When will performing arts return? Local groups describe their hopes for summer and beyond
By Mark Shanahan Globe Staff,Updated March 12, 2021, 7:48 a.m.
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On a typical Sunday in July, the lawn at Tanglewood is a jumble of people â thousands of them â gathered with picnics or pinot noir to enjoy an afternoon of music courtesy of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
Itâs an idyllic scene, reminiscent of an Impressionist painting, but in the age of COVID-19 itâs also perilous, a potential superspreader, which is why the annual Tanglewood festival was canceled last year for the first time since World War II.
LENOX â Making good on its plans to open a new outdoor performance site in time for shows this summer, Shakespeare & Company announced this week that the 500-seat amphitheater, The New Spruce Theatre, will host theatergoers for a production of âKing Lear.â
The company, which canceled its entire live-performance season last year because of the COVID pandemic, aims to fill the new space on its Kemble Street campus at half-capacity, in keeping with state and local regulations, as well as guidance by Actors Equity and other professional unions.
The role of King Lear will be played by Christopher Lloyd, as planned last year before the pandemic forced cancellation of the live performance season.