Mirvish Productions says theatregoers require full vaccination for upcoming season

"Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" performances are resuming following almost a year-long hiatus due to COVID-19, in November. Sam Tabone/WireImage/Getty Images CNN

TORONTO -

Mirvish Productions says it will only allow fully vaccinated people into its venues for its upcoming season, which includes a Canadian production of "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" and the return of musical hits "Hamilton" and "Come From Away."

The Toronto theatre giant made the announcement in a news release for its new lineup, saying the vaccination rule applies to people onstage, backstage and in the audience.

Exceptions include children younger than 12 and those who cannot be vaccinated for medical or faith-based reasons. Those people can provide a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of attending a show.

Broadway producers announced last month that theatregoers there will need to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination, as did Ambassador Theatre Group in London's West End.

Mirvish reopened its doors for indoor performances earlier this month, after an 18-month pandemic closure, with the audio-based stage show "Blindness" under COVID-19 protocols at the Princess of Wales Theatre.

For the initial sold-out run of "Blindness," which will return to the same theatre on Sept. 24, audiences did not have to provide proof of vaccination. A company representative told The Canadian Press earlier this month Mirvish was considering such a requirement for future performances but was hoping for "an effective and legitimate passport" from the government.

Mirvish says the new season will unfold in all four of its theatres, which also include the Royal Alexandra Theatre, the Ed Mirvish Theatre and the CAA Theatre.

The Ed Mirvish Theatre is where the long-delayed "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" will begin in June 2022, with a homegrown cast and restaged as one singular performance.

The original show was a two-part event that was supposed to run at the theatre in October 2020.

The six-time Tony Award-winning play is based on an original new story by "Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling as well as Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, who also directs.

Lin-Manuel Miranda's smash historical tale "Hamilton," which saw its run in Toronto cut short by the pandemic, will return in February 2023, this time to the Princess of Wales Theatre.

And homegrown sensation "Come From Away" will restart at the Royal Alexandra Theatre this coming Dec. 7.

A total of 11 shows make up Mirvish's new lineup, with others including "Room" by Canadian author Emma Donoghue; the North American premiere of Tom Stoppard's Olivier Award-winning masterwork "Leopoldstadt" with the original London production; and revivals of classics including "Jesus Christ Superstar" and "2 Pianos, 4 Hands."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 23, 2021.