PPAC And The VETS to Light Up Red As Part Of The #RedAlertRESTART Campaign

J.L. "Lynn" Singleton, President and CEO of the Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC), has announced that PPAC and the Veterans Memorial Auditorium (The VETS) will be lit in red on September 1, 2020 from 9P to midnight as part of a national campaign, organized by #We Make Events North America.

PPAC and The VETS will join as many as 1,500 other buildings across North America who will also be lit in red. The lighting campaign is a major call to action, urging the U.S. Congress to pass the RESTART Act (S.3814); this Act will offer economic relief to the Live Events industry, which has been deeply impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The movement also supports ExtendPUA.org in their efforts towards extending the Pandemic Unemployment Act to provide relief for unemployed industry professionals.

The North American event follows #WeMakeEvents' Red Alert Day of Action on August 11, 2020 when over 700 buildings were lit in red across the UK, calling attention to the same plight facing the Live Events industry there.

Prior to the lighting, there will be a rally starting at 6P led by IATSE Local 23 from the portion of Richmond Street directly behind PPAC to march to the Dunkin' Donuts Center steps where a brief speaking event in support of #RedAlert RESTART will take place at approximately 7P; all are welcome and everyone is invited to wear IATSE shirts, caps or shirts from their favorite venue, concert, or other live event, and to bring posters and banners. For more details on the rally, please click here.

"The live theatrical and concert event industries have been among the hardest hit during the pandemic," said Singleton. "PPAC and The VETS are pleased to support the #RedAlertRESTART campaign in its effort to provide relief for theatrical and entertainment professionals."

"The VETS is proud to participate in this national effort to support the live events sector," said The VETS' General Manager Dan Schwartz. "Nationally, according to We Make Events, the live events industry employs over 12 million people, and many of those people have been impacted by the cancellation of live events." "When we light PPAC and The VETS in red on September 1, we will be spotlighting the industry

"When we light PPAC and The VETS in red on September 1, we will be spotlighting the industry professionals who make live theatre and concert events happen, from stagehands and stage managers, to entertainment technology professionals, like sound and lighting designers, and everyone in between," said Alan J. Chille, PPAC General Manager. "So many people in the events industry have been impacted by the closures of theatres, concert tours, festivals, and more, and this is our effort to show our support for all of them."

For more information on this event, please visit https://wemakeevents.org/?fbclid=IwAR3Jtu6iT7tE6o3s-XVzp0tjijtbHF9QPl3Dt-IctSdLhsyiyQ_Qpjk5M_4.

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