisions to both the budgets and schedules," representatives said in an announcement.
“Our top priority is keeping our staff, our artists, and our audiences safe and out of harm’s way,” says Executive Producer, Robyn Goodman. “We don’t want anyone to feel pressure to come to the Playhouse before it feels comfortable for them.”
The Playhouse’s restaurant, The Deck, remains open for take-out and delivery. Plans to re-open the restaurant and expand outdoor dining options are in place for when Bucks County reopens. A timeline for that reopening has not yet been announced by the governor.
“While it has become obvious that our full subscription season can’t happen this year, we trust that at some point this summer The Deck will be back in business, perhaps with an outdoor courtyard café. And as soon as it’s possible to re-open the Playhouse, we’ll are planning to finish our run of the new musical “Other World”— and then produce a variety of play readings and concerts in the fall and a holiday show,” said Producing Director Alexander Fraser.
The Playhouse shut down on March 13, just after the dress rehearsal for the world-premiere musical “Other World.”
With no revenue in sight, the Playhouse staff was temporarily furloughed.
Playhouse leadership said it is currently preparing a fundraising strategy to provide for the continuation of healthcare benefits for the staff as well as to ensure the long-term financial viability of the Playhouse.
This article originally appeared on the New Hope-Lambertville Patch
