The White Heron Theatre Company announced this week that it was backing away from a controversial plan to stage outdoor theatrical performances this summer at the Nantucket Historical Association’s Oldest House property.
White Heron was facing a lawsuit from neighbors of the Oldest House, who were seeking an injunction from the court to prevent the theater company from staging the planned performances of “Peter and the Starcatcher” at the property in the Sunset Hill neighborhood.
But on Wednesday White Heron stated it would be moving the production back inside its theater at 5 North Water Street after learning that Actors Equity Association (AEA), a union for actors and stage managers, had changed its work rules on June 30 to allow fully vaccinated actors to perform indoors with minimal restrictions.
White Heron President and Artistic director Lynn Bolton said that change allowed the creative team of “Peter and the Starcatcher” to alter their contracts for the performance.
“We are so excited to reopen our artistic home,” Bolton said. “From the beginning of our planning, we had hoped the widespread availability of effective vaccines might allow us to perform at the theatre this summer. Along the way, that looked unlikely, so we made other plans, but we never wavered in our efforts to work with Actors Equity to prepare for the possibility of the approval which we’ve now been given.”
Performances of “Peter and the Starcatcher,” a prequel to Peter Pan, open on July 20.
