Victoria’s arts community bands together to urge country to get vaccinated

Entertainers across Victoria have come together, issuing a rallying cry to the state to get vaccinated as soon as possible.

The initiative, spearheaded by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, says it’s time to give COVID its final curtain call.

The effort from Victoria’s entertainers comes in the wake of a widely panned campaign from the Federal Government which features a young woman in hospital struggling to breathe due to COVID-19.

The scare tactics of the ad – given many younger people were until very recently completely ineligible for a vaccination in Australia – were seen to be blaming, rather than mobilising, the population.

This ad, by comparison, has a message of hope and ends with a rallying cry about getting back to what the state loves most – coming together, performing and entertaining.

The wide variety of performers featured in the ad talk about the vaccine not being a solo, but rather something that comes together as an ensemble effort.

The campaign also explores vaccine hesitancy and says “it’s normal to get nervous before the performance of a lifetime”.

“So if you’re unsure about getting vaccinated, chat to your GP, and they can help you get the facts,” it says.

Tim Minchin delivers the line: “Because some fo the stuff you read online has some pretty massive plot holes.”

Sophie Galaise, managing director at the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, said the campaign was about getting people back to doing what they love.

“Along with our colleagues in the arts community, we are encouraging our audiences and the wider community to get vaccinated so we can all get back to doing what we love – whether that’s playing contact sports, enjoying a meal with our loved ones, or getting back on stage to entertain our treasured audiences.”