Crooner Bublé lends his voice to local arts fundraiser

Michael Bublé has stepped up to show support for the Arts Club, Vancouver's not-for-profit theatre company.

In a video shared through the organization's YouTube page, the B.C.-born singer is asking fans of the arts to lend support to the local organization's current fundraising campaign as plans and preparations begin for a reopening “in the coming months.”

Wearing a blue denim jacket over a black T-shirt, the singer discussed how difficult the pandemic has been for everyone — including the arts community.

“This past year has taken a hard toll on all of us, artists and arts organizations included,” Bublé says in the 55-second video clip. “The Arts Club Theatre will always hold a special place in my heart.”

Bublé goes on to highlight his personal involvement with the Arts Club over the years, lending a shout-out to the productions Red Rock and Swing!, which he'd been a part of in the past. Bublé appeared on both the Arts Club's Granville Island Stage and the Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage as a young performer, starring in Swing! in 1998.

“Without places like the Arts Club Theatre, there wouldn't be close to as many opportunities for Canadian artists to learn, and work, and grow,” Bublé says in the video.

Similar to other arts organizations in the community, the Arts Club Theatre Company has been greatly impacted by the closures caused by COVID-19. Over the past 15 months, the Arts Club has “suspended operations,” cancelling 24 productions and issuing layoffs to more than 660 employees and artists, according to a news release.