Newton Theatre cancels shows until April 3

In effort to help slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus, the Newton Theatre is cancelling performances until at least April 3, the organization announced Friday.

The theater said in a press release that it was making the move because Gov. Phil Murphy suggested cancelling gatherings of more than 250 people to slow the spread of the virus.

“While this is not a mandatory requirement, The Newton Theatre believes it is in our patrons’ and communities’ best interest to suspend current performances,” the organization said in the release..

The affected events are:

Jim Messina: March 13

Kashmir: March 14

Stephen Marley: March 19

The Airplane Family: March 20

Al Di Meola: March 21

Honk! Jr, The Ugly Duckling Musical: March 26

Into The Mystic: March 28

Rodriguez: April 2

George Winston: April 3

“Due to the large volume of events that are being rescheduled, The Newton Theatre requests that ticket holders wait to be contacted by The Newton Theatre regarding their ticket purchase,” the organization said in the press release. “Ticket holders will be contacted as soon as we have updated information for the affected shows. This process will take some time and we ask that patrons be patient while our staff works through the large volume of emails and phone calls.”

The theater said original tickets will be honored when the shows are rescheduled.

Ticket-holders have three options:

• Receive a credit to purchase tickets to a future performance.

• Donate the value of your credit as a tax-deductible contribution.

• Request a full refund to your original method of payment (only if a show is canceled and not rescheduled).

“We sincerely regret having to reschedule some of our concerts, but the health and welfare of our Patrons, Staff, and Community is our primary concern," President and CEO Jonathan Peirce said in the release. “We have been in constant contact with our local and state government officials and believe that suspending operations is the responsible action in slowing down any spread of COVID-19 virus. I would like to thank everyone for their understanding and support.”

Tickets for events after April 6 are still on sale, but shows could change depending on the evolving situation, the organization stated.