Today has become known as Giving Tuesday, a day to give-back following the shopping blitz of Black Friday-Cyber Monday. There are many worthy organizations in need of assistance, this year perhaps think about supporting your favourite local live theatre.
Throughout the pandemic restrictions have closed or severely limited the capacity for our live theatres to host audiences and performances. While many have been able to adapt to online/streaming shows, or allowing minimal in-person audiences these have not been close to making up for the revenues lost. Supporting them is vital if we want to ensure the future of live theatre in the city. Your support could be a tax-deductible donation, or gift certificates for upcoming shows or season tickets. Every option brings the needed injection of funds to ensure they are able to put on shows in the future.
The following are just a few of the local theatre companies bringing live performances to audiences:
Gateway Theatre: Creating a hub for the performing arts throughout Richmond and neighbouring regions, Gateway Theatre welcomes support of your time or money to ensure its able to continue to produce professional live theatre, provide theatre education programs, and maintain venue rentals for the community.
Presentation House Theatre: PHT has a deep-rooted commitment to building its North Shore community through live performing arts, offering both programs at the theatre as well as off-site education, First Nations and other diverse Multicultural programs.
The Cultch: From multiple stages in East Vancouver, The Cultch creates programming that amplifies voices that wouldn’t otherwise be heard, and shares these unique stories that connect us all.
Firehall Arts Centre: Firehall Arts Centre and the Firehall Theatre Society are deeply ingrained in the Downtown East Side community it serves. Each year they donate tickets to social service organizations throughout Vancouver as well as provide subsidized performance and rehearsal space to both community and professional arts groups.
The Arts Club Theatre Company: Now in the midst of its Holiday Campaign, the Arts Club presents professional live theatre on three Vancouver stages, champions new productions, as well as supporting education, playwriting, workshop programs.
Vancouver Opera: For nearly 60 years, the largest professional opera company in Western Canada has been regarded worldwide for its artistic excellence on stage, leading education programs and innovative community collaborations.
I was so happy to see this post. Thanks. I really get behind the “Giving Tuesday” to remind me that giving time (volunteering) or buying tickets is not enough. There is a cost to culture, and especially this year as cultural organization struggle to keep open, keep programming, and keep trying to act on their mission to engage with the community. Again, thanks for posting this. 🙂