TKD and the Coronavirus Pandemic
Update: May 4, 2020
Dear Friends: The Show Must Go On!
While we are still unsure about the late July opening of our next season, Theatre Knoxville Downtown needs your help right now to sustain our operations. Because we experienced a COVID-19 interruption and cancelled performances for March through June, our income has stopped. As an all-volunteer organization, we are fortunate not to have payroll to meet. We DO, however, have ongoing operating expenses (i.e., rent and utilities). We urgently need your help to cover those expenses until income from ticket sales starts flowing again.
With your help we can make this happen!
On March 11, Theatre Knoxville Downtown turned 44 years old. We’ve been touching the hearts of East Tennesseans with quality theatrical productions for over four decades. Our shows have made you laugh and made you cry as they have brought to life entertaining stories on the Theatre Knoxville stage.
On April 5, we had planned to celebrate our “first anniversary” in our new space at 800 South Central Street. COVID-19 changed those plans, and we shut down in compliance with the recommendations of the CDC and our local/state “safer at home” requirements. Our first concern has been to ensure the safety of our patrons, actors, and volunteers.
Everyone at Theatre Knoxville hopes you are doing well and staying safe. It’s been heartwarming to see how much we’ve come together as a community. We’ve supported our local businesses and checked on neighbors. There has been laughter and there have been tears as we have seen the story unfold before us, on a daily basis. Stay safe and healthy, and thank you again for whatever contribution you can provide!
We’re looking forward to the time when we can gather at the Theatre again to celebrate, face to face and side by side!
Thank you so much,
TKD Board of Directors
How to Donate:
Online: https://www.paypal.me/theatreknoxville
By Mail:
Theatre Knoxville Downtown
P.O. Box 2502
Knoxville, TN 37901-2502
Update: April 10, 2020
The TKD Board of Directors has decided, reluctantly, to cancel the final two shows of the current season: Of Good Stock and Suite Surrender. The ongoing prohibition on public gatherings makes it impossible to rehearse and perform shows in April and May.
We appreciate the outpouring of support that everyone has shown for our intrepid little theater, and we hope and pray that circumstances allow us to reopen for the start of next season on July 24.
Thank you for your understanding and support!
Update: March 22, 2020
Out of concern for our patrons and in keeping with current recommendations against gatherings of 10 or more people, we have decided to postpone the opening of our next production, Of Good Stock. The new show dates will be announced as soon as the crisis has lifted.
We have also postponed the final show of the season, Suite Surrender. We hope to do it next season instead.
We truly appreciate donations at this time. If you have already purchased tickets to Of Good Stock or Suite Surrender and want a refund, please call 865-544-1999 and leave a message to that effect.
We will continue to monitor the situation and announce updates to our schedule as soon as we are able to.
Thank you for your understanding and support!
March 13, 2020
Dear Patrons/Actors/Volunteers,
As you may have heard, COVID-19, AKA the Coronavirus is currently a pandemic that is affecting our nation and cases have been found in Tennessee and Knox County.
We, the Board of Directors at Theatre Knoxville Downtown, want to assure you that we are taking this very seriously and are monitoring this situation from the state and local health departments, as well as the CDC (Centers for Disease Control). The health of our patrons, actors, volunteers, and tech crew are of the utmost importance to us.
At this time, our next production, Of Good Stock, is still scheduled to start on April 3, 2020. We will make sure to update you with any changes if a decision is made to alter this in the future.
In addition, we will be undertaking some extra precautions to insure the health and safety of our patrons and volunteers. We will be wiping our pews with disinfectant for every performance as well as the door handles on our front door and bathroom doors. Our hope is, of course, in the three weeks until Of Good Stock opens, the spread of this virus will be under control.
Of course, please stay home if you feel sick or uncomfortable. If you have purchased tickets for a performance of Of Good Stock and feel ill, we will lift our refund policy for this show (although if you’d like to consider that a donation, we wouldn’t mind that!) or offer a voucher for a future show.
We’re very excited about Of Good Stock and hope to see you there. We also intend to hold auditions for our May production of Suite Surrender in the next few weeks.
Please take care of yourself. You are the most important factor in all of this and our main consideration.
We will be staying in regular communication about our programming.
Thank you,
Theatre Knoxville Board of Directors