OTTAWA -- Facebook and the National Arts Centre are teaming up to provide $100,000 to pay Canadian artists for live online performance.

The aim is to ease the financial strain for artists forced to cancel shows due to the COVID-19 outbreak, and lift the spirits of people at home.

“Music, dance and theatre have an enduring power to comfort, to inspire, to lift our spirits,” NAC President and CEO Christopher Deacon said in a statement. “In this challenging time, artist and audience, indeed all of us, need each other more than ever.”

The NAC is taking applications from artists who want to give online performances between 45 and 60 minutes between now and March 31.

The first online show of the '#CanadaPerforms series' will be Blue Rodeo frontman Jim Cuddy on Thursday at 2 p.m., joined by Devin Cuddy, Sam Polley and Colin Cripps.

The artists will perform in a studio and stand 1.5 metres apart from each other.

Other planned performances include Serena Ryder, William Prince, Irish Mythen, Erin Costelo, and Whitehorse.

“Having to cancel and postpone so many performances has been heartbreaking, but we hope this collaboration will provide some short-term relief,” said Heather Gibson, the NAC’s executive producer of variety and popular music.

Artists can apply to perform by emailing canadaperforms@nac-cna.ca with their name, a description of their 45 to 60-minute performance, and when and on what platform they want to perform.

The NAC Orchestra’s musicians will also be offering individual performances online.