Here’s why you’ll be seeing red at Merced Playhouse, Multicultural Art Center
Merced Playhouse and the Merced Multicultural Art Center will join a nationwide event Tuesday seeking to help bring awareness that the art community is struggling due to COVID-19.
On Tuesday, Sept. 1, Merced Playhouse and the MAC will be lit red from 9 p.m. until midnight with a goal to to show the public that they are on red alert for survival.
According to Merced Playhouse interim general manager Anthony Braxton, Merced Playhouse was forced to shut its doors since March 13 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“Everything came to a screeching halt,” Braxton said. “We closed the doors, walked out and left everything barren. At the time we thought it was a temporary thing.”
Braxton said he feels the art community was one of the first to shut down because of the pandemic and will be one of the last permitted to reopen.
“If you look at live events, we understand and accept that it will be 2021 before we reopen,” he said. “We’ll be at the tail end. For one, we bring people into closed spaces. Secondly, people are going to be most cautious before returning.”
Braxton said Merced Playhouse was able to receive federal grant money through Paycheck Protection Program loans; however, he expects that money to run out in November.
“We’re still going to have to pay rent and we have three full-time employees,” Braxton said.
Braxton said he hopes the Red Alert event brings attention to all the organizations that provide live arts in Merced including the Merced Theater, MAC, Phoenix Creative Collective and the Merced Symphony. He added places that put on shows like Merced College, UC Merced, public shows, nightclubs and bars.
