Dear Friends,

I hope you are doing well during these trying times. I wanted to take a moment to say that we miss seeing you at the Forbes Center and to update you on our plans for the upcoming season. Your enthusiasm as a ticket buyer is infectious and your love of the performing arts is inspiring.

By now, we would have announced our 2020-2021 Masterpiece Season. Sadly, with so much uncertainty due to the pandemic, we had to cancel the rollout of our new season. After serious consideration, we have decided to suspend our presentation of ticketed performances by guest artists, faculty and student ensembles through the end of 2020. We are exploring some unique engagement and streaming opportunities for the fall. Stay tuned for those updates via our website. We will continue to follow the guidance of James Madison University, the CDC, and the Commonwealth of Virginia, including the Virginia Department of Health.

We are still planning to welcome you back in the spring with many exciting live performance options, including the possibility of bringing back artists who were supposed to grace our stages last season and this fall. Our staff is working tirelessly to ensure that strong safety measures are in place when audiences return to the Forbes Center. We will adopt a “rolling open” for spring shows versus going on sale all at once; our ticket buyers will be given on-sale opportunities as shows confirm their tours and as health guidelines allow.

We are so fortunate to have patrons like you who care about the future of the arts in Harrisonburg and the Shenandoah Valley. We will get through this difficult time and soon be able to enjoy each other’s company in the presence of awe-inspiring performances!

Many thanks and all the best!

Regan Byrne

Executive Director
Forbes Center for the Performing Arts