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Media Release
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For Immediate Release: July 15, 2010
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OTTAWA - The Great Canadian Theatre Company has raised more money for the Actors' Fund than any other Canadian theatre company during the 2009-10 season, raising $25,886 in donations collected from audience members during a three-week run of Gérald Sibleyra's play, Heroes.
Actor John Koensgen, who plays an agoraphobic veteran plotting an escape from an old age home made curtain speeches explaining the ways in which the Fund helps not only individuals, but the Canadian theatre community as a whole: "As a member of the Fund's National Advisory Board, I've been able to see the important role theatre collections have on the ongoing financial stability of the Fund. They go a long way to providing the support that many in this industry have leaned on at some point in their careers. I'm proud to have been able to inspire our audience to give so freely to this tremendous charity and to have been part of a record breaking fundraiser." Actors Paul Rainville and Peter Froehlich worked with Koensgen, sharing duties in making the post-performance speeches and collecting the donations.
GCTC General Manager Nancy Oakley challenged other companies to try and beat the amount they raised. "Raising $26,000 for a cause you believe in is a wonderful feeling. I know that with this money the Fund will be able to help many colleagues through what could otherwise be a career-ending catastrophe. The great thing about audience collections is how easy it is to raise a significant amount of money. Almost any company can do this and I'd like to issue a challenge to all theatre companies in Canada to see if they can beat our amount. If even three more companies take up this challenge and raise what GCTC has we will have made over $100,000 for the Fund!"
"We were absolutely thrilled to get the news of GCTC's success at raising money for the Fund." said the Fund's Executive Director, David Hope. "Because of their commitment to this project, GCTC has been able to raise a huge amount of money in proportion to the size of their venue, and with a relatively small drain on their own resources. We hope that other companies will rise to the challenge and follow the terrific example they have set."
The Actors' Fund of Canada is the lifeline for Canada's entertainment industry. The Actors' Fund is not just for actors: performers and those who work behind the scenes in film and television, theatre, music and dance can apply for emergency financial aid from the Fund, which recently set a new record for the amount of financial aid delivered to industry members in a single year, topping $600,000 in 2009. The Fund has helped over 10,000 entertainment industry workers recover from illness, injury or other circumstances causing severe economic and personal hardship since it was founded in 1958. The Actors' Fund of Canada is a registered charity. It receives no government funding and is wholly sustained by support from individuals and entertainment industry organizations.
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Cast of GCTC's production of Heroes (L to R: John Koensgen, Paul Rainville, Peter Froehlich)
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CONTACT:
David Hope, The Actors' Fund of Canada
Phone: 1-877-399-8392
E-mail: contact@actorsfund.ca
Web site: www.actorsfund.ca
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©2010 The Actors' Fund of Canada - 1000 Yonge Street, Suite 301 Toronto, ON M4W 2K2
contact@actorsfund.ca / Tel: 416.975.0304 / Toll-Free: 1.877.399.8392 / Fax: 416.975.0306
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