WAITE PARK -- GREAT Theatre has announced they are postponing their 2020-2021 Broadway series at the Paramount Theatre.

Our 2020-21 Broadway series at the Paramount Center of the Arts will be postponed until mass gathers are deemed safe for our community and it's financially feasible for GREAT Theatre.

Executive Director Dennis Whipple says as an organization they never thought they would be postponing a season.

The COVID-19 pandemic has delivered serious financial hits to GREAT cutting their revenue by over 50% and leading them to having to furlough some staff.

Whipple says a recent survey from the community says roughly 70% of people won't feel comfortable returning to the theater until at least 2021.

While Governor Walz has turned up the dial to allow entertainment venues to open at 25% capacity, filling only 200 seats at the Paramount Theatre isn't economically viable for GREAT. The reality is GREAT will be much smaller for the next couple years.

Whipple they are working on holding some smaller performances, while following strict safety guidelines.

Those productions include The Laramie Project at the Helgeson Learning Lab Theatre and a Broadway Review at the Paramount, both which are being planned to be shown via livestream.

Whipple says they plan to reschedule their 2020-2021 production which includes, Mamma Mia, Little Shop of Horrors and Cinderella, as soon as they can.

He says they are deeply grateful for the community support during this time of uncertainty and look forward to bringing live theatre back to central Minnesota.

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