Volunteers excited about 2018 NACTV Showcase
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- Published on Monday, April 16, 2018
By Eoin Devereux
Neepawa Banner & Press
Local talent will be taking centre stage on Thursday, Apr. 19 at NACTV鈥檚 annual Showcase. The event is a combination of a talent show and telethon and serves as the community access television station鈥檚 major fundraiser of the year. In 2017, the event was able to raise a grand total of $8,310, which went directly towards the operating costs of the station. Showcase emcee and NACTV board member Don Walmsley said they鈥檙e hoping to build off those previous numbers with an even better 2018.
The format for the 2018 Showcase will see a major change to the presentation compared to what has occurred in prior years. For this year, the local performances will either be pre-recorded or staged at the Art & Soul Gallery, with room for a 20-seat audience. In the past, all the artists performed live at the Roxy Theatre. Walmsley said the changes were made to streamline all the complications that surround staging a live event of this size.
鈥淭he Roxy Theatre is a fine venue, but it was much more than we needed for an event like [the Showcase]. There are not large crowds of attendees on location that are watching the show from start to finish, so we didn鈥檛 require such a large amount of seating,鈥� Walmsley noted. 鈥淎s well, the distance between the stage at the Roxy and the production studio at NACTV could create other technical or communication issues that hampered the flow of the event and cause delays. By having everything in one building, the potential for issues is much less and we鈥檒l be able to deal with any of those types of hiccups much quicker.鈥�
Walmsley added that the change in the style of presentation has actually invigorated the volunteer base in a whole new way.
鈥淚n previous years, there has been a bit of anxiety going into the Showcase about what would go wrong and how it could be fixed. This year, it鈥檚 a different feel. There鈥檚 some anxiety, but it鈥檚 more like an excitement for just how the new format will work. Everyone who is involved is really looking forward to seeing how it鈥檚 all received. They feel as though this is going to be a real improvement to the presentation.鈥�
As of Tuesday, Apr. 10, the expectation was that there would be anywhere from 12 to 15 live performances in the Art & Soul Artisan鈥檚 Loft, with several other musicians had already pre-recorded their acts. Walmsley said there are a few new acts that are really looking forward to being involved. He hopes that viewers will respond to the Showcase positively and support it through their donations.
鈥淭his is a departure from what we have done in previous years, but we want to try something different. It鈥檚 adapting to the times and doing something that we hope the viewers will appreciate. The important thing to remember is this is a television-oriented showcase of local talent. And this local talent is taking time out to support the television station through their performances. We hope that you, as a viewer appreciate that and support them, and us, through donations.
Donations can be made by calling the NACTV office for more information at 204-476-2639. or by sponsoring a performer. Viewers can watch the show live on their televisions on WCG Channel 12, MTS Channel 30 and Bell Channel 592. A select number of seats are available in the Art & Soul Artisan鈥檚 Loft, so anyone interested in being there live is asked to arrive by 6:30 p.m.
