As the CEPA family continues to follow the State’s shelter in place guidelines, we’ve also been thinking about how to best prepare for your return to the theater. Ultimately, our goal is for all patrons to feel safe and fully enjoy the experience at the Center for Education and Performing Arts in Pell City. With that in mind we’ve chosen to extend our suspension of performances and come back in full force this summer.

Here’s the Updated Plan

Spotlight Summer Drama Camp: Now July 20-31

Originally scheduled for June 8-19, we felt it was more important to give the parents of our campers a little peace of mind. Tickets are available now at cepa.vbotickets.com/events.

Three on a String: Now August 15

The performance by Three on a String, originally scheduled for May 9, 2020, has been postponed until August 15. Look for tickets to go on sale toward the end of May.

Once Upon a Mattress: No Longer Canceled!

Keeping our loved ones safe is extremely important, but it has meant that some seniors aren’t getting to perform their final shows as part of the Pell City High School Drama Program. We are working on a solution, and have set aside July 17-18 in case we can come up with something. Drama Instructor Ginger McCurry said the performance might be a scaled-back version of the full production, but giving the students an opportunity to perform was both hers and our top priority.

12 Angry Men: Rescheduled

Many members of the cast for our April show have agreed to return to rehearsals this summer to keep this show on the schedule. 12 Angry Men will now be the Spotlight Core Club’s fall production, arriving on stage Sept. 11-13.

Black Jacket Symphony: Postponed

No new date has been set for The Black Jacket Symphony’s performance of Led Zeppelin IV, which was scheduled for May 15-16 at CEPA – but the show will be played at CEPA this year. We are working with the band to explore new dates in the summer for this concert. It will not be canceled, and all tickets purchased will be honored for the new date. No refunds will be offered on purchased tickets. Please contact us directly if you have any questions.

Jason Rogoff, Producer of the Black Jacket Symphony, sent a personal message to all the fans in our region who were so looking forward to this performance.

“I hope this finds you staying healthy, enjoying family, and catching up on some of your classic rock favorites. 

The good news is…THE SHOW WILL GO ON!  We are currently in the midst of rescheduling all of our performances through the middle of May, including our performances of Led Zeppelin IV that were scheduled for May 15th and 16th at the Pell City CEPA. 

We are bummed that we won’t be getting together on those dates, but are happy that we’ve been able to generate multiple contingency plans depending upon how long this lasts. We are going to continue to monitor the situation and communicate the new date to you when we are confident the timing is firm. We feel this is the most responsible course of action rather than running the risk of announcing a new date and having to postpone again.

What does this mean? It means your tickets will be valid for the rescheduled date. We are a small business full of working musicians and hope that in this time of chaos, you will be patient with us and excited to see the shows when they are performed. 

It also means that the shows are going to kick even more ass than they already would have, because all we have right now is time at home and in the office to perfect our musicianship and our production.

What do we need from you? We need your patience, we need you to stay healthy, and we need you to come celebrate one of the greatest classic rock albums ever made. Thank you for your continued support, and we can’t wait to rock with you soon!”

Rental Events: Most Postponed

CEPA is also a rental facility that hosts dozens of pageants, recitals and other events throughout the year. Many of these have been postponed as well by the renters. If you were expecting to attend or participate in an event at CEPA in May or June, please check with the event organizer to confirm any date changes.

Spotlight is a county-wide, all-ages drama education program. Its mission is to foster drama education and encourage community participation in theater in St. Clair County. CEPA and Spotlight is supported by Hargray Communications, The Alabama State Council on the Arts, and Trussell Funderurg Rea Bell and Ferguson.