A+E

Heads up, theater-goers, North Coast Repertory Theatre announced today that it is canceling this weekend's run of A Midsummer Night's Dream due to a COVID outbreak in the cast, but, swords crossed, hope to be up and running for the show's final weekend, Sept. 8-10. Read a review of the show here.

In the same email as the announcement of the cancellation, the NCRT's Managing Artistic Director Calder Johnson said that a group of local performing artists, in collaboration with a larger coalition based in Los Angeles, is holding a press rally in support of California Senate Bill 1116 on Thursday, Sept. 8, at 10 a.m. at NCRT.

SB 1116 would establish the Equitable Payroll Fund, which would pay 300 million dollars in payroll grants to small non-profit performing arts organizations, over three years. The performing arts has been hit exceptionally hard by the COVID outbreak and Johnson said this weekend's cancelation underscores the importance of the bill's passage.

The event at NCRT on Sept. 8 will include speakers from the local theater/performing arts scene, including:

Cynthia Martells - Actor
Julie Fulkerson - Former Humboldt County Supervisor, Co-producer - Trinidad Bay Art and Music Festival
Brenda Perez - Centro Del Pueblo Humboldt
Jackie Dandeneau - Founder and Executive Director, Arcata Playhouse/Playhouse Arts
Cleo DeOrio - Artistic Producing Director, Ferndale Repertory Theater
Carol Ryder - Artistic Director, Humboldt Light Opera Company
Alyssa Hughlett - Managing Director, Dell'Arte International
Calder Johnson, Managing Artistic Director, North Coast Repertory Theatre

The event will also be recorded and live-streamed, with the live-stream link to be released closer to the event.

Those who are interested in attending the rally can RSVP here.