Toronto Star

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

 ?? TANJA-TIZIANA BURDI ?? The Toronto Fringe Festival plans to return in 2021, with all 2020 artists offered first right of refusal for spots.
TANJA-TIZIANA BURDI The Toronto Fringe Festival plans to return in 2021, with all 2020 artists offered first right of refusal for spots.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from Canada