Kerry Ellis, Oliver Tompsett, Samantha Bond and More Featured in A WEST END CHRISTMAS

Put on your sparkles, your reindeer Christmas jumper, switch on the Christmas tree lights and settle down for an evening of festive fun and music. The Make a Difference Trust today announced "A West End Christmas", the most Christmassy Christmas show ever and the perfect antidote to these extraordinary and difficult times.

With a cast of 80 and a 17-piece orchestra, including stars from "The Phantom of the Opera", "Only Fools and Horses", "Wicked", "Come From Away" as well as the West End Kids, "A West End Christmas" will also feature special guest performances from Tom Allen, Samantha Bond, Kerry Ellis, Clive Rowe, Oliver Tompsett, Marisha Wallace and Robin Winsor & Anya Garnis.

"A West End Christmas" will premiere online at 7.30pm on Thursday 10 December on www.stream.theatre. The show will also be streamed on Friday 11th December at 7.30pm, Saturday 12 December at 2.30 and 7.30pm and Sunday 13th December 2.30pm and 7.30pm.

With the prospect of a very different family Christmas this year, the Make A Difference Trust have decided that their festive show must go on! For the last 17 years, A West End Christmas has been the highlight of the Christmas calendar for the theatre community and its loyal audiences. The one-night-only sold out show has heralded the start of Christmas in a way only the West End can.

And this year the show will indeed go on, with stars and companies of the West End joining together once more for a very special recorded show. St Paul's Church in London's Covent Garden will again be transformed into a world of magic and joy, the Christmas of all our dreams.

With all of their fundraising shows cancelled this year, this is an important chance for the Make a Difference Trust to be able to share something truly unique and spectacular with as many people as possible whilst raising funds and awareness. Everyone, whether on stage or backstage, has given their time for free.

The majority of the performers have been out of work since theatres closed in March and they have no idea when they will work again. But still they come together, supporting the Make A Difference Trust's philosophy of community making a difference. Working together, the theatre community use their skills and talents to help both their own colleagues and others.

Normally, a West End Christmas would raise funds for those living with or affected by HIV and AIDS. This year, the charity has revived and repurposed their hardship fund into the Covid-19 Emergency Fund, to help the theatre community directly, by providing Emergency Hardship Grants for those on stage and off who are struggling financially due to theatre closures and the monies raised will go to the Emergency fund as well as to fund HIV work.

www.madtrust.org.uk

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