HAT Announces Performers for Telethon July 19th [VIDEO]

In the face of many postponed or cancelled live performances over the past four months, local theatre venue, the Highland Arts Theatre (HAT) is making lemonade from COVID shaped lemons by celebrating their 6-year anniversary with a live-streamed Telethon Spectacular.

 

The online event will begin at 5:00pm on Sunday, July 19th and run on digital platforms until 9:00pm. NovaStream will handle the live-feed, which will be a combination of pre-recoded videos and live performers taking the stage at the Sydney downtown venue.

 

“We could technically have a small live audience now,” said HAT Artistic & Executive Director, Wesley J. Colford, in regards to the lifting of restrictions in Nova Scotia, “but that wouldn’t have the same effect. We want everyone to be able to celebrate with us and having 30 or 50 people in the audience with a lot of empty seats wouldn’t let us share in the incredible group of performers we’ve assembled.”

 

The HAT has confirmed what Colford describes as “a four-hour line-up of extraordinary Cape Breton talent.”

 

Headliners include such musical acts as The Barra MacNeils, The Ashbys, Jordan Musyscyn, Joella Foulds, and Emma Stevens who became a YouTube sensation when her Mi’kmaq language interpretation of the song “Blackbird” went viral.

 

Cape Breton comedy royalty Bette MacDonald, Maynard Morrison, and Ed MacDonald – of Cape Breton Summertime Revue fame – will all make an appearance, as well as more recent comedy duo Tracey and Martina.

 

A segment of the telethon will pay homage to the 100th Anniversary of the Sydney Rotary Club, which was scheduled for a major celebration in June before all events were post-poned for health restrictions.

 

A host of favorite HAT performers will pay tribute to the HAT’s 6 years of shows, as well as the legacy of the Rotary Show, including: Heather Kerr, Katherine Woodford, Mackenzie Sechi, Ciarán MacGillivray, Michelle Stephens, Matt Earhart, Holley Gillis, Cynthia Vokey, and many more.

 

Viewers will also get a sneak preview of the two live performances scheduled to re-open the HAT this coming August: the internationally-award-winning one-person-show “House”, written and starring Daniel MacIvor, as well as a two-person Broadway musical called “John and Jen”, which features Emily O’Leary and Kevin Munroe – two local rising stars.

 

Colford promises some more surprises to come. “We couldn’t be more excited. Virtually everyone said yes! It’s going to be four hours to make up for four months of missed shows. And all of it is free!”

 

The telethon is being presented to draw attention to the HAT’s #RadicalAccess fundraising campaign, which hopes to save the venue from the imminent threat of closure by soliciting monthly tax-deductible donations from the community and beyond.

If they meet their fundraising goals, the theatre pledges to become “the first Professional Community-Funded Theatre in Canada”, offering free access to all of its Mainstage programming of plays and musicals to the entire community.
 

For full information on #RadicalAccess fundraising goals, as well as information on how to make your donation pledge, visit the HAT website at: www.highlandartstheatre.com

 

The 6th Anniversary HAT-a-versary: A Telethon Spectacular will be live-streamed from the Cape Breton venue via their Facebook page from 5:00pm to 9:00 AST on July 19th.

 

Access to the telethon will – of course – be free of charge.

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