April 3, 2020

Dear Art Center Theatre patron,

I want to give you an update on the schedule of Art Center Theatre performances.

In March, we responded to the then-current guidance from health officials by postponing the play scheduled to open March 20 and rescheduling it to open May 1. The play that had originally been scheduled to open May 1, “The Last of the Red Hot Lovers,” was moved to next season.

However, since then the situation has changed, including the most recent stay at home directive from the State of Florida that is in effect until April 30. Under these circumstances, we cannot open a play on May 1, and rehearsals for the July summer musical cannot be held.

In response, we have canceled both “Will You Still Love Me in the Morning” that was scheduled to open May 1 and the summer musical “Once Upon a Mattress” that was scheduled to open July 17.

Anyone holding a ticket to the cancelled play will have the option of applying the value of that ticket to next year’s season ticket, receiving a ticket to a future play, receiving a cash refund, or donating the value of the ticket to the Art Center.

I want to thank you for your patronage and support of the theater. As a small, volunteer non- profit we do not receive any federal, state or local government operating funds. We fund the vast majority of what it costs to own and operate the Art Center with proceeds from ticket sales, so your purchase of theater tickets makes ongoing operating of the Art Center and theater possible.

Finally, I want to thank you for understanding that while we do not like to cancel events, our first obligation to you as a patron and to our volunteers is to provide a safe environment in which to enjoy the arts and live theater. We will continue to be guided by this principle going forward, and working together we can come through this crisis and resume putting quality productions on the stage.

Mac Harris, president

On behalf of the Executive Board