Theatre Support Fund+ hits new charity milestone and reschedules concerts

Dame Judi Dench has spoken in support of the charity initiative.

As the first anniversary since the closure of London theatres approaches, a new charity milestone from the Theatre Support Fund+ has been posted. So far, the initiative has raised over £800,000 for theatrical charities, with over 70,000 orders for 'The Show Must Go On!' merchandise.

The Theatre Support Fund+ was created by theatre industry workers Chris Marcus and Damien Stanton, setting up the fund to support creatives affected by the pandemic. Plenty of notable names have joined the campaign, including Judi Dench.

Talking about the campaign, Dench said: " I am also proud of what [the industry has] achieved by standing together through these times. Chris and Damien at the Theatre Support Fund+ have done such profound work by raising this incredible amount of monies and have been able to help thousands of freelancers. There are still many workers who need our support and I am delighted to be able to support their campaign."

The Show Must Go On! concerts will take place at the Palace Theatre, now rescheduled to June 2021. The concerts will be hosted by Bonnie Langford and Trevor Dion Nicholas. Acts taking part include: 

Jordan Luke Gage from & Juliet
Alice Fearn from Come From Away
Marcus Harman from Dear Evan Hansen
Sharan Phull from Everybody's Talking about Jamie
Trevor Dion Nicholas from Hamilton
John Owen-Jones from Les Misérables
Mazz Murray from Mamma Mia!
Zizi Strallen from Mary Poppins,
Tilly-Raye Bayer, Imogen Cole, Alyssa D'Souza, Alex Munden and Carly Thoms from Matilda The Musical,
Collette Guitart and Hana Stewart from Six The Musical
Aisha Jawando from Tina: The Tina Turner Musical,
Dom Simpson and Tom Xander from The Book of Mormon
Christine Allado and Alexia Khadime from The Prince of Egypt
Cast members from The Lion King
Lucy St Louis and Rhys Whitfield from The Phantom of the Opera
Laura Pick from Wicked.
Olly Dobson from Back to the Future
Aimie Atkinson from Pretty Woman: The Musical

Over the past 12 months, the Theatre Support Fund+ has raised money for a variety of acting charities, including Acting For Others, The Fleabag Support Fund and NHS COVID-19 Urgent Appeal. Supporters include Fleabag Support Fund president Phoebe Waller-Bridge, as well as Michael Ball and Kiera Knightley. 

The Show Must Go On! is at the Palace Theatre from 2 - 5 June.

The Show Must Go On! tickets are on sale now.

^{Photo credit: Dame Judi Dench, Michael Ball and Keira Knightley (Photos courtesy of RAW PR)}

^{Article Originally Published: 10 March 2021}