For Gord McCall, the Artistic Director with the Lyric Theatre, the pandemic has been a challenge, but also an opportunity.

With most of its programming moving online, with things like the Lyric Digital Stage, Write out Loud and most recently, the Brave New World series which sees the works of William Shakespeare performed remotely, McCall has had a busy year despite the lack of live events.

But the lack of live theatre, and especially the unfortunate cancellation of last year's Great Southwest Shakespeare festival, hasn't dulled his enthusiasm for bringing the Bard to the southwest.

While there has been no official confirmation from Sask Health, McCall is confident and hopeful that by the time the July start date rolls around, this year's event won't suffer the same fate.

"I don't know in terms of percentage. The city is a big partner in this and they, along with myself are preparing the site and getting ready to go. I'm getting ready to go on this end with all of the production elements. And then we are, out of necessity, waiting to get a final go-ahead from Sask Health. It really depends on when they make that call that we can go to 150."

Referring to 150 people in a space, McCall added that although the tent will certainly hold that many, due to COVID he'll likely not seat that many regardless.

This year's festival will have a bit of an experimental twist, again due to the lingering effects of COVID-19. Not only will it see a smaller crowd in the tent, but the plays (Twelfth Night and Macbeth) will be performed in masks; an opportunity that McCall says harkens back to the original tradition of theatre.

"COVID has actually given us an unexpected opportunity to use something that is actually very traditional in the theatre. Masks have their beginning in tribal rituals and theatre rituals going all the way back to the Greeks in the 4th Century."

Macbeth will also see a change, but this one purely atmospheric. McCall is running "The Scottish Play" in a limited run (6 shows) at a midnight showing which he hopes will increase the "spooky factor" of the notoriously cursed play.

Despite the success of the digital format programming during the pandemic, which McCall said will not be going away now that restrictions are being lifted, the Artistic Director opined that it really is no replacement for the immediacy of live theatre and that he's happy to get back to it.

"In my mind, that live experience is still the premiere experience. Because of that communion in the building or in the tent that night. There's nothing that can substitute for that. When we're at a show that night. We're the only people who ever get to see THAT specific show. It's transient in a way, which makes it special. So we're excited to continue both and see where it leads us."