The 39th Annual Curtain Up! activities which traditionally launch the new theater season in WNY have been reimagined for this year. Because of COVID-19 and government regulations, in lieu of the Curtain Up! dinner, live performances, and after-party on Main Street in the Theatre District it's all online. The Theatre Alliance of Buffalo (TAB) and Theatre District Association of WNY (TDA) are collaborating to present virtual, socially distanced Curtain Up! 2020 activities. Musicalfare's Doug Weyand explains.
The Virtual Curtain Up! 2020 will be a one-hour (or a touch longer) online presentation on YouTube with the cooperation of 16+ WNY theatres, many of whom are members of TAB and/or the TDA. Interspersed with performances from some of WNY’s foremost theatre artists, each theatre company will take a few minutes to update our community about their plans for the upcoming season or to simply show you what’s new and exciting at their respective performance spaces. Anthony Chase will be the evening's emcee, streaming from his back porch!
A suggested minimum $10 donation (with the option to donate more!) will be the “admission” price with all proceeds to be divided among the participating theaters. Tickets must be purchased no later than 7:30pm on the night of the event, September 18th.
To attend, patrons should visit www.theatreallianceofbuffalo.com and click through to register. Again, the suggested donation is only $10 per household, but remember that this is a fundraiser for an industry that has been hit hard by the pandemic. Then, a few hours before the event on Friday, September 18th, a link will be sent to all registered patrons that they can simply click to watch the livestream event!
Live theatre is an integral part of the history and culture of Buffalo and Western New York, and especially in these unusual and trying times, the support and the patronage of the public is essential for its continued success and growth.
Below is a list of participating WNY Theatres:
Alleyway Theatre
Brazen Faced Varlets
Buffalo United Artists
Irish Classical Theatre Company
Jewish Repertory Theatre
Kavinoky Theatre
Lancaster Opera House
MusicalFare Theatre
New Phoenix Theatre on the Park
O'Connell & Company
Paul Robeson Theatre at the African American Cultural Center
Road Less Traveled Productions
Second Generation Theatre Co.
Shea's Performing Arts Center (Shea's 710, Shea's Buffalo and Shea's Smith)
Theatre of Youth
Torn Space Theater
And again, the website for registration/purchase is www.theatreallianceofbuffalo.com
