The show must go on, later: VPA postpones last show before summer break

WASILLA — The Valley Performing Arts Center had to postpone their latest production, “Noises Off” due to safety reasons revolving around the COVID-19 outbreak.

VPA Executive Director Garry Forrester said the show will go on. They plan to put on the show after summer break as the first show in the fall lineup.

“Our volunteers put too much time and effort into it to just say forget it,” Forrester said.

The very nature of community theater is bringing a lot of people together through the arts, so naturally, following CDC recommendations amid the ever changing coronavirus climate is hitting VPA very hard.

“It’s a tough time for us,” Forrester said.

Normally, VPA would be opening up registration for their youth summer theater program for ages 7 to 17. With schools pushed out another month and more places shutting down, Forrester said that he’s unsure if they will be able to host the program this summer. He said if they find out they can still do it, it’s very likely that they’d have to drastically limit class sizes.

“It’s a real bummer,” Forrester said. “There’s certainly worse things to get hooked on than theater.”

Closing the theater early before summer break wasn’t ideal but it was done to do what’s best for the community, according to Forrester. He said the public has been very understanding and has showed that they respect VPA’s safety oriented decision.

Despite the uncertainty in the air, he said that he feels good about his theater family and the support from the community, knowing that they’ll make this work no matter what.

“I feel confident, when things settle down and when we get back to whatever normal is we’ll be okay. We just gotta get through this,” Forrester said. “Be safe so we can all get together, and after a few months, enjoy the season again.”

For the latest VPA updates, follow their Facebook page. For more information, call 907-373-0195 or visit valleyperformingarts.org.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Jacob Mann at jacob.mann@frontiersman.com. Support local journalism. By subscribing you help local journalism continue to thrive. For our latest digital subscription information, see frontiersman.com/site/forms/subscription_services/