JERSEY BOYS National Tour Raises $32,000 for Canadian Actors' Fund and BC/EFA

In their latest example of cross-border cooperation, two entertainment industry charities are sharing $32,000 after cast members of the US national touring company of Jersey Boys collected donations from audiences during their stop in Toronto in the last two weeks of November. The Toronto-based Actors' Fund of Canada and New York-based Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS (BC/EFA) have collaborated in the past, sharing donations collected from audiences at other shows on Broadway and in Toronto.

Jersey Boys' fundraising success came in the weeks prior to installing a new, mostly Canadian cast to carry the show through to March 1. It follows on the heels of Actors' Fund curtain speech fundraisers at Dancap's Toronto revival of The Drowsy Chaperone last season and performances of Avenue Q, presented by the company in the fall of 2008. Commenting on the relationship between the Actors' Fund and his company, Dancap President Aubrey Dan said: "Dancap Productions is delighted to assist the Actors' Fund of Canada in any way possible. We have the greatest respect for artists and those who work with them to create and perform the top-notch productions Canada offers to the world. We know the Actors' Fund does extremely valuable work for members of our industry and we endorse it wholeheartedly."

Actors' Fund Executive Director David Hope was thrilled with the results, commenting: "The funds collected through this appeal couldn't have come at a better time. In 2008 we distributed nearly $540,000 in emergency financial aid to entertainment industry members, which is a new record high for us. Our projections indicate that the demand on the Fund in 2009 will also be extremely high and we are grateful for the support from Dancap, the cast of the show and everyone else who made these collections possible."

The Actors' Fund of Canada is The Lifeline for Canada's entertainment industry and provides emergency financial aid for industry members in crisis. The Fund is a registered charity that paid out a record high of $540,000 in rent payments, grocery money, utility payments and other basic
living expenses in 2008 and over $3.7 million in emergency financial aid in the last 10 years. Performers and others who work behind the scenes in the fields of theatre, film & television, music and dance can apply for assistance from the Fund, which 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 receives no government funding and is wholly sustained by support from individuals and entertainment industry
organizations.

Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS (BC/EFA) is the leading industry-based, not-for-profit AIDS fundraising and grant making organization in the United States. BC/EFA is the on-going, committed response from the American Theatre community to an urgent worldwide health crisis. By drawing upon the talents, resources, and generosity of this community, BC/EFA raises funds for AIDS-related causes across the United States. Since its founding in 1988, BC/EFA has raised over $140 million for critically needed services for people with AIDS, HIV or HIV-related illnesses.

 

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