'Theatre is a magical thing': The show goes on in Stratford after bomb threat

The show must go on.

A bomb threat that forced the unprecedented cancellation of the season opener of the Stratford Festival on Monday didn't deter crowds from returning the next day.

"I think it's important when faced with something like a threat not to give into that threat. We can't live our lives in worry or [fear]," said Gray Monczka, 23, a Toronto-based actor who attended The Music Man on Tuesday.

"Another show opener is the perfect response to that incident."

Performances proceeded on Tuesday after about 2,000 theatre-goers were forced out of the Festival Theatre ahead of the production of The Tempest Monday evening. The Avon Theatre was also evacuated Monday night.

Police had responded to a call about explosives being placed inside the building. Although they didn't find anything suspicious, they launched a criminal investigation.

And now festival organizers and the small community are trying to move forward from the incident that left many in shock.

Tight-knit community rallies

Some say the southwestern Ontario theatre festival is the Canadian epicentre for all things Shakespeare — drawing in avid theatre-goers and artists, including other actors, to come and watch.

That's why it's no surprise that artists — young and old — came to support the festival.

"We still want to go in and we want to enjoy. It's horrible that it happened and it shouldn't but it doesn't scare us off … We don't want people to be discouraged. We want peace," said Betty Clark, who is 80.

"We're like a family. We look out for each other," she said.

"We don't want the perpetrators of these things to win by discouraging people from coming," added her husband Geoffrey Clark, 86.

"Theatre is a magical thing in life that brings together people … It's important to support the arts and live theatre and the artists," said Josh Graetz, a 22-year-old actor who has friends performing at the theatre.

Canadians continue to show their support online through twitter posts and messages. The topic of the community's resilience was also raised by a regional MP on Parliament Hill.

Increased security measures

While many ticket holders are trying to move forward, festival organizers are taking extra precautions to ensure an incident like Monday's doesn't happen again.

The theatre hired additional security following the incident and deployed it Tuesday both inside and outside the theatre.

Members of the media were told to stay off the property on Tuesday and organizers declined interviews in the evening.