BANGOR – “The Nite Show with Danny Cashman” is set to resume its live tapings at The Gracie Theatre on the campus of Husson University. The first taping of season 13 takes place at 6 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 5 in Bangor. Tickets for Maine’s only TV show produced before a live audience remain free and are available on the show’s website.
“There is always excitement in the air around our season premiere,” said Nite Show host Dan Cashman. “People who have been to our show before can expect a lot of the things they have come to expect: great guests, amazing live music, comedy sketches, prizes, food, and a lot of people having fun on TV. Plus, our live audience gets a behind-the-scenes look at how our show is produced. We work with students, faculty and staff at the New England School of Communications at Husson University who come together to make this show look like a top notch, big market production. Audience members in the theater get to peek behind the curtain a bit to see how some of that work is done, while also being an important part of our show’s soundtrack on television.”
The first taping of the year will bring with it another new addition to Brian Nadeau & The Nite Show Band. Jim Winters, a trombonist with more than 50 years of experience, joins the Nite Show’s house band, increasing it to a seven-piece group. The Nite Show is the only television show in Maine to feature a live house band, and increasing it in size and instrumentation is a source of pride for the show.
“One of the reasons this show came back to television 12 years ago was to help shine a spotlight on the performing arts,” said Cashman. “There is no better way to highlight the performing arts than to show Maine viewers our incredible house band. This group of professional musicians can play anything, and with the addition of a trombone player who has performed on TV, with Ringling Brothers, and everywhere from Las Vegas to Aruba – it’s only going to make a great group even better. Fans of live music will continue to love Brian Nadeau & The Nite Show Band for its talent, versatility, and incredible sound every week on The Nite Show.”
Exact details for the first taping are still being finalized, although people can expect appearances by George Hale, who will celebrate 70 years at WABI next year, and a performance from the winner of the 2022 Central Maine Idol competition, Lindsay Hamilton. As usual, multiple shows will be recorded at the live tapings. Christie Robinson returns for her third season with the show as its announcer and co-host, and Cashman returns for his 13th consecutive season. Robinson also adds executive producer to her credits this season.
The 13th season premiere for “The Nite Show with Danny Cashman” will air on television statewide on Saturday, Oct. 15.
Tickets for The Nite Show season premiere are free and available on the show’s website, www.TheNiteShowMaine.com. At this time, masks and social distancing are not required, although the number of tickets distributed will allow attendees to social distance if they choose to do so.
There have been other locally produced late night talk shows since The Nite Show began, although those shows based in San Diego,, Springfield, Missouri, and Arlington, Massachusetts are all no longer in production. The Nite Show, meanwhile, started in 1997 in the Old Town Community Center, and today calls The Gracie Theatre at Husson University home, while airing on CBS, FOX, and NBC affiliates statewide on Saturday nights.
“The Nite Show with Danny Cashman” normally originates from The Gracie Theatre in Bangor and is broadcast statewide. The show is seen Saturday nights in Bangor at 11:30 on WABI-TV5 (CBS); Saturday nights in Portland at 10:30 on WPFO, FOX 23, and 1 a.m. on WGME CBS 13; and in Presque Isle on Saturday nights at 11:00 on WWPI NBC 16.
“The Nite Show with Danny Cashman” has regularly ranked as the #1 show on Saturday late nights in Eastern & Central Maine through WABI TV in Bangor. The Nite Show with Danny Cashman received the first Arts & Culture Award from the Bangor Region Chamber of Commerce in January of 2020, and Telly Awards for excellence in TV/Film Entertainment in 2016 and 2021. The Nite Show has also been nominated for nine New England Regional EMMY® Awards and the Fusion:Bangor FLAVA on two occasions. The show is produced by students and faculty from the New England School of Communications at Husson University in Bangor.
“The Nite Show with Danny Cashman” is a production of Cashman Communications, in association with Gray Broadcasting, INC.
