Blog

Hello friends,

I hope you are well and enjoying the summer months.

Since our communication last spring, the Up with People Board of Directors and Staff have continued to keep a close watch on the developments surrounding COVID-19 and its impact on communities around the world. No doubt you have experienced similar challenges as we all are adapting to unexpected situations while planning for the future.

As we look forward to convening our next touring cast, there continues to be significant unknowns and challenges surrounding the pandemic which threaten our ability to provide a quality experience early in 2021. As a result, we will be delaying the start of our next touring program until the summer of 2021.

Several factors have led us to this decision. Some of these include the inconsistent success many regions have achieved in controlling the spread of the virus, varying comfort levels among potential host families at the prospect of welcoming cast members into their homes and limited community organizations and schools that are available to engage with our program during a visit. In addition, travel restrictions continue to impact future cast members and tour destinations, and physical distancing protocols challenge our performance venue options and the opportunity to welcome an entire community to these performances. Hopefully, these factors will significantly improve given a bit more time, allowing us to prepare the highest quality touring experience for both cast members and host communities by next summer.

We are eager to welcome our next cast of global leaders and start our next tour. However, our priority remains on the safety of all we serve and those we interact with, as well as the ability to provide a successful and effective experience. We will continue to monitor the progress of the global environment and will be in communication again before the end of this year.

Sincerely,

Ken Leist
Vice President for Cast Programs