KITCHENER -- The Stratford Festival has cancelled performances between April 11 and May 2 in an effort to help slow the spread of COVID-19.
In a news release issued Friday, the festival says it will be contacting ticketholders to make rebooking arrangements.
"The performing arts are facing the biggest challenge in living memory," says Artistic Director Antoni Cimolino in a statement.
"The motto 'The show must go on!’ is bred in the bone and it’s therefore very difficult to break out of that mindset. But sometimes the show cannot go on. It is extremely important for public health that we do our part to protect our people and lessen the burden on our healthcare system."
The festival has also taken on a number of other measures to help reduce the spread.
Among them, the festival has encouraged telework to encourage social distancing, stopped non-essential business travel and encouraging self-quarantine for contract workers coming in from hotspots.
They're also planning their annual general meeting to be streamed.
