TheatreWorks Cancels THE BOOK OF WILL and Camps, Postpones Celebration Of Founder

As a part of the mitigation efforts surrounding COVID-19 (Coronavirus), TheatreWorks Silicon Valley announces the cancellation of programs beginning in June 2020 including its planned production of The Book of Will, its celebration of founder Robert Kelley entitled Sunday in the Park with Kelley, and summer Playmakers Camps, as well as its 2020 Summer Internship Program.

Originally scheduled to make its Regional Premiere June 3 - 28, 2020, Lauren Gunderson's The Book of Will would have been the culmination of the Tony Award-winning company's 50th Anniversary Season, and Founding Artistic Director Robert Kelley's final show at the helm of the theatre company he founded before the visionary leader retires in June 2020. However, working alongside Artistic Director Designate Tim Bond, Kelley will return in the 2020-21 season to direct the Regional Premiere of Paul Gordon's musical Sense and Sensibility in December 2020 and Ragtime in Spring 2021. TheatreWorks hopes to produce The Book of Will, a love letter to the theatre about compiling Shakespeare's first folio, at a future date. Patrons with The Book of Will tickets will be contacted by TheatreWorks Silicon Valley's box office with options to donate their ticket value in support of TheatreWorks, exchange their tickets to any of the shows in TheatreWorks's 2020-21 Season, or other options. For more information the public may visit TheatreWorks.org-the box office can be reached by phone at (650) 463-1960 and by email at boxoffice@theatreworks.org.

Sunday in the Park with Kelley, a one-of-a-kind festival to celebrate the legacy of TheatreWorks Founding Artistic Director Robert Kelley, will be postponed to June 20, 2021. Originally set for June 21, 2020, the special event will reunite artists, supporters and theatregoers from TheatreWorks's 50 years for a day of festivities, including roof-raising performances at open stages, exquisite cuisine from food trucks, and a silent auction of exclusive TheatreWorks memorabilia. Tickets for the 2021 Sunday in the Park with Kelley will be available at a later date.

TheatreWorks's Education department will also cancel its Playmakers Camps and Summer Internship Program. Originally scheduled for four summer sessions running June 8 - July 31, 2020, the Playmakers Camps are taught by TheatreWorks Teaching Artists to foster K-5 students' creativity and imagination while teaching basic acting, singing, movement, playwriting and stagecraft skills. Families who have registered students for Playmakers Camps will be contacted by TheatreWorks Silicon Valley's education department. For information about 2021 camps and other education programs the public may email education@theatreworks.org. Summer internships will not be offered during the summer of 2020-early career theatre makers can find information about the 2021 Summer Internship Program in early 2021 at https://theatreworks.org/about-us/get-involved/internships/.

"I know that we have a tough and devoted staff and board, and that the artists we work with are continuing to keep their creative juices flowing," says Artistic Director Designate Tim Bond, who will join the TheatreWorks staff later this month. "We will rise from the ashes of this pandemic. When we return to public gatherings, we will definitely play an important role as facilitators and change agents, continuing the social reconnection and healing that makes live theatre vital to any thriving society."

Celebrating its 50th Anniversary Season, TheatreWorks Silicon Valley is the recipient of the 2019 Regional Theatre Tony Award. Led by Founding Artistic Director Robert Kelley, Artistic Director Designate Tim Bond, and Executive Director Phil Santora, the Palo Alto-based theatre company serves more than 100,000 patrons per year and has captured a national reputation for artistic innovation and integrity, often presenting Bay Area theatregoers with their first look at acclaimed musicals, comedies, and dramas, directed by award-winning local and guest directors, and performed by professional actors cast locally and from across the country. Founding Artistic Director Robert Kelley retires in June 2020, ending one of the longest current tenures in American Theatre, and will be succeeded by Artistic Director Designate Tim Bond.

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