The International Society for the Performing Arts (ISPA) has made the difficult decision to cancel the mid-year congress that was due to be held in Taiwan 1-5 June this year. The full statement is reproduced below.
“We hope you are well. As you know, we have been monitoring the situation with respect to the coronavirus [CoVid-19]. Our hosts have also been keeping a close eye on the situation in Taiwan and throughout the region. The Executive Committee met recently to review the options and the risk connected to international travel.
With the information we have available at this time, it is with great regret that the Executive, in consultation with the C.F. Koo Foundation, has decided to cancel the congress in Taipei which was scheduled for June 1-5, 2020.
We are taking this opportunity to explore the possibility of connecting with you through new digital platforms. We will be continuing with Pitch New Works and are excited to develop our first “online” version of the popular program. We are also exploring the possibility of staging one or more panels in this new format.
You won’t have to wait until January to connect with your ISPA colleagues: ISPA is collaborating with the Downtown Contemporary Arts Festival (Cairo) to host ISPA Series at D-Caf on April 3rd and 4th and in August, we’ll be back in Edinburgh with the popular ISPA Series at the Fringe.
We want to take this opportunity to thank Vivien Ku and her team for all the time and effort already invested in the preparation for the congress. We hope to announce another congress in Taipei or the region in the future.
Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions.
Sincerely,
David Baile (Chief Executive Officer) and Tisa Ho (Chair, Board of Directors)