To make a difference, artists and performers must respond to the times in which they live. Given the events of recent months, and in anticipation of the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump on Friday, actors, musicians, and their supporters will be gathering outside theaters all over the country on Thursday, January 19, a day before the inauguration, for a collective action: the Ghostlight Project.

A ghostlight is left on when a theater is empty. It’s a practical safety measure designed to prevent accidents, and it’s a handy metaphor for the intention to keep art alive. The instructions for the Ghostlight Project are simple. At 5:30 p.m. on Thursday in each of the U.S. time zones, groups stationed outside of theaters will be turning on flashlights and holding up cell phones to symbolize their collective intention to shine a light of inclusion, safety, and freedom of expression for the next four years and beyond. Once these torches are lit, there will be a short proclamation to that effect, a song, and the opportunity for participants to inscribe a personal pledge for the project so that they can share and reflect on the many constructive ways in which creative people intend to connect their work and their lives to this moment in history.

In S.B., the location is the terrace in front of the Lobero Theatre, and if you’d like to participate, please get there early, and come with a small flashlight. Although the Ghostlight Project is not affiliated with the Lobero’s Ghostlight Society, the Lobero graciously offered the terrace as a public meeting place. Lobero Director David Asbell adds that tonight’s event is something that “the Lobero is happy to do for the performing arts community, and would do for any group of performers who asked, regardless of affiliation.”

The Ghostlight Project meets at 5:20 p.m. on Thursday, January 19, at the Lobero Theatre (33 E. Canon Perdido St.). For more information, visit theghostlightproject.com.

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