The curtain was never raised on the final performances of a pair of shows that have become a Christmas tradition in Calgary.
On Thursday, Theatre Calgary announced it was cancelling performances of A Christmas Carol on Dec. 23 and 24 after a close contact with COVID-19 “potentially affected both our cast and crew,” the company announced on social media.
They called it a “heartbreaking announcement,” adding the cancellation was for the safety of patrons, cast, crew, staff and volunteers – “the utmost priority.”
Alberta Ballet also cancelled the final two performance days of the Nutcracker ballet, originally scheduled for Dec. 23 and 24, calling it “the best course of action” for the health and safety of their cast and crew.
“We know these developments are deeply disappointing for the families who were looking forward to these last two performances,” a statement on the ballet company’s website reads. “We feel fortunate to have performed as often as we have throughout December.”
Theatre Calgary said ticket holders for cancelled shows would be automatically processed by the end of January.
Alberta Ballet said ticket holders have been contacted by email for their refund and apologized for the inconvenience.
Thursday afternoon, Alberta’s chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw repeated her request that Albertans cancel some of their holiday plans and halve personal contacts, as Omicron-fueled COVID-19 cases continued their exponential rise.