Many people are struggling financially right now because of the coronavirus, and local artists are no exception. A musical theatre production company in South Bend found a creative way to raise money for artists struggling during this crisis.
Aaron and Mark Albin run a musical theatre production company called Art 4 based in town. They saw the art and artists take a blow since the coronavirus pandemic began. Several artists have lost performance outlets and therefore have lost jobs. So they decided to start something called “Showtunes Sunday.”
Aaron and Mark choose one local artist nominated by the public each week and help them create a short musical theatre video. Then the public is asked to donate online. Half the funds go to the artist and the other half to keep Art 4 going.
Aaron, the Executive Director of Art 4, says Showtunes Sunday is a great way to entertain the community virtually while helping artists in Michiana.
“We wanted to come up with ways that we could engage the community during covid-19 and have an impact since we saw everyone going online and virtual," he says. "And hopefully the art that we’re sharing will uplift you and inspire you and add an element of humanity that maybe we’re missing right now.”
Mark is the Artistic Director of Art 4. He says there aren’t a lot of paying jobs for artists in Michiana, especially now, and this is a way to help.
“Artists are often overlooked essential workers on the front lines of other industries," he says. "The arts is something that fuels our economy. When somebody goes out for an evening of theatre, there are often other costs involved that aren’t related to seeing the show. Going out to get dinner, paying for parking, paying your babysitter, all of those things help fuel other industries and are going to be essential when we’re on the other side of this.”
Art 4 plans to continue Showtunes Sunday even after traditional art venues are re-opened to help artist get back on their feet.
You can nominate artists, including yourself and donate at art4sb.org/ShowTunesSunday
Contact Annacaroline at acaruso@wvpe.org or follow her on Twitter at @AnnacarolineC16
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