Changes to Season 7

If there was one thing certain about the 2020-2021 theater season, it’s that nothing was certain.

But we made the decision to press forward in faith because we believe the work we do matters, we believe the art we produce can speak powerfully to our troubled times while offering essential hope and inspiration, and we believe we can operate safely while protecting the most vulnerable during this pandemic.

When we announced our Season 7 line-up of shows we also announced a list of new Covid policies & procedures, which stated among other things that the titles in our season were subject to change based on changing circumstances with the pandemic and new local or federal restrictions that may make a show in our season unfeasible to produce, financially or otherwise.

The Indoor Mask Mandate in Minnesota, which went into effect on July 25th, is one such restriction that has negatively impacted our ability to produce A Christmas Carol this November/December. Lolek and The Scrutiny Passion will not be affected by the mask mandate, and it’s yet to be seen how Tolkien may be affected in the spring. At this time we are still planning to produce Tolkien in the spring of 2021, but the production dates may be modified.

The Minnesota Mask Mandate provides an exemption for performers/entertainers in an indoor setting, but only if social distancing can be maintained between the performers. We were already planning for plenty of social distance between performers and audience members, and between various parties of audience members, but with a show like A Christmas Carol we simply cannot maintain six feet of social distance between each of the actors at all times while on stage or in rehearsal, and masking our actors is not an option for a variety of reasons.

So after careful deliberation, our Board of Directors, following on the advice of our Advisory Board, made the decision to cancel our Season 7 production of A Christmas Carol and postpone it for another season. We have decided against trying to replace that show this season and will instead extend our production run of Lolek into December, a decision that will keep costs low and will help to further mitigate our risk this season. Lolek will now run for 10 weeks from October 16 – December 20, 2020.

Lolek will open two weeks later than originally planned and will run for 10 weeks, allowing more Twin Cities locals to see this much-anticipated production in person as audience sizes get restricted to around 25-30% normal capacity.

Current season ticket holders and COR Patrons for Season 7 were recently contacted by our box office via email regarding these changes and gift cards are being automatically issued for the value of the canceled ticket. Ticket holders can expect gift cards to arrive via email within a week. For questions or more information, call Katy in our box office at 612-615-1515 between the hours of 1:00-5:00pm Tuesday – Friday.

Season ticket sales for Season 7 will be suspended from this point forward and individual tickets only will be made available for each production within 1-2 months of the show’s opening in case any further changes need to be made to our production calendars.

We want to THANK all of our generous patrons and supporters once again for your patience and understanding as we navigate the ever-changing landscape of this pandemic. We are working hard to ensure the survival of Open Window Theatre and your continued support remains essential to our success!

Feel free to contact us if you have any questions or concerns and please join us in praying for an end to the pandemic.

Tel. 612-615-1515
boxoffice@openwindowtheatre.org

Learn more about Season 7