The Theatre Support Fund raises £125,000 with "The Show Must Go On!" T-shirts
Updated on 13 July 2020
Created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Theatre Support Fund has managed to raise more than £125,000 with its The Show Must Go On! t-shirts, notebooks, and other special merchandise. Set up by Chris Marcus and Damien Stanton – colleagues working in stage management and prop supervision – the Theatre Support Fund project provides financial aid to three crucial charities: NHS COVID-19 Urgent Appeal, Fleabag Support Fund, and Acting for Others.
Theatre Support Fund has sold and processed more than 7,500 orders!
Since its launch a month ago, the new Theatre Support Fund has already achieved its first milestone after announcing it has already managed to raise over £125,000 for charity! Over 7,500 orders have been processed and shipped to 42 countries across the globe.
The orders are packed on a daily basis by a team of volunteers from the West End theatre community. All profits from the project are divided amongst three key charity organisations: the Fleabag Support Fund, which provides financial assistance to workers in the theatre sector who are facing financial hardship due to the coronavirus crisis, Acting for Others, and the NHS COVID-19 Urgent Appeal.
About the Theatre Support Fund t-shirts and merchandise
Theatre Support Fund merch features an amalgamation of logos of 16 top West End favourites. They are sold at a relatively low retail price of just £16.50 inc. VAT and 100 per cent of the profits go directly to the three charities mentioned above.
Shows participating in the project include & Juliet, Come From Away, Dear Evan Hansen, Everyone’s Talking About Jamie, Hamilton, Les Miserables, Mamma Mia!, Mary Poppins, Matilda The Musical, SIX The Musical, The Book of Mormon, The Lion King, The Phantom of the Opera, The Prince of Egypt, TINA The Tina Turner Musical, and Wicked.
About Chris Marcus and Damien Stanton
The project's organisers Stanton and Marcus said: "The response to the project so far has been incredible. It's heartwarming to see the support towards the theatre industry and the people who work within it. We're receiving messages every day from people expressing how much they're missing being able to go to the theatre. By buying a t-shirt they're hoping to give something back to the industry they love so much."
Chris Marcus jointly runs 'MarcusHall Props’, a props-supervising and prop-making company that is involved with many major West End productions. Damien Stanton works both as an assistant stage manager and a freelance graphic designer.
Support The Show Must Go On!
Although lockdown measures are slowly beginning to be loosened up, the UK theatre industry is likely to be among the last sectors to resume its activities, which is why fundraising is now more important than ever to ensure the show can go on.
You might also enjoy reading: "Pretty Woman actress Aimie Atkinson raises £10,421 for Save the Children with 24hr concert"
By Nicholas Ephram Ryan Daniels
Ephram is a jack of all trades and enjoys attending theatre, classical music concerts and the opera.