Light It Up For The Live Entertainment Industry

Tonight, an hour after sundown, technicians, suppliers and venues across Canada will be light the night red – raising awareness for an industry that is still dark as a direct result of COVID-19.

Visit —   Light Up Live for more information on how to support YOUR Live Event communities.

Sarnia’s Imperial Theatre will light up in red tonight.  Donations can be made online here to show your support.

“We should be raising the curtain on our season opener this week, but we still can’t open… most theatres can’t.

On September 22nd, 2020, 1 hour after sunset, venues who are still affected by the pandemic will be participating in the ‘Light Up Live’ Day Of Visibility to raise awareness of this ongoing situation.

We are now over 6 months since our first cancelled event. Six months of working in a void. We have been developing plans that have to change constantly because of new information or new rules. We remain optimistic but it is becoming abundantly clear that our industry has been hit incredibly hard and we don’t know how long this will last…

We have refunded $87,466.00 since March, with an additional $251,000 in deferred revenue for shows that we have had to postpone – shows that we will potentially never see turned into revenue. Thats over $338,000 in potential lost revenue.

We want to return. We want to entertain you, to have our walls filled with creativity and laughter and cheering and celebration again. Theatres are not meant to be empty. The closures affect not only Theatre Sarnia and the Imperial Theatre but the groups who rent our venue as well: Hidden Talents, The Nightingale Chorus and GLEE, Great Lakes Dance Academy, the International Symphony Orchestra, Sarnia School of Irish Dance, Rebound’s Act 2 program, Steppin’ Up Dance Co, Sarnia Ballet School, The Sarnia Concert Association, local high-schools, Sarnia Lambton Chamber, SWIFF (the Southwestern International Film Festival), The Annual Rock & Roll Christmas Concert, The 3 Theatre Sarnia Youth Groups, Bluewater Big Band, Classic Albums Live, Sarnia Sings, the annual Sarnia Outstanding Business Achievements Awards Ceremony, and many more. The current 50-person limit for gatherings makes it financially infeasible for any of those groups to resume programming.

If you have already donated we can’t thank you enough or begin to describe the positive impact you have made to our organization! We want to ensure that we are here on the other side of this so we are asking you to consider donating once again! Any amount would be greatly appreciated. All donations are eligible for a full tax receipt and will allow us to continue to weather the storm.

For more information contact Executive Director Brian Austin Jr. mailto:Baustin@imperialtheatre.net
Carrie Beauchamp – Hidden Talents

Great Lakes Dance Academy

International Symphony Orchestra

Sarnia School of Irish Dance

Sarnia Lambton Rebound

Steppin’ Up Dance Company

Sarnia Ballet School

Sarnia Concert Association

Sarnia Lambton Chamber of Commerce

South Western International Film Festival

Sarnia Sings

Categorised in: Afternoons

This post was written by Carrie Buchanan