OKEECHOBEE — Okeechobee Community Theatre (OCT) has announced that they are officially postponing their 42nd season due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The theatre’s executive team met last month to discuss the future of the season and made the determination that it would be best to postpone in order to safeguard participants and patrons.

“It was an extremely emotional but easy decision to make,” stated Kara DePasquale, OCT’s business manager. “The safety and well-being of our audience and cast members is, and always will be, our top priority. Given the current requirements of social distancing: we just couldn’t ask our performers to risk their health with close stage interactions, much less ask our audience members to possibly risk themselves. My colleagues and I are beyond saddened to keep our doors closed for this season as we will deeply miss our amazing OCT family and friends, but we are moving forward under the principle of: ‘It’s better to be safe than sorry.’ We sincerely appreciate the community’s ongoing support and hope to see them once we bounce back next year.”

Auditions for the season’s first performance were set to be held on Aug. 16 and 17. The theatre’s website and social media pages were updated on Wednesday to reflect the postponement notice.