Out Front Theatre, which calls itself Atlanta’s only LGBT theater company, has become another victim of the pandemic, and has canceled its shows for the rest of 2020.
“Xanadu” and “Judy’s Scary Little Christmas,” both originally slated to open this fall, are postponed indefinitely, according to a release from the theater company.
Out Front’s last production, “warplay,” was shut down March 15, and the company has not resumed live shows since then.
“The Boys in the Band,” which was part of the 2019-2020 schedule, is expected to open in May, 2021.
In a statement, founder and artistic director Paul Conroy said that the new coronavirus pandemic has wreaked special havoc on the performing arts. For his theater, reducing the size of the audience is problematic, he said. “To maintain social distancing, we’d have to cut two thirds of our audience which isn’t sustainable or enjoyable,” he said.
In the meantime, the company plans to perform and record smaller-scale shows, and show them online, with the goal of streaming one digital show a month. Patrons with season tickets will have access to the digital shows and non-members can purchase a la carte productions.
Conroy said returning to in-person theatre is the goal. “I think people crave the feeling of coming together in a shared space, but it’s also going to be a very long time before most people feel comfortable doing that.”
Out Front expects to premiere “The Pink Unicorn” on Jan. 21, 2021. It will be the company’s first live show since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis in March.
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