The Players Centre Cancels 2020 Summer Sizzler Series

The Players Centre for Performing Arts has made the sad and difficult decision to cancel the 2020 Summer Sizzler Series due to COVID-19. The Players’ priority is the safety, comfort and health of our patrons, volunteers and staff.

This year’s Summer Sizzler Series was set to include Sylvia written by A.R. Gurney (June 10 through 21), Forbidden Broadway’s Greatest Hits book and lyrics by Gerald Alessandrini (July 15 through 26) and Death of a Salesman written by Arthur Miller (August 12 through 23.)

The Players has been closed since Friday March 13. The theatre estimates an additional loss of $300,000 with the loss of the Summer programming. After cancelling the last show in the 90^th Wilde Broadway Series Anything Goes, the last Backstage at The Players show, Rabbit Hole, all end of the season studio shows (Peter/Wendy, The Music Man Jr, Jukebox Musical, The End of Year Showcase and The Flash Tappers’ Fabulous Feet), SNAP series concerts (Could It Be Magic and Pioneers of Rock n’ Soul), fundraisers (90^th Season Birthday Celebration and Those Were the Days) and studio classes, The Players finds itself in uncharted waters.

“It is with a heavy heart that we announce this cancellation. Like other producing organizations, the shows we have been working on for over a year now had a life to them, they had a hopeful director and creative team already thinking and working and planning. For some people they were just titles of shows, for us, it was the beginning of art!” says Jeffery Kin, Interim CEO and Managing Artistic Director of The Players Centre. “Planning for a successful play or musical is hard work, but it’s what we love. To let these three productions go is not just the loss of much needed summer income it’s losing just a bit of our joy. We pray our patrons will be understanding and note with pride the heartache of this decision. We were so fortunate with the outpouring of love and support when we had to cancel Anything Goes where very few people even requested their money back. Our theater will continue, we guarantee we’ll be ready and prepared when we can continue our mission.”

The Players will contact all patrons that purchased tickets and subscriptions for the Summer Sizzler about their tickets. The theatre asks patrons to try and be kind and consider donating the ticket price to us in this unprecedented time.