January 5, 2022 – London ON – In response to the recent provincial mandate, the Grand Theatre is announcing the following changes to its performance schedules for the 2021/2022 season.

• Room has been rescheduled to run March 8 - March 19, 2022. Opening Night will be Friday, March 11.
• Following its run at the Grand, Room will then move to Mirvish’s Princess of Wales Theatre from April 5 to May 8.
• GROW will be rescheduled in April (specific dates to follow).
• Rubaboo and Controlled Damage have been suspended for this season but will be part of the Grand’s 2022/2023 season.
• Jeans ‘n Classics performances have been rescheduled to the following dates:
  • U2 Rattle and Hum: Saturday, March 26, 2022
  • She's Got It - Volume 1: Thursday, May 12, 2022
  • The Music of Pink Floyd: Thursday, June 16, 2022

“This is another difficult time for the arts and culture sector of our province, and for all of us at the Grand Theatre,” says Grand Theatre Executive Director, Deb Harvey. “Despite our great hope and best efforts, the Omicron variant has proved to be far too transmissible and pervasive for us to safely move forward, as intended, with our incredible season. However, as colleagues across our country are doing, we have rebounded and re-strategized to create a plan that we believe will mitigate a lengthy pause from theatre in London and provides a better degree of job security for our valued artists and staff.”

The Grand announces this decision following the recent provincial mandate, which specifies that all theatres are to close effective January 5, 2022 until (at earliest) January 26, 2022 – in a bid to slow the spread of COVID-19 and to provide relief for the overwhelmed health care system in the province.

Reflecting on the history of the pandemic and its future at the Grand, Artistic Director, Dennis Garnhum says, “It is hard to not experience some feelings of déjà vu on days like this, but everyone at the Grand is resolute to stay optimistic. While we never know what the future will hold, we are hopeful that by providing a two-month buffer, we will still be able to safely stage and present Room, GROW and all Jeans ‘n Classics performances this season.”

“To have Room cancelled on its Opening Night in March 2020 was heartbreaking. But, to have it cancelled again? It was unthinkable,” expresses Garnhum. “Thankfully, like us, our partners at Mirvish are committed to staging this powerful production this season. That’s why we are thrilled to confirm that following Room’s North American premiere at the Grand, it will still travel to Toronto and have its Mirvish Opening Night on April 7, 2022.”

“Although we are disappointed to suspend Rubaboo and Controlled Damage, we look forward to bringing both of these meaningful and unique productions back to the Grand to be highlighted in our 2022/2023 season,” affirms Garnhum.

“We are thinking of all of those in our industry who are directly impacted by this latest shutdown, especially the artists, craftspeople, and teams who work behind the scenes in our sector,” says Harvey. “The Grand is an economic driver in our city’s hospitality and tourism industries, and we know this is another blow to an already hard-hit set of community partners. We share our gratitude to those working on the front lines in healthcare and other essential services.”

Patrons who hold tickets to any of the impacted performances are asked to contact the Grand Theatre Box Office at 519.672.8800, where they will be given the option to exchange their tickets or transfer the value of their tickets to account credits.

The Grand Theatre expresses its deep regret to all those affected by this announcement and kindly asks for patience as its Box Office team works to assist all ticketholders.

About the Grand Theatre – World Curious. London Proud.
Under the leadership of Artistic Director Dennis Garnhum and Executive Director Deb Harvey, the Grand is a leading cultural hub located in the heart of downtown London, Ontario. The Grand offers diverse, relevant, and original stories from around the globe through collaborations with national and international performing arts organizations and is committed to developing, producing, and premiering original stories through its COMPASS New Play Development program. The Grand supports educational programming through initiatives like the High School Project and Subsidized Student Matinees. The Grand finalized the $9.5 million renovation to its lobby spaces and backstage areas in Fall 2021. After the cancellation of its 2020-21 Season in June 2020 due to the global pandemic, the Grand officially reopened its doors in November 2021.

For more information please contact:
Caitlin Core, Communications Manager
ccore [at] grandtheatre.com (ccore[at]grandtheatre[dot]com)
519-672-9030 ext. 411