Why The Center for Arts in Natick Was Red This Week

NATICK, MA — The Center for Arts in Natick was lit up in red on Tuesday night, but it wasn't for the screening of a horror movie.

The venue participated in the nationwide RedALERT demonstration, which aims to bring attention to the plight of performing arts spaces during the coronavirus pandemic. The demonstration was also to urge Congress to act on a relief bill for the industry.

"The initiative, started by We Make Events, calls for major action by imploring Congress to pass the RESTART Act (S.3814) as quickly as possible," TCAN marketing coordinator Kerry Anne Fraser said in a news release. "The RESTART Act is a bill that is currently moving through congress, but has stalled. It offers economic relief to the live events industry, which has been shuttered since March 2020 and put millions of people out of work."

The local lighting company High Output donated the red lights to the Natick demonstration, plus hundreds of others around the state on Tuesday.

TCAN has mostly been shuttered since March, but did begin offering some movie screenings beginning in July at a reduced capacity — a maximum of 25 people in the theater. All other events, like live music and theater, are on hold until part two of phase three of the state's reopening plan. Massachusetts is currently in step one of phase three following a slight increase in cases in early August.