Mondays Dark brings in big entertainment names for a six-hour telethon to benefit local performers
By Leslie Ventura | Las Vegas Weekly | April 21, 2020
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit Las Vegas in March, Mark Shunock vowed to keep the lights on for his monthly charity event, Mondays Dark. He’d have to change a few things, of course, pivoting from his typically sold-out, 300-seat shows at his venue the Space to a streaming event, but March’s show went on, and Shunock raised $10,000 for the local nonprofit Refuge for Women.
On April 27, the online Mondays Dark returns with its biggest version: a six-hour virtual telethon benefiting a national nonprofit dear to Shunock’s heart, the Actors Fund. The lineup, announced Monday, includes appearances from some of the biggest names in Vegas entertainment, including Brad Garrett, Shania Twain, Wayne Newton, Cirque du Soleil, Olivia Newton-John, Terry Fator, Brian Newman, Blue Man Group, Human Nature and more. The entertainers will perform live in their home or contribute recorded clips.
“When this all happened, my social media was being inundated with friends who are in the entertainment business, who are out of work and having trouble getting help,” Shunock says. “I was aware of the Actors Fund when I was in New York and LA. They help everyone from crew members to wardrobe, dancers and musicians. If you work in the entertainment business, they help you.”
Though Mondays Dark normally partners with a local charity, Shunock saw this as an opportunity for the Actors Fund to establish a Las Vegas presence while also helping local performers who have been laid off during the coronavirus shutdown.
“Mondays Dark helps all these amazing charities, and it’s because of all the entertainers that Mondays Dark is where it is today—because of all the entertainers that have donated their talents,” Shunock says. Now, he’s hoping to “return the favor after all these years” and “make the Actors Fund a household name for the entertainment community.”
For the telethon—set to run from 5 to 11 p.m. PT —Shunock has recruited 50 performers and celebrities, including Bar Rescue’s Jon Taffer, Joey Fatone, Clint Holmes, Dot-Marie Jones, the Vegas Golden Knights, Debbie Gibson, Gordie Brown, Deana Martin, Daniel Emmet, Frankie Scinta, Bucky Heard and many others.
Shunock says he had no choice but to go big. “We’ve done over 100 90-minute to 200-minute variety shows. This one is going to be much longer, but we’re going to try to stick to the same format … and if I can channel my inner Jerry Lewis to stay awake, then I will,” he says, laughing. “I’m optimistic that over the course of those six hours we will see a great viewership, and they’ll click the link and make a donation. The key is to just support the Actors Fund and support the local entertainment community.”
Free to stream, this telethon edition of Mondays Dark will provide viewers with the opportunity to donate online, by phone or by text. “I’m just hoping everyone turns on their smartphones and computers and tunes in,” he says. “It’s about raising awareness for this organization and really honoring the work that entertainers do in the city to make it go. We take the shows for granted sometimes, but they’re a big reason why 50 million people come to Vegas every year.”
For more information and to livestream the event on April 27, visit mondaysdark.com.
MONDAYS DARK STREAMING TELETHONApril 27, 5-11 p.m. PT, mondaysdark.com.
The Las #Vegas Entertainment community has been hit hard by the #Coronavirus shutdown. So, @MarkShunock the creator of @mondays_dark is teaming up with @TheActorsFund to help out. Live virtual telethon on Monday.
Guests to include @ShaniaTwain, @terryfator, @bluemangroup, @WayneNewtonMrLV and many more.
Tommy, while it’s great to see Shania do all these benefits, do you think she is utilizing her time to have a new solo album (non-holiday) out this year, assuming COVID-19 slacks off?
Tommy, while it’s great to see Shania do all these benefits, do you think she is utilizing her time to have a new solo album (non-holiday) out this year, assuming COVID-19 slacks off?
Not this year. According to her, she's still writing songs. She'll still have to go into an actual studio and record the album. We don't even know if she has any producers lined up yet. Somebody asked Jake Gosling (one of the producers of NOW) if he will be producing Shania’s next album. He replied, "Shania has not asked me to produce the next album because she's going in a different direction with it than she did for her NOW album".
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Tommy's #1 SHANIA TWAIN SuperSite shaniasupersite.com Our eyes are closed, but we're not asleep, We're wide awake beneath the sheets
REMINDER: Shania is scheduled to appear during tonight's "Monday Dark" telethon at 5:00pm - 11:00pm PT/8:00pm - 2:00am ET. It's a 6-hour telethon so who knows what time she'll be on.
From her home in British Columbia, Canada, Shania asks fans to donate to the Las Vegas entertainment community (The Actors Fund) and sings a verse from "Up!".
By John Katsilometes | Las Vegas Review-Journal | December 16, 2021
The Kats! Bureau on Monday night was at upper suite at the Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas. The eighth anniversary of Mondays Dark was the hang. Mark Shunock opened with a wild rendition of the Stray Cats’ Rock This Town.”
Later, he sang with Shania Twain.
Not too shabby from the guy from Sault St. Marie in Ontario, Canada. Twain knows that town. She grew up in Timmins, about five hours away. The country superstar had just finished her run at Zappos Theater when she took the stage Monday night, for a take of “From This Moment On.
“I’m just a kid from The Soo (Sault Ste. Marie) and her being from Timmins, Ontario … +We’re kinda related!” Shunock said in a text Thursday. “The fact she and her husband (Frédéric Thiébaud) took time to join us means the world to me. This is something that everyone at Mondays Dark will remember for a long time. Her friendship is something I cherish.”
In all, about 2,000 folks filed into an event that was launched at the old Body English nightclub at the former Hard Rock Hotel in 2013.
Mondays Dark’s pertinent stats are 140 charities supported in those eight years, and $1.4 million dealt to those nonprofits. More than double that number are on the waiting list for 2022 and beyond. For the eighth anniversary show, Shunock booked Mitral Kotb’s inspired “iLuminate” dance team from The Strat, Travis Cloer, the rock-cover band Original Chaos, Skye Dee Miles and Franky Perez.
Cameron Hughes, “The Igniter” who heats up T-Mobile Arena for the Vegas Golden Knights, fired up the crowd. Demure, he isn’t.
The show was barn-burner once more in the former Joint, hosting the show for the first time since 2019. Shunock is honoring and supporting 21 charities in 2022 when the event returns to The Space. These times are uncertain, but give credit to Shunock and his team for steering Mondays Dark to the crazy 8.
Twain again
Twain also reconnected with her friend Carrot Top this past week. Topper went to her Zappos Theater sendoff Sunday. Twain took in the Carrot Top performance at Luxor on Wednesday night. She hung backstage until midnight, too.
Don Felder, the former member of the Eagles, was also at Twain’s Sunday show.
Carrot Top and Twain have been friends for about a decade. The prop comic tells a joke in his show at Atrium Showroom, the punch line being (cleaning it up), “I’d date her again.” When the crowd laughs, he says, “Hey, it could happen.”
Our next theme has been announced and we are more than excited to be celebrating the music of the Icon herself: Shania Twain! Bring your favorite boots and head on over to @thespacelv on Monday September 12 @ 8pm to help us raise #10Kin90minutes for @the_servingourkidfoundation
It is never too early to get tickets, this will be an unforgettable night for country, boots, music and charity! Let’s GO!
As I posted last week, Shania will be in the UK on September 13 to begin taping "Starstruck" where she will be a judge. So there will be no way she'll be able to make an appearance at the "Mondays Dark" show the night before (September 12) which will be featuring her music.
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Tommy's #1 SHANIA TWAIN SuperSite shaniasupersite.com Our eyes are closed, but we're not asleep, We're wide awake beneath the sheets
As I posted last week, Shania will be in the UK on September 13 to begin taping "Starstruck" where she will be a judge. So there will be no way she'll be able to make an appearance at the "Mondays Dark" show the night before (September 12) which will be featuring her music.
Mondays Dark @mondays_dark
💥Line Up Check💥 These amazing singers will take the #MondaysDark stage @thespacelv to perform the music of #ShaniaTwain on Sept. 12! ✨ Get your boots ready & help us raise #10kin90minutes for the Serving our Kids Foundation. 🎟https://bit.ly/md91222c
SKC has a LOT of exciting announcements coming your way and Monday's Dark is one of the BIG one's. Stay tuned for more on this💯 #skc #mondaysdark #lasvegasevents #lasvegaslove #shaniatwain #giveback #donation #bigannouncement
What is this supposed to mean? They'll be announcing Shania will be performing sometime next year? SKC wants you to buy tickets for an announcement. Wow! LOL!