Proud Theater and our parent organization, Art & Soul Innovations, have been monitoring the COVID-19 situation closely, paying particular attention to guidance from public health agencies in the counties that we directly have operations in: Brown, Dane, and Marathon. We have also been monitoring the State of Wisconsin’s response to this developing situation.
On March 11, numerous colleges and universities in Wisconsin announced plans to suspend normal operations as a precaution for maintaining public health. On March 13, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers announced that K12 schools in Wisconsin would be closed from at least March 18 to April 5. Art & Soul Innovations and Proud Theater have decided to suspend normal operations, including rehearsals and public events for all chapters while K12 schools in Wisconsin are ordered closed.
We recognize that there is a great deal of uncertainty regarding the current situation and when the risks to public health may be reduced to a point that allows operations to return to the way they were prior to this point in the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of this uncertainty, we are unable to determine how this virus and related precautionary measures may impact our 2020 performance season beyond the April 5 timeframe. We also want to uplift that preparing for a public performance takes time, and loss of rehearsal time could impact our season even if the actual performance dates are not otherwise impacted. We will continue to monitor the situation and look for guidance from public health agencies as we look ahead. For these reasons, we plan to reevaluate our response in the coming weeks and issue a further statement when the future beyond April 5 becomes clearer.
We recognize that this decision may be difficult for various communities, especially the youth we serve each week. We encourage people to reach out to other community services or their local chapter during this time, and further encourage intentional community care as we navigate this difficult time.