The Idaho Shakespeare Festival will finally open the curtains to its new show, Ain’t Misbehavin’, on Tuesday after a COVID-19 outbreak forced shows to be canceled earlier this month.
The play was supposed to debut on Friday, June 17. Two cast members had already tested positive for COVID-19 and had been replaced with understudies.
"We heard about another positive that tipped us over, kind of the dictated limit of how we could go on with that many people out," said Hannah Read Newbill, the Festival’s marketing director.
The third case, reported just 45 minutes before the curtains were scheduled to open, meant replacing the sick cast member wouldn't be possible. The cast is fully vaccinated.
The Festival first planned to resume shows on Saturday, but technical difficulties forced another change in schedule.
Starting June 28, Ain’t Misbehavin’ will be shown at the festival every night until its closing date on July 9. There will not be a show on July 4.
Ticket holders were invited to donate, refund, or exchange their tickets for a later showing if their show was canceled due to COVID-19. If you had tickets for a canceled show, the Idaho Shakespeare Festival's website can help you process a refund.