Yes, Backwoodsman, we are in Stratford, Ontario, seat of the Magic Kingdom of Perth County.

The theatre festival normally opens for previews in the second week of April, but not this year; so far, it looks as if the first performance will be on 2 May. Our tickets for Hamlet have therefore gone up in smoke.

Perth County is largely rural, with rich farmland and some ridiculously prosperous livestock operations, especially piggeries. There is also a fair bit of light industry, so we won’t suffer. But the theatre season and the related tourism-based businesses (especially restaurants) generate the revenue that makes Stratford a beautiful and interesting place to live. Without it, things will go south fast.