Oregon Shakespeare Festival says it will lay off 80 percent of its staff due to COVID-19

The Shakespeare Festival said on Friday that it will push back its season until September 8 due to COVID-19 and make drastic cuts to its staff and performances.

All the worlds a stage.

And at the center of the world stage: an unprecedend global crisis.

The latest character to exit stage left, the summer oregon shakespeare festival shows.

Actors, directors, stage hands and local business owners are all feeling the effects.

(topic key) the o-s-f employs 500 people and in its summer season, is the lifeblood of businesses around ashland.

A 2015 study by "americans for the arts" found that visitors spent an average of 143-dollars per person.

And that's just in the rouge valley and just in a single day.

In 2017- the festival says it had a state economic impact more than 128-million dollars.

A straight wash of the peak summer months was not something some business owners had even considered.

Kathy curtis says, "in my preparation i'm thinking, 'can i make it until june?'

So now we have to consider, 'can we make it to september?'" that will be the challenge for most ashland businesses: keeping the lights on until labor day.

O-s-f actors are facing a similar one, most without jobs until the fall.

Dan lin says, "it's tough.

As an actor, all of us are out of work right now."

But for lin, at least, there is still hope.

Lin says, "i mourn the months that we were going to perform for, but the whole country is going to be sheltering for that time... i'm very fortunate as a performer to be able to say i have a job lined up here.

It's going to come back in the fall."

We often turn to art in times like these for an escape.

And it's important to remember art is not turning its back on us.

Osf will be back and the talented crew along with it, all of them ready to turn the page.

In ashland, josh shelton, newswatch 12.

Performances.

As of march 24th- the reported financial loss to-date is more than 8-point-6 million dollars.

The cultural trust board of directors held an emergency meeting saturday.

It unanimously voted to use up 10-million dollars of its 29-million dollar permanent fund.

The money will help create an emergency relief funding program.

The program requires approval from the state lawmakers.

The state legislatures is expected to take the issue up in a