Previous COVID-19 Announcements
Note: Below are previous announcements regarding Court’s COVID-19 response. For the most up-to-date information, please see our Public Health Update page.
3/31/2020 Update about The Gospel at Colonus and Violet
Announcing new performance dates for The Gospel at Colonus and a change to our upcoming 2020/21 season.
With so many unknowns about how this pandemic will continue to impact public gatherings, it has been a difficult time for all of us. Even so, in every hard conversation, prioritizing our patrons, staff, and artists has helped to guide all artistic decision-making.
We have made the decision to move The Gospel at Colonus, originally slated for performances in May, into our 2020/21 Season. We will be postponing our production of Violet, with the intention of including it in a future Season. A key component of our ambitious Oedipus Trilogy, The Gospel at Colonus and the dynamic community engagement work surrounding it will provide vital opportunities to connect as we all work towards collective healing in the wake of this pandemic.
The Gospel at Colonus will now run November 5 through December 6, 2020. All ticket holders for both Gospel and Violet received an email with detailed information. If you have questions or concerns after you’ve reviewed this information, please call the Box Office at (773) 753-4472, Monday through Friday from 12noon to 5pm.
We appreciate your understanding and look forward to seeing you at our theatre soon. It will truly be reason to celebrate. Be well!
March 12, 2020 Cancellations Notice
As leadership at the University of Chicago continues to monitor the evolving status of COVID-19 in Chicagoland and across the globe, we at Court Theatre are at a critical moment in our six-decade history.
Theatre can’t just be seen; it must be felt. It can’t just be watched; it must be experienced. At a time of division, bifurcated attention, and growing anxiety, theatre’s power to create community out of both artists and strangers has a powerful role to play. And yet, that same communal power represents a double-edged sword for any organization striving to prioritize the health, security, and safety of all those who touch its work.
According to the World Health Organization and Centers for Disease Control, many of our patrons and long-term supporters are most at risk of developing serious complications from contracting this virus, a fact we take quite seriously.
As artistic leaders, these are the issues we grapple with this week in the face of extraordinary circumstances. And extraordinary circumstances sometimes call for extraordinary measures. This is why we have made the difficult decision to cancel the runs of The Lady from the Sea at Court Theatre and An Iliad at the Oriental Institute. We truly appreciate the talented artists who worked tirelessly to create a striking and beautiful production of The Lady from the Sea and are deeply saddened we cannot share their work with audiences. We are grateful for the opportunity to reschedule performances of An Iliad to sometime this summer.
Currently, we believe it’s prudent to postpone making a decision about our upcoming production of The Gospel at Colonus, slated to begin previews in May. We will continue to monitor how things develop and make a further announcement later, should it be necessary.
At a time when so many people around the world are focused on the day-to-day updates of friends, family, and the news, we, as an organization, must think farther ahead. This is why we are asking audience members and subscribers with tickets to our current productions to consider converting their purchase to a donation or crediting the value of their tickets towards a subscription to our 2020/21 Season. With so many unknowns about the lasting effects of this pandemic, these sorts of efforts will bolster Court Theatre and our potential to continue sharing classic stories with you in the future.
Theatre is nothing without its artists and audience. We are nothing without our artists and you.
Stay well,
Charles Newell, Marilyn F. Vitale Artistic Director
Angel Ysaguirre, Executive Director