Seattle Shakespeare Cancels Wooden O Shows For Summer 2020

Today Seattle Shakespeare Company's Artistic Director George Mount announced that the company is canceling the Wooden O shows for the summer of 2020. The theatre is also cancelling its May special presentation of Stephan Wolfert's Cry Havoc!

"This summer, considering the dreadful novel coronavirus threat, the prospect of large group gatherings poses too great a risk to the health and well-being of our audiences and our valued artists and support teams," said Mount. "For the safety of us all, this year, we cannot not go forward with Wooden O as usual."

The cancelled Wooden O productions of The Comedy of Errors and Othello will be rescheduled for the summer of 2021. Seattle Shakespeare was also to present Cry Havoc! in late May and has cancelled that event.

Seattle Shakespeare Company will contact patrons who hold tickets to cancelled productions with specific instructions on their options for future performances.

"We do hold out hope that some make-shift, impromptu, pop-up events or online surprises could happen, if safe conditions and guidelines allow," said Mount. "Stay tuned for any and everything. As we've all experienced in the last several weeks, things change rapidly and often unexpectedly."

In the summer of 2019, the free Wooden O shows played to more than 12,000 patrons in parks as far north as Everett and as far south as Tacoma. The Wooden O shows regularly employ more than 40 artists and technicians for the summer from June through August. For many families and individuals in the Seattle area it is an annual summer tradition to attend Shakespeare in a park near them.

Patrons who have questions about tickets or about donating to Seattle Shakespeare Company may contact the company through the Ticket Office at 206-733-8222 or online at www.seattleshakespeare.org.

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