Ann Arbor’s Shakespeare in the Arb canceled for second year due to COVID concerns Meredith Bruckner, Community News Producer, All About Ann Arbor Published: Updated: Tags: “This was a very difficult decision,” wrote Matthaei-Nichols director Tony Kolenic in a newsletter on Friday. “Those special anniversary-celebration performances will have to wait until 2022. We just couldn’t risk having 200-plus audience members so close together at each performance for up to three hours at a time.” Ad Shakespeare in the Arb actors do not use a stage. Instead, they perform for audiences in various natural settings across the picturesque 120-acre arboretum. Think: theater-meets-walking-tour.