Wagga Wagga Civic Theatre launches Re-Ignite

Published: 23 Jul 2020 2:13pm

The Civic Theatre this week announced its plan for reopening, launching Re-Ignite, a program of live music, comedy, theatre and cabaret to round out 2020.

Tickets are now on sale for the Re-Ignite season, which kicks off with the Groove Factorie on Saturday 8 August.

Other performances will include award-winning Australian country music artist Fanny Lumsden, the Riverina Comedy Club, the Australian Army Band Kapooka, and the Riverina Conservatorium of Music. Peter Cox will also bring his new show ‘A Few Quiet Ales’ to the stage and a new cabaret festival has been scheduled for September.

Civic Theatre Manager Carissa Campbell said the live events and entertainment industry had been one of the hardest-hit as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“A lot of these people would tell you they haven’t had gigs in months, so we are really pleased that within the rules, we can reopen with limited numbers” Ms Campbell said.

“Re-Ignite is all about celebrating that the theatre is open for business and re-lighting our stage. It’s about supporting our local and national artists."

That sentiment has been echoed by the artists, who are thrilled to have the opportunity to perform again in front of a live audience.

“It’s great. This gig will be just our second for 2020. We were just saying to each other recently how we missed playing together,” The Groove Factorie’s Dale Allison said.

“This is a great initiative by the Civic Theatre, because the facility is big enough to spread the people out on stage and have a reasonable sized audience factoring in COVID-19 social distancing rules.”

The Riverina Comedy Club will hold a show in August headlined by Australian comedian, Tahir, who is well-known his role in ‘Fat Pizza’, ‘Swift’ and ‘Street Smart’.

“The Civic Theatre isa change for us venue-wise and we are hoping we’ll be able to grow our audience and people will come along and have a good laugh,” Wagga comedian Dane Simpson said.

The Theatre has introduced a comprehensive COVID Safe Plan, which includes capacity restrictions, physical distancing measures, the provision of hand sanitiser throughout the venue, high standards of cleanliness and hygiene protocols, and protective screens at the box office and bar.

“It just means every time you book, between you and the next group there’ll be a couple of chairs and there’ll be less mingling in the foyer, but otherwise you can grab a drink, have a seat and enjoy the show” Ms Campbell said.

You can find out more about the COVID Safe Plan on the Civic Theatre website civictheatre.com.au

Details of the Re-Ignite performances and show tickets are available on the website or by calling the box office on 02 6926 9688.