Scotty McCreery added to Big Night In for the Arts lineup

WRAL has teamed up with arts councils from Chatham, Durham, Orange and Wake Counties for fundraiser to help benefit the arts community devastated by the coronavirus pandemic.

McCreery joins a lineup that already includes includes Tony-nominated actress and Raleigh native Ariana DeBose, who originated the role of The Bullet in the Broadway hit "Hamilton," Chapel Hill-based folk music duo Mandolin Orange, three-time Grammy Award winner Branford Marsalis of Durham, and Chatham County-based actor and playwright Mike Wiley. More national and local artists from each county will be announced.

The special will address the impact of COVID-19 on the arts, and highlight the missions of the four organizations that lead and support the Triangle’s local arts infrastructure.

Money raised from the event will go toward arts programming, initiatives for equity in the arts and artist/arts organizations’ relief.

“Without question, arts help heal and restore a community,” said Joel Davis, vice president and general manager of WRAL-TV & FOX 50. “The arts, in many different forms, bring joy, restore peace, and sometimes serve as a critical eye to the human condition. Through this lens, we recognize that supporting programming and fundraising like this is more important than ever, moving forward.”

The arts in the Triangle create more than 31,000 full-time jobs and upwards of $850 million in total annual economic activity, according to a report authored by Americans for the Arts in 2015.

With arts venues among the first to close and likely the last to reopen during the pandemic, the event aims to help keep the arts alive.

Patrons can donate prior to the event as sponsors or donate live during the event. Gifts can be made to benefit the four counties collectively or designated to a specific county.