Local News
Local actor hosts wrestling and symphony ‘Brawl at the Hall’
Two very different worlds collided in a one-of-a-kind live show that brought together classical music and professional wrestling. Local actor Alec Carlos, who has appeared in a number of projects including the newly released series Safehaven, was also part of the event. Carlos frequently works as a ring announcer for Winnipeg Professional Wrestling and says the group partnered with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra for an event called Brawl at the Hall. The sold-out show took place at Centennial Concert Hall. “We had 2,300 plus people there. It was something that's never been done before on the scale like this, a full wrestling event scored by a full orchestra from beginning to end. So, it was kind of just like nobody knew what to expect. It was something that neither party had ever seen before, nor did the audience.” Carlos notes that wrestling crowds are typically loud and energetic, while symphony audiences are usually quiet and reserved, making the collaboration especially interesting. “It all gelled really well. The energy was really consistent throughout the entire night. I don't think there was a point where the energy dropped at all and they were loud. They were very vocal especially at the end like they were on their feet a huge standing ovation at the end.” Carlos says he had the honour of serving as the ring announcer for the entire show and also assisted with preparations leading up to the event. “In a way, a neurotransmitter in between all of these matches and just the coordination between one party and the other, make sure that everything is essentially on the same page behind the scenes. And then on the day, I grab the mic, I make sure that the crowd knows the housekeeping rules and that they're hyped up and then just give all of the wrestlers as well as the conductor, the introduction that they deserve." @steinbach_online Local actor Alec Carlos hosts sold-out one-of-a-kind 'Brawl at the Hall' event. #Wrestling #Orchestra #WSO ♬ original sound - SteinbachOnline He adds that scoring live wrestling with a full orchestra is something that has never been done before. “The musical hits of the piece that the orchestra was playing carried on as normal, as they would play it without the wrestling and then in a sense, it adds a layer of emotion. If you're watching a movie with an action scene, there's a score in the background, and most of the time that score doesn't align with the hits or whatever it is that's happening in the scene. It's simply soundtracking it. So same idea with this.” Carlos says the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra was extremely impressed with how the event turned out, and that the success of Brawl at the Hall could lead to a repeat in the future. He also encourages people to check out upcoming Winnipeg Professional Wrestling events, with tickets going on sale in early March. “We have a two-night tournament event on March 13 and 14 called the Voyageur Cup. And then the winners of those tournaments get to face the respective top champions in the women's division and the men's division at our big fight at the museum event on March 31st at the Manitou Museum. So, we got a lot of things coming up on that.” With files from Kenton Dyck