Shakespeare Festival Cancels Fall Productions

The North Carolina Shakespeare Festival has canceled its fall season for the first time in 34 years. Administrators made the decision in light of the state budget proposal, which cuts essentially all state funds for the festival. About 15 percent of the organization's $1.1 million budget comes from the state. Artistic director Pedro Silva says the festival has to start looking for other sources of funding as the next fiscal year approaches.

Pedro Silva: "We realized that the loss of those funds would make it virtually impossible for us to proceed with plans for a production this year. It's unreasonable and unrealistic for us to expect that we could make up that amount of funding in a few months."

The North Carolina Shakespeare Festival has put on at least one fall production in High Point since it was founded in 1977. Silva says this year's summer camps and other programs will continue as planned.