Theatre 29 recently announced the cancelation of their already-delayed production of “The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe,” which was scheduled to run August 20 through September 5. The difficult decision was made as a result of lost cast members and the theatre’s strict COVID-19 testing policy cutting into rehearsal time. No decision made as yet if the production will be reattempted at a later date. Theatre 29’s production of “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder,” requiring a much smaller cast of 11 people, is still set for October 1 – 24.
After a pandemic-induced delay of about fifteen months, an almost complete recasting and a resurgent pandemic plagued rehearsal period, director Char Childs sadly announces that Theatre 29’s production of “The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe” is being cancelled. The dramatization of C.S. Lewis’ classic, set in the magical land of Narnia, was to open August 20 and run through September 5th.
“We feel we may have tried to open too soon,” Childs stated, “After having to postpone the 2020 production, this decision was not made lightly…..But we feel we have no other option.” The second attempt at launching the production found that only a handful of the 2020 cast were able to commit to their roles and was followed by three weeks of trying to cast new performers for the other roles. With a company of 29 performers, it was a monumental task. Over the past couple weeks, the production lost several key members of their technical support crew that proved to be impossible to replace. In addition, Theatre 29 Covid policies requiring covid testing for the unvaccinated would have resulted in lost rehearsal time and the show’s production staff decided that it was a bridge too far.
Director Childs is very proud of her cast and crew that had grown so much and so close during the rehearsal period and through working amidst adversity. No decision made as yet if the production will be reattempted at a later time.
The scheduled production of the Hit Broadway Musical, “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder”, requiring a much smaller cast of 11, is still set for October 1 – 24. Auditions will be held Sunday, August 15, at 2:00 pm. Theatre 29 is looking for volunteers interested in building sets, painting, costumes, and running lights and sound. Prospective backstage volunteers are urged to come to the auditions.
