Adam Prudhomme
Editor
Live from Newburgh, it’s Saturday night.
Following two years of being relegated to pre-recorded holiday hijinks, the above phrase would make for the perfect opening to this year’s Community Christmas Concert on Dec. 3-emphasis on the live. The beloved charity variety show will be back on the Newburgh Public School stage in front of an audience with shows at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.
This year however it’ll be the best of both worlds, as a recording of the show will be uploaded online on Dec. 4 to www.WoodCreaticeGroup.com/ccc-2022.
“As everyone knows, the arts are better experienced live,” said Mae Whalen, who returns to direct the concert, which features a mix of songs and comedy skits. “However we did learn, as many did, lessons in the last two years. Certainly the online application was a resounding success for us. We will from here on in, I can’t see us ever going back at this point, be offering that kind of a hybrid model. This year we will have our shows, we’ll have the shows at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. as we have for 43 years at the Newburgh Public School.”
A screen shot of the 2021 cast of the Community Christmas Concert, which recorded their performance in lieu of a live performance due to the pandemic.
Being unable to stage live performances for the last two holiday seasons wasn’t all bad, as the online format allowed them to reach a previously unheard of number of people. Whalen says last year’s online show, which was made available on demand throughout the month of December, was viewed over 7,400 times. Viewers were stationed across Canada and beyond as some former Newburgh residents were able to catch the performance for the first time in years.
“People can expect to see just what they’ve always seen when they come to our concert,” Whalen says of this year’s show. “As has always been the case, it is a show put on by amateurs. All those folks that work and live in our community together. We have been writing the concert, all original material this year. You’ll see lots of laughter, you’ll no doubt be able to see those guys coming in their tights and their wigs. They’re pretty excited to be back. We expect to have a lot fun. It’s a lot of real fun skits this year, lots of music. Basically everything everybody is hoping to that they get, as always, in a very organic kind of way. Which I have always believed is the charm of the Christmas concert. Nobody comes there looking for a show that’s coming off Broadway.”
As always, there’s no admission. Donations will be accepted both at the door and through email at TheCommunityConcert@Gmail.com. Cash donations can also be made at McCormick’s Store in Camden East, Gray’s IDA in Napanee and Devon’s Café in Tamworth. Every dollar raised will go towards providing presents for local children.
Last year’s show included a skit known as ‘Santa’s Therapist.’
“It’s always very near and dear to our hearts to do what we can to support the children and the families in the community,” said Whalen. “Being able to guarantee that 100 per cent of the donations go these kids and these families that are our neighbours who are struggling, means a lot to us. We have found that also offering that online donation also really increased the amount of donations that we have been able to receive. Last year we were able to provide almost 300 kids and families with Christmas, and that’s a full Christmas. It was pretty amazing to see the trust that the community continues to put into our little organization to help our neighbours in need.”