Krannert Center for Performing Arts has canceled all in-person Spring 2021 performances due to COVID-19 concerns.
“As we monitor the situation and take into account the continuing pandemic-related health concerns and safety guidelines of the state and the university; the affiliated increased need for space and other resources to support the instructional mission of the School of Music (including Lyric Theatre @ Illinois) and the Departments of Theatre and Dance; and the fact that many of the Center’s visiting artists have already found it necessary to cancel their tours because of conditions imposed by the pandemic, it has become clear that we must regretfully now cancel the public, in-person performances that were planned for this coming spring semester,” Krannert Center Director Mike Ross said in a Nov. 19 statement on Krannert’s website.
Krannert will continue to host virtual events, such as an experimental short film by Somi exploring the profound sense of vacancy that a performer feels in the absence of live performance and Manual Cinema’s Christmas Carol, a world premiere online event created for audiences of all ages.
“While we long to gather with you again in our theatres in person as soon as that is possible, I assure you that the Center remains firmly committed to its mission and core values,” Ross wrote. “We will continue to develop ways to connect with you digitally.* We will continue to explore the possibility of safe outdoor gatherings. We will continue to support the students, faculty, and staff of the academic performing arts units. We will continue to work on the Center’s major physical accessibility upgrades. We will continue to work closely with the pre-K through 12 educational community and other vital sectors. We will continue to support artists—locally, nationally, and internationally—in their creative pursuits despite the decimating effects of the pandemic on their livelihoods.
“And we will do so with a mindful and intentional embrace of the values associated with individual, collective, and societal well-being and in concert with our college, campus, and community colleagues and partners to address the injustices, suffering, loss, and other wrongs associated with our country’s longstanding history of racism, discrimination, and hatred.”
