Day of Visibility for the Live Event Community
The Algonquin Commons Theatre lights up for the Day of Visibility for the Live Event Community.
Published: September 21, 2020This Tuesday, September 22, we are excited to participate in the Day of Visibility for the Live Event Community.
An hour after sundown, the outside of the Algonquin Commons Theatre will be lit up in red to raise awareness for an industry that remains dark.
The Algonquin Commons Theatre has been a vibrant and vital part of student life at Algonquin College since the fall of 2012. We’ve showcased some amazing talent for Algonquin College students and the Ottawa community. Over the last few years, we’ve had acts like Lights, Machine Gun Kelly, Letterkenny Live, and Kaitlyn Bristowe (to name a few!).
We’ve had the pleasure of hosting podcast recordings, and even a live taping of This Hour Has 22 Minutes!
Our passion for the student experience and to bringing exciting and engaging shows to the greater Algonquin College community remains at the forefront of all we do – even while we’ve been apart.
The event industry has been one of the hardest-hit during the COVID-19 pandemic. Workers in the event field were among the first to lose their jobs. They will likely be the last to return to full or part-time work – with no end in sight to physical and social distancing, maximum crowd numbers, and travel and border restrictions, not to mention patrons’ comfort level at live events.
Many believe it could be years before it’s safe to hold large gatherings, and some have said this pandemic was the end for the live events industry. The music industry contributes $1.2 billion to the Ontario economy, and it is estimated that there are 1,000 industry workers in Ottawa alone.
According to Statistics Canada, 152,000 jobs in arts, entertainment, and recreation disappeared between June 2019 and June 2020.
The Algonquin Commons Theatre can’t wait to safely open our doors again soon. Until then, we encourage you to share our social posts about the Day of Visibility for the Live Event Community and learn about the initiative here: LightUpLive.ca.