Segerstrom Center for the Arts
Following the directives from Governor Gavin Newsom, the California Department of Public Health and the Orange County Health Agency, Segerstrom Center for the Arts has canceled or postponed all performances and events through the month of April.
These include:
- Orange County Millennial Choirs and Orchestras (April 1, rescheduled to June 2)
- Shen Yun (April 3 – 12, postponed)
- Emil and the Detectives (April 4 & 5, canceled)
- Ailey II (April 11, postponed)
- CHICAGO (April 14-19, postponed)
- Sibelius Piano Trio (April 17, canceled)
- Clayton Brothers Quintet (April 18, canceled)
- Earth Day Celebration on the Argyros Plaza (April 18, canceled)
- Distinguished Speakers Series: President George W. Bush (April 20, postponed)
- Tuesday Night Dance Lessons on the Argyros Plaza (April 21 and 28, canceled)
- Laura Benanti (April 23-25, postponed)
- Best of Dance (April 25, canceled)
Classes in the Center’s American Ballet Theatre William J. Gillespie School and School of Dance and Music for Children with Disabilities will remain closed through April.
“The Center has implemented the governor’s expanded mandates and guidelines to combat the spread of the coronavirus,” said Center President Casey Reitz in a press release. “Our administrative offices have been closed, and our staff is working remotely. We will follow this continuously evolving situation closely and make decisions based on future developments and state directives.”
Reitz noted that “The Center is committed to serving our great community, and we look forward to welcoming everyone back for performances and fun plaza events and our students back to their dance studios. Until then, we will continue to make every effort to protect our employees, patrons, donors, volunteers, students and their families and friends, and, of course, our artists. We are very grateful to our Center family for their cooperation and support and to our audiences for their understanding and patience.” Reitz thanked those who generously returned their tickets to canceled performances as donations to the Center.
“I want to let everyone know too that we are working every day to reschedule as many shows and artists as possible as soon as possible,” added Reitz. “We are of the mind and tradition that the show must go on, and so it will at Segerstrom Center as soon as possible.”
Patrons with tickets to canceled performances may donate the tickets to the Center as a gift and receive a tax deduction for the full value. They may also be exchanged for a gift certificate or credit that can be used at another time. And patrons may receive a refund for the value of the tickets.
With Center offices and box office closed for walk-up business, patrons are asked to contact the Center at http://scfta.org/about/ticket-options.aspx to let them know how they would like the Center to handle their tickets. They will be contacted with confirmation. Due to the volume of inquiries and personalized attention given to each person, the Center expresses its gratitude for the patience of every ticketholder. For additional information and updates, the public is requested to visit www.SCFTA.org/See-a-Show/Covid-19-Preparedness.
Patrons holding tickets to Shen Yun should call the point of sale. For purchases through the Center, contact the Center at http://scfta.org/about/ticket-options.aspx. For purchases through Shen Yun, call their ticketing line at 888-974-3698.
Patrons holding tickets to the April 20 Distinguished Speakers Series event with President George W. Bush should contact the Center. For additional information they may contact the Series directly at 310-546-6222.
The Laguna Playhouse
In addition to canceling all performances until further notice, The Laguna Playhouse issued an open letter to all community service heroes on March 26 thanking them for working “extraordinarily hard to get us through these unprecedented times. Everyone from grocery store workers and gas station attendants, health care workers, law enforcement, court employees and fire personnel, postal clerks and hardware store employees—you are all on the front lines, working diligently to make sure that we all have the essential items we need. Thanks to you, we can receive healthcare, eat, fix our cars, get gas, and mail letters.”
Laguna Playhouse Executive Director Ellen Richard said in a statement that “every day these incredible people are giving us hope in humanity. They put themselves and their families at risk to serve the entire community. These are true heroes who are showing up every day to help all of us during this unprecedented crisis.”
As a way to thank those providing essential services, Laguna Playhouse will make performances complimentary “for these Orange County heroes as our way of thanking you for your selfless dedication to us all. To be eligible, all you have to do is visit and sign-up on our website with your contact information and the type of work you do, and once we reopen, we’ll set you up with a pair of tickets for the show of your choice. It’s that simple, visit lagunaplayhouse.com for details.”
According to the information received from Laguna Playhouse, the theatre has delivered a supply of N95 face masks, hand sanitizer and gloves to local hospitals, and the theatre’s costume department is busy sewing masks.
