Wildfire Smoke Cancels First Two Nights Of Shakespeare In The Park

CENTRAL PARK, NY — The wildfire smoke from Canada continues to add to its list of cancelations as the Public Theater has called off the first two performances of the season for Shakespeare in the Park on Thursday and Friday.

The decision to cancel was made due to the ongoing issues of air quality and the effect is is having on the final steps of production for the outdoor production of "Hamlet," at The Delacorte Theater.

"Although we rarely make a cancellation call of Free Shakespeare in the Park early, to ensure the safety of our company, crew, onsite staff, and audience members, a decision was made to cancel before the show starts," Jana Zschoche, a spokesperson for the Public Theater told Patch.

The Public Theater added that it hopes to have its first performance of the season this weekend, but will continue to monitor the ongoing situation.

It will use its website and social media channels to deliver updates.

The city's air quality Thursday morning remained the worst in the world, according to IQAir. Its air quality index stood at 182 in the "unhealthy" range, far above the 50 level considered the top of "good," the monitoring service reported.