Coronavirus triggers many cancellations, closings for Charlotte arts and culture groups

The Charlotte Ballet and the Charlotte Symphony postponed big weekend shows within hours of curtain time Friday, and other arts groups also pushed back or canceled performances due to the novel coronavirus.

The Children’s Theatre of Charlotte also canceled the final weekend of GRIMMZ Fairy Tales and postponed its run of Dragons Love Tacos to April 24 through May 17.

Also Friday, the Levine Museum of the New South announced that it would close through March 29. And Discovery Place announced it will close its locations until March 27.

And the Mint Museum has canceled all events and programs until the end of March, although the cancellations do not apply to weddings or corporate events. The museum has closed the Lewis Family Gallery to the public.

On Thursday, Gov. Roy Cooper urged people not to gather in groups of 100 or more to slow the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, which by Friday afternoon had 16 confirmed cases in North Carolina, a number that is expected to grow.

Officials have said two people in Mecklenburg County had tested presumptive positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus.

In New York City, all Broadway shows have shut down until April 12, spelling death for some shows that will never be able to re-open due to finances.

This weekend, Charlotte Ballet was scheduled to open its run of “Sleeping Beauty” at the Knight Theater and the Charlotte Symphony had plans to perform the soundtrack to “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back” at Belk Theater. Those performances are now postponed, with no rescheduled dates yet.

Both Charlotte Ballet and the Charlotte Symphony said they’ll work with ticket holders as performances are rescheduled.

At the McGlohon Theater, comedian Trey Kennedy’s scheduled Friday night performance was also postponed.

Sensoria, others canceled

Central Piedmont Community College canceled its Sensoria festival scheduled for March 27-April 5. The annual event celebrates culture, arts and design, leadership, science and technology.

And Theatre Charlotte announced it is delaying the opening of “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” until April 16. It was slated to open March 20.

Theatre Charlotte Executive Director Ron Law said the delay also pushes back the following show in the lineup, “Dreamgirls,” which will now open May 29.

On Thursday, the Actor’s Theatre of Charlotte announced that it is postponing the opening of “One Man, Two Guvnors,” which was slated to run from March 26 to May 2.

Actor’s Theatre leaders say they now plan to open the show April 30 and run it for four weeks.

Arts sector response

On Friday morning, the region’s arts funding umbrella group, the Arts & Science Council, held a conference call with about 30 leaders of local arts organizations to talk about their response to the coronavirus.

ASC President Jeep Bryant said it was clear that arts sector leaders are trying to juggle the safety of their staff and patrons, while knowing that for many, it will bring financial hardship to arts groups that are already struggling with money.

“What was clear on today’s call is that we are all trying to (make decisions) in an environment where there isn’t an existing playbook,” Bryant said.

He recommended that ticket holders donate their tickets back to arts organizations instead of demanding a refund, to help arts groups who will suffer financially from a lack of income during the virus.

This story was originally published March 13, 2020 at 4:57 PM.