By Elisa Posner
Theater J in Washington has cancelled its fall 2020 production season “in light of the ongoing COVID-19 public health crisis,” it announced on June 9.
Cancelled are The Kinsey Sicks in “Electile Dysfunction,” Arthur Miller’s “Incident at Vichy,” and “Tuesdays with Morrie.”
Theater J, part of the Edlavitch DC Jewish Community Center, will continue its play readings, town hall-style gatherings, Yiddish Theater Club and more on an online platform during the summer and fall, the announcement said.
Artistic Director Adam Immerwahr said that although Theater J’s audience may not be able to meet in person, online classes will continue to strengthen their community.
Managing Director Jojo Ruf added that the online platform will allow people from communities across the country to connect with each other.
“It is exciting to have students from California to Oregon to Massachusetts be able to take a class taught,” she said. “The world has become a little smaller, and Theater J’s community has become a little larger.”
Other area theaters have decided to maintain their fall season. Mosaic Theater Company is going ahead with plans to perform “Inherit the Windbag” by Alexandra Petri, from Aug. 19 through Sept. 20; and “Remember This: The Lesson of Jan Karski” by Derek Goldman and Clark Young, Oct. 20 through Nov. 1.
Ari Roth, founder and artistic director, said Mosaic Theater will follow “rigorous” guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and advice from David Michaels, a public health professor at George Washington University.
Roth said the upcoming shows have already been rehearsed and can be performed for small audiences. “The fortunate position we’re in is a matter of luck,” he said.
Some of Mosaic’s new protocols will include multiple entrance and exit points, a maximum of 50 people in the auditorium at one time and mandatory mask wearing.
Elisa Posner is WJW’s intern.
