The Mosesian Center for the Arts will close for two weeks due to the COVID-19 outbreak, and several events have been postponed or canceled.
The closing impacts the performances by the New Repertory Theatre, the Art By Design Mosesian Benefit 2020, the Watertown Children’s Theatre, and classes for adults and children.
NewRep Artistic Director Michael Bobbitt said performances of Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill will be moved to April 25 to May 17, and Thurgood, The Scarlet Letter, and Romeo & Juliet will be rescheduled to a date to be determined. The run of August Wilson’s Fences has been cancelled.
Bobbitt said the cancellations and postponements could threaten the theater company’s financial well being.
“It is my sincerest wish that our community will support and take care of the arts organizations and local artists that have brought so much joy to so many,” Bobbitt said. “Like so many other industries, this crisis puts our organization at risk. The aforementioned productions, tours, and Gala comprise 20% of our operating budget, and a potentially devastating loss of nearly $275,000 this fiscal year. We will need our community’s help to make it through this.”
See details in the announcement sent out by the Mosesian Center, below, and NewRep’s announcement farther down:
Dear Members of the Mosesian Center for the Arts Community,
As you know, the Covid-19 crisis has reached pandemic level and new area cases are being diagnosed daily. With guidelines and preventative recommendations rapidly evolving, we continue to keep patron health and safety at the top of our priorities.
Effective immediately the Mosesian Center for the Arts will be closed to the Public through at least March 27th for all performances, classes, exhibitions, and events. Staff may be on-site or working remotely so we recommend email as the best form of communication for questions or concerns. If you are unsure of who to contact, you can always email info@mosesianarts.org for assistance. The Box Office will also be available for your future ticketing needs by calling 617-923-8487. Please see below for specific program information.
We will continue to monitor the directives of the CDC, Massachusetts Department of Public Health, and the Watertown Health Department and Public Schools and will provide updates on future programming dates as they become available.
It is with great sadness that we must also announce the difficult decision to postpone the Art By Design Mosesian Benefit 2020 originally scheduled for Tuesday, April 7th. We hope to provide a new reception date to celebrate our awardees Sasaki and Jonathan Bockian in the very near future (most likely towards the end of June.) Our online auction will continue as planned on the Bidding for Good platform. As our largest fundraising event of the year, monies raised account for a significant portion of our contributed income. In an effort to continuing providing the high quality and low cost Arts Education and Programming that our community so greatly values – and underserved populations desperately need – we are asking today if you will consider a tax deductible donation to our Art By Design Online Fundraiser. With the uncertainty of the days and weeks ahead, your generosity will help us reach our fundraising goal as we endeavor to enrich the lives of diverse audiences and participants by providing exceptional experiences in theatre, visual, and literary art.
Postponement/Cancelation Information by Program:
- Youth classes (including voice lessons) are suspended for the remainder of the winter term.
- Adult classes are suspended for the remainder of the winter term.
- Avenue Q rehearsals will be suspended until further notice.
- Frozen Jr. performances have been postponed (dates TBD)
- The Spring Audition workshop scheduled for March 25 has been cancelled.
- The start date for CYC 2: Core will be rescheduled.
- The WCT Open Mic scheduled for March 27 has been cancelled.
- The Art by Design Mosesian Center Benefit scheduled for April 7 has been postponed (date TBD)
- The “Human/Nature” Exhibition has been postponed and the galleries will be closed until further notice.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns via email info@mosesianarts.org or phone: 617-923-0100. We will provide more information and updates as they become available.
The New Repertory Theatre sent out the following announcement:
Due to Governor Baker’s encouragement to not hold public gatherings, and as a precaution to protect the communities we serve because of the COVID-19 outbreak, New Repertory Theater has made the difficult decision to:
Postpone all performances of Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill to April 25 through May 17
Postpone all bookings of our touring productions scheduled prior to April 13 of Thurgood, The Scarlet Letter, and Romeo & Juliet until further notice.
Postpone our Gala 2020 (previously scheduled for May 5) to Monday, October 26, 2020.
Cancel all performances of August Wilson’s Fences.At this time, the Mosesian Center for the Arts is closed to the public.
“It is my sincerest wish that our community will support and take care of the arts organizations and local artists that have brought so much joy to so many,” says Michael J. Bobbitt, Artistic Director of New Repertory Theatre. “Like so many other industries, this crisis puts our organization at risk. The aforementioned productions, tours, and Gala comprise 20% of our operating budget, and a potentially devastating loss of nearly $275,000 this fiscal year. We will need our community’s help to make it through this.”
We recognize that these decisions may cause significant inconvenience to our most loyal supporters and patrons, but please know your well-being and the well-being of our artists and employees will continue to be our top priority. The CDC has clearly communicated that one of the most effective measures for controlling the spread of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) is social distancing. Based on that recommendation, we feel it is our ethical responsibility to put the common good ahead of any one individual or institution.
Please visit our website for more information. For questions, ticket exchanges, and 2020-2021 subscription purchases, please contact our Box Office on or after March 16. tickets@newrep.org | 617-923-8487