The Greater Victoria Shakespeare Festival has postponed its upcoming summer season due to circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, organizers have announced.
The festival was set to stage outdoor productions of Hamlet and As You Like It from July 2-25 at Camosun College’s Lansdowne Campus and from July 30-Aug. 1 in Esquimalt during what would have been its 30th season.
“Though we have made this decision with heavy hearts, we feel proud to be a part of this collective movement of social responsibility, and we are optimistic about the important work which our staff will be able to do this year, in the absence of a 2020 festival,” artistic director Karen Lee Pickett said in a statement.
Plans are underway to remount the festival next summer. In the meantime, organizers have set up a fundraising effort in support of the festival through online charity CanadaHelps. To contribute, visit vicshakespeare.com/donate.