White Rock’s Playhouse and Surrey’s Bell Centre for the Performing Arts will be joining venues and landmarks across Canada later today (Sept. 22) in lighting up exteriors red in a gesture of support for live-event workers who’ve lost their livelihoods due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Light Up Live, a ‘day of visibility’ created by the support organization Live Event Community, will be marked by a red glow of lighting outside each venue at one hour after sunset across the country (7:08 p.m. in Surrey).
The aim is to raise awareness for an industry that is still dark during the ongoing health crisis, and is almost certain to be one of the last to recover when it’s over.
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Among hundreds of buildings and landmarks participating in Light Up Live will be Vancouver’s Rogers Arena, Science World, the Arts Club Theatre at Granville Island, the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, New Westminster’s Anvil Centre Theatre, the Abbotsford Arts Centre and the Clarke Theatre in Mission.
Other major venues across Canada will include Victoria’s Royal Theatre, the Calgary Tower, the SaskTel Centre, Massey Hall, Niagara Falls, the CN Tower and the Stratford Festival Theatre, the Confederation Centre of the Arts in Charlottetown, P.E.I., and the Grand Theatre de Quebec.
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In a press release, Live Event Community co-founder Morgan Myler said the organization is part of a national “grassroots movement” on behalf of the workers that has “seemed to catch fire.”
“Our goal is to ensure the government acknowledges that our industry has been uniquely impacted by the effects of COVID-19, and that it will continue to offer financial support for live event workers and companies throughout the supply chain until large gatherings are once again deemed safe and the industry comes back to life.”
Throughout the event, images and video will be shared across social media platforms using the hashtags #LightUpLive and #EclaironsLesScenes.
For an interactive map featuring participating venues, visit lightuplive.ca
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