For the past five weeks, &Scene has delighted audiences with Together Again, re-uniting cast and creative team members of past productions to share stories, laughs and songs.
The 25th anniversary of the 1995 cast of West Side Story was scheduled for this coming Saturday, May 30, but it was a collective &Scene team decision to roll that out by a week, and rather put the team’s support behind hosting Waiting in the Wings: The Live Concert.
Also read: Bedfordview’s Harry is back! Seriously!? (Audio and Video)
On Saturday, at 8pm, from the comfort of their own homes, viewers can tune in online to watch Waiting in the Wings: The Live Concert, produced and directed by Owen Lonzar and hosted by Megan Carelse and Helen Desbois.
The aim of the evening is to raise funds in order to assist with supporting freelance events performers who have not been able to access money through other platforms.
Viewers will be treated to an evening of great entertainment with the line-up including Harry Sideropolous, Boki Ntsime Tiaan Rautenbach. Emmanuel Castis, Lyla Faye, Lucie Strike-Nakar, Sharon Spiegel-Wagner, Bruce Dennill, Leote Taylor, Donovan Yaards, Keeno Lee, Thiart Li, Pulane Rampoana, George Sax, Eloise Clasen and SiAnne.
Also read: Modderfontein’s Tshepo shares his journey from the soccer field to the kitchen
The concert will be hosted on the &Scene online streaming platform, so viewers can tune in via their Facebook Live or YouTube Channels.
For direct links, head to their website at www.andsence.live.
Waiting in the Wings: The Live Concert is free to stream.
Those who are in a position to do so should consider making a donation via www.andscene.live/donate.
The donations will go towards the #WaitingInTheWingsSA initiative, directly via the official BackaBuddy page and administered by One Small Act of Kindness.
The campaign can be accessed at https://www.backabuddy.co.za/freelance-performers.
This once-off concert forms part of a heart-warming initiative established recently by choreographer, director and producer Owen Lonzar, during lockdown, when he saw first-hand, his fellow colleagues battling to make ends meet due to the entertainment industry having been decimated by the global pandemic.
“I have been in the entertainment industry since I was 14 and we all know the struggle is very real for the arts in South Africa and always has been.
“It makes us creatives more determined and gives us a resilience that we use to further our cause, because in truth the arts are a cause.
“The Covid-19 pandemic and the lockdown has brought suffering to all South Africans and I have empathy for all of us, but we must each pick a cause to support or we will lose the battle,” he said.
Lonzar said that fund-raising takes commitment, but ultimately it is the kindness and support of strangers and friends who carry it along.
“We have raised over R35 000 to date, but the need is so great and the list grows every hour,” he said.
The funds are administered by a registered charity One Small Act of Kindness run by Samantha Parrish.
The money raised on BackaBuddy goes directly to their account and they disseminate the vouchers from a list generated by Owen.
