Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Mondays Dark celebrates its biggest year yet at the Joint

Mark Shunock

Mark Shunock

Mark Shunock has created quite the compelling circle of Las Vegas life. (And the pun is intended as he once played Timon in the touring production of “The Lion King.”)

Shunock and his team founded Mondays Dark a little less than five years ago, a monthly show gathering local entertainers from on and off the Strip to have fun, sing some songs, and raise some money for local charities. Needless to say, it took off, and Shunock harnessed its growing power to take over a warehouse just west of the Strip and transform it into the Space, a community performance center where local and national acts have found a safe place to experiment with theater, comedy, music and just about everything else.

But the circle keeps circling: Since Mondays Dark moved to the Space, Shunock was able to double the number of fundraising shows in 2017 to twice a month. Entertainment serves philanthropy, philanthropy serves entertainment, and around we go. The result: Mondays Dark raised $220,000 for 22 local charities this year.

“Opening the Space was colorful. It was a much larger project than anticipated,” says Shunock, who miraculously finds time to perform as a cast member in “Magic Mike Live” at the Hard Rock Hotel and host in-game entertainment during all Vegas Golden Knights home hockey games at T-Mobile Arena. “The small team that worked almost daily with me was instrumental in keeping things on track. By having a home for Mondays Dark, we were able to double our give financially, but more importantly, we created a true community center that is affordable for charities looking for a home for events.”

That’s a whole lot of reasons to celebrate, and that’s the plan for Dec. 18 when the Mondays Dark four-year anniversary show returns to the Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel. The entertainment lineup includes Frank Sinatra’s granddaughter AJ Lambert, the Golden Knights’ Drumbots team, Skye Dee Miles, Travis Cloer, Rockie Brown, Noybel Gorgoy, Cheryl Daro, Christina Shaw, performers from “Magic Mike,” the Bronx Wanderers and many more. And the 21 charities that will benefit from Mondays Dark in 2018 will be announced, too; the event is skipping the first Monday after the new year.

“The Hard Rock is my home,” Shunock says of the resort that originally hosted the event at Vinyl. “Almost five months after moving to Vegas, my wife and I started Mondays Dark and the Hard Rock has always been so giving and welcoming to all our events and ideas. Having the opportunity to move into the Joint, such an iconic venue, for our anniversary [again] is truly special for our entire Mondays Dark family.”

The anniversary show is always a big deal, but it’s also just another beginning. “The goal for the next year is to continue to build awareness for Mondays Dark and the Space in the community. Even though we have raised over $600,000 for Vegas-based charities, there is still room to improve on our brand,” Shunock says. “2017 was a great year for us, but what’s in store for 2018 is going to really move us into a new direction of programming and growth.”

For tickets to the show and information, visit mondaysdark.com.