GCTC Raises Over $18,700 for the Actors' Fund of Canada

The Burden of Self Awareness has proved to be a blessing for the Actors' Fund of Canada. Great Canadian Theatre Company's world premiere of the darkly-humorous George F. Walker play has raised an amazing $18,730 in support of the Actors' Fund of Canada which provides emergency funding for Canadian entertainment professionals in times of crisis.

Audience collections continue to be an effective way to create awareness and fundraise for the Actors' Fund of Canada. Great Canadian Theatre Company (GCTC) has made supporting the Actors' Fund, through audience collections, a yearly tradition. After every performance of the 19 show run of The Burden of Self Awareness, actors like Fund supporter John Koensgen gave curtain speeches about the work of Actors' Fund of Canada and invited audiences to donate in the lobby and online at www.actorsfund.ca. The whole company got involved in fundraising efforts including actor and Artistic Director Eric Coates and General Manager Nancy Oakley. "Everyone at Great Canadian Theatre Company is happy and proud to participate," says Oakley. Coates added "All of us here at GCTC feel that the Fund's work is vitally important. We urge artists and theatre companies to get involved in fundraising for the cause!"

The theme of charitable giving in The Burden on Self Awareness, by Canadian playwright George F. Walker, made the audience collections very timely. After Michael (Eric Coates) experiences a brush with death he is a changed man. When he decides to give away his fortune to charity, Michael's wife (Sarah McVie) conspires with a neurotic psychiatrist (Paul Rainville), a reluctant hit man (John Koensgen) and a call girl with a degree in history (Samantha Madely) to stop the events that her husband has set in motion. The hit comedy The Burden of Self Awareness is another world premiere for Ottawa-based Great Canadian Theatre Company whose mandate is "To foster, produce and promote excellent theatre that provokes examination of Canadian life and our place in the world." To learn more about GCTC's 2014/15 season visit their website at www.gctc.ca. The Actors' Fund of Canada would like to thank GCTC's audience members, who gave so generously, the cast and crew of The Burden of Self Awareness and all the staff at GCTC for their support.

The Actors' Fund of Canada is a registered charity that provides short-term financial aid to entertainment industry professionals working in theatre, film & TV, music and dance. The Actors' Fund is not just for actors: performers, creators, technical staff and other production team members can apply for help from the Fund which delivered over $500,000 in rent payments, grocery money, utility payments and other basic living expenses to clients in the last year and has helped over 10,000 entertainment industry members since it was founded in 1958.

Photo: Rebecca Russell