Fringe Festival is called off
It was all but inevitable as the wave of coronavirus-related entertainment cancellations rolls on, but the event described as Ontario’s largest performing arts festival has been shuttered.
The Toronto Fringe Festival was scheduled to take place July 1 to 12, with 1,100 artists presenting 140 shows, but has been cancelled for the first time in its 32-year history.
The staff and board of directors made the announcement Tuesday with “heavy heart,” noting that “the safety of our artists, staff, volunteers and audience is our top priority as we navigate this difficult time.”
“This decision was not made lightly: we have a responsibility to our festival artists and staff, and we know that the financial impact of this cancellation will be devastating,” the news release says.
The festival plans to return in 2021, with all 2020 artists offered first right of refusal for 2021 slots, and is also looking for ways to support the suddenly unemployed Fringe artists and staff.
“You will be hearing more from us in the coming weeks about programs and services we will set up for members of our community, particularly the artists effected by the cancellation of the festival … so stay tuned,” its release says. Debra Yeo
Shaw cancels events until July
The show will not go on at the Shaw Festival in Niagara-onthe-Lake until at least July.
The festival named for playwright George Bernard Shaw has announced that it’s cancelling all performances and public events until June 30, due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
“Of course it is frustrating to be pushing back the date when we hope to perform, but I know we will be ready with deeper and better artistry than ever before,” Shaw Festival artistic director Tim Carroll said in a news release.
One Shaw play that will not take the stage at any time in 2020 is “Mahabharata,” a Why Not Theatre production based on the 4,000-plus-year-old Sanskrit epic.
The production, which features artists and creators from five countries, was to begin rehearsals in June and performances in August, and work had not yet begun on the sets, props and costumes.
Shaw ticket holders can email feedback@shawfest.com. Debra Yeo
Rowling reveals probable infection
“Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling has revealed a twoweek battle, now over, with a probable case of coronavirus.
“For last 2 weeks I’ve had all symptoms of C19 (tho haven’t been tested),” she tweeted Monday. “I’m fully recovered.”
With her current revelation, Rowling joins a growing list of celebrity coronavirus cases that includes Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson, Idris Elba and Pink, among others. New York Daily News
Stage star Cordero tests positive
Hamilton-raised Broadway star Nick Cordero has tested positive for COVID-19 in a Los
Angeles hospital, where he’s been unconscious and on a ventilator but is showing signs of improvement.
His wife, dancer-turned-celebrity personal trainer Amanda Kloots, announced the positive test result on her Instagram account over the weekend.
Cordero had tested negative for the virus twice after being admitted to the intensive care unit with what seemed to be pneumonia over a week ago, but doctors still believed it was coronavirus and did a third test, which came back positive. The Canadian Press
Three Canadians up for Griffin prize
Toronto’s Doyali Islam, editor of Arc Poetry Magazine, is among this year’s Canadian nominees for the $65,000 Griffin Poetry Prize for “Heft,” which examines rupture and resilience.
The other Canadian finalists are Montreal-based, Calgaryraised Kaie Kellough for “Magnetic Equator” and Vancouver’s Chantal Gibson for “How She Read.”
The international contenders are Americans Abigail Chabitnoy for “How to Dress a Fish” and Sharon Olds for “Arias”; Sarah Riggs for her translation of “Time,” by Beirut-born Etel Adnan; and Natalie ScentersZapico, who grew up on the U.S.-Mexico border, for “Lima :: Limon.”
The winners, who each receive $65,000, will be announced on social media on May 19. Organizers cancelled this year’s gala dinner. The Canadian Press