Northern Lights recipient – StoryBook Theatre

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Location: Calgary, Alberta

After making the difficult decision in March to postpone or cancel their upcoming programming due to the COVID-19 pandemic, StoryBook Theatre children’s theatre company in Calgary went online and created the daily chat show ‘Everyday Heroes at Home.’

Hosted by young volunteer theatre artists, the show ran on Facebook daily from noon to 1 pm. Geared towards young people and families isolating at home and looking for a little escape, ‘Everyday Heroes at Home’ attracted nearly 20,000 viewers from across North America.

The program showcased everyday heroes from StoryBook’s season and community heroes from around the world. Some of these guests included Mayor Naheed Nenshi, the writers of the Canadian musical ‘Come From Away,’ Broadway star Louise Pitre, Jim Henson puppeteer John Tartaglia, and frontline doctors, EMS and police officers. Overall, the show ran for over 70 episodes and featured 102 guests.

With ‘Everyday Heroes at Home,’ StoryBook theatre brought people together when they were feeling apart. As their nominator wrote: “Theatre after all is about community, and this show brought everyone a little ray of light in the midst of their days, all through the power of volunteers!”