The Laramie Project Reopens at Ford's Theatre Amid Government Shutdown
Paul R. Tetreault, director of Ford's Theatre Society, announced that the Ford's Theatre National Historic Site, which has been closed since October 1 due to the government shutdown, will reopen for daytime visits at 9am on Wednesday, October 16. Trustee Ronald O. Perelman has agreed to provide $25,000 in emergency funding following conversations with the National Park Service over Columbus Day weekend. The emergency funding will allow the site to reopen for the next eight days, after which the Society has agreed to find funding to pay for park operations normally funded by NPS in four-day increments.
"For the last 15 days, both NPS and the Society have been exploring ways to reopen this important historic site to the public," said Tetreault. "Thanks to the generosity of Ronald O. Perelman, we have found a way to pay NPS's expenses for the next eight days."
The theater will also resume performance of The Laramie Project, which, in the meantime, has been relocated to First Congregational United Church of Christ. "We look forward to welcoming our patrons back to The Laramie Project as well as our daytime programming," Tetreault commented. "While we are pleased that we have found a short-term solution, we sincerely hope that the shutdown ends soon, as private dollars cannot replace the government's role at Ford's Theatre National Historic Site in the long term."
Performances of The Laramie Project are scheduled to run through October 27.
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