The Grand Theater will be one of 1,500 venues across the country lit up in red on Tuesday evening, with the goal of raising public awareness that the Live Events Industry is on Red Alert for its very survival.
The Grand stands in solidarity with #WeMakeEvents and #RedAlertRESTART as they represent a major call to action, imploring the US Congress to pass the RESTART Act (S.3814) as quickly as possible, offering economic relief to the Live Events Industry, which has been shuttered since March, 2020, putting millions of people out of work.
On September 1, 2020, thousands of buildings, structures, and residences will be lit in red from 9:00 PM to 12:00 AM as the event rolls across North America. The Grand’s marquee and front façade will be lit up in red during this time, with additional support provided by Soundworks Systems Inc. in Stevens Point.
“The Live Event industry across North America is in crisis, with almost six months of cancelled events having an unprecedented impact on venues, workers and artists alike,” said Sean Wright, Executive Director of The Grand. “We are proud to join our colleagues across the country in lighting The Grand red to call attention to the need for federal help for our industry. We want our entire industry to come back strong when it is safe to do so—from the smallest clubs to the biggest arenas–but we need governmental help to make it possible.”
As theatres, concert tours, festivals, opera houses, trade shows, and other live events as well as film and television production remain closed, or open on a very limited basis, the entire industry is impacted, from designers, technicians, programmers, and stagehands to rental shops, manufacturers, and distributors of entertainment technology. The first industry to close last March, Live Events could be the last sector to re-open due to the COVID-19 crisis.
According to #BeAnArtsHero, a grassroots coalition of arts and cultural workers, The Arts & Culture sector employs 5.1 million people and provides $877 billion value added to the U.S. economy. It adds more value to the economy than transportation, agriculture, or tourism. The Arts & Culture sector is a cornerstone of the larger U.S. economy, making up 4.5% of GDP. Despite their out-sized cultural and economic contribution, the Arts & Culture sector of the U.S. economy is in grave danger.
Due to Covid-19, 62% of Arts workers report that they are fully unemployed. 94% of Arts workers report income loss; to date, the average Arts worker reports $23,500 in lost revenue this year. Due to Covid, 66% of Arts workers report they are unable to access the spaces, staff, resources, or supplies needed to perform their work.
#RedAlertRESTART will only jump-start relief for the live events industry with mass participation. The Grand asks for fans of live events to participate by:
- Contacting their representatives using the form at wemakeevents.org
- Posting a red-tinted photo of their favorite live event to your social media with the following caption:#RedAlertRESTART: the live events we love may never recover from the pandemic, we need to take action! Take 2 minutes to contact your representatives here, and post a red photo of you at your favorite event, too: https://wemakeevents.org #WeMakeEvents #ExtendPUA
- Checking out the hashtag #RedAlertRESTART and sharing images of venues and live events workers they love and support.
For more information on #RedAlertRESTART, visit www.wemakeevents.org.
