CLEVELAND — Editor's note: Video at the top of this story is from Oct. 24, 2020.
A holiday tradition in Cleveland has been halted this year.
The Great Lakes Theater announced Thursday that their annual production of A Christmas Carol on stage at the Mimi Ohio Theatre in Playhouse Square has been canceled for 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Current ticketholder options for the canceled production include full refunds, an exchange credit valid through the theater’s 2021-22 season, and/or tax-deductible ticket donation opportunities, officials said in a press release.
“We are living in a time when planning takes place on a weekly basis,” said Charles Fee, GLT Producing Artistic Director. “Canceling our annual production of A Christmas Carol is heartbreaking."
Fee notes this would have been their 32nd consecutive year producing Gerald Freedman's adaptation.
"We, of course, know that we will return to live theater at some point in the future. We are working closely with our partners at Playhouse Square, the unions that represent our artists and state and local government health officials to identify a safe way to reopen our theaters so that we can come together again as a community and celebrate. We will keep you posted on where we’re headed and what the timeline will be on a regular basis.”
Organizers said the theater is working with its partners at Playhouse Square and health officials to explore the possibility of alternate holiday programming options of a smaller scale or virtual format.
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