Joining the ranks of many other annual events in the city, the Moose Jaw Community Players have decided to cancel their November show and fundraiser due to ongoing COVID-19 concerns.
President Jarrod Jeanson and the rest of the group are disappointed to be making the announcement, but board members agreed that it was the right decision to be making.
“For the Moose Jaw Community players, the executive decided to hold off on putting anything on this year and reevaluate in the new year, just for the safety of the audience,” said Jeanson.
As a non-profit organization, the fall show is the theatre company’s biggest fundraiser of the year and tons of work goes into every production — meaning it would be very detrimental both financially and emotionally to plan a show and have safety precautions cancel the thing last minute.
“With a group of actors and directors, and writers and producers, we want to do it and we’re excited to do it [but] you don’t want to put on a show and lose a pile of money because of COVID restrictions,” said Jeanson.
Planning a production with limited audience seating also poses a roadblock, as the group would need the fall show to be big enough to raise funds for the year. A series of smaller shows was also a consideration, but ultimately didn’t solve the group’s concerns about safety and viability.
Things are now on hold for the Community Players, admitted Jeanson, with the earliest return to activity potentially set for sometime in the new year.
Jeanson said the Community Players may consider alternatives to a full theatre of spectators if pandemic concerns persist into the spring, such as distanced seating in the audience or hosting a video live stream of the production, but the logistics of making such a huge shift are something best left to the future.
“The natural theatre experience is gone or missing for now,” said Jeanson. “But I know that our members are all wanting to do something and they’re excited to do something, but we’re just limited right now.”
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