The opening night at the Stratford Festival Theatre was derailed by a bomb threat Monday night.
Theatre Publicity Director Ann Swerdfager says Stratford police swept the entire facility through the night and were still there Tuesday afternoon, and there will be beefed up security measures for the next little while.
"We're going to have increased security for today's shows, as people come and want to enjoy the matinee's and the opening of The Music Man tonight," she says. "We will be checking bags and making sure that everyone is going to be as safe as possible."
Swerdfager says there's no set time on how long the increased security measures will be needed, but she's hopeful after police complete their investigation things can get back to normal. Swerdfager notes the theatre has never experienced anything like this, and they're hoping to move past it quickly and get back to their regular routine.
"We hope to have something to mark the wonderful opening of The Tempest, but performances will continue, and in terms of individuals who were at the show last night, they were all contacted this morning and were offered new dates that they can come and see the show," she says.
Stratford police remained at the theatre all night and completed a thorough sweep of the facility, and remain on-scene as the investigation continues.
