Dear Actors Fund Friends,

We are so grateful to everyone who joined us in celebrating Giving Tuesday yesterday! Thanks to the generosity of a donor who matched all gifts up to $10,000, plus all of your contributions, Facebook and Instagram fundraisers, social media posts and incredible encouragement to support a life in the arts, we far exceeded our $10,000 matching gift goal!

These funds will be put to work right away to support those in need in our performing arts and entertainment community, from providing emergency financial assistance to help with medical bills, paying rent, buying groceries and more; to offering health insurance enrollment and counseling; to caring for our seniors at The Actors Fund Home; to offering support groups for young performers in our Looking Ahead program; and so much more.

But our work is far from over. Unemployment is still an issue for thousands in our industry, and our Career Center is ready to help with free, online workshops such as How to Job Search During a Pandemic. To help manage the numerous stresses so many are facing right now, we’re offering daily mindfulness meditation sessions. Our housing team continues to guide renters through affordable housing opportunities, and we host financial wellness seminars to make sure people can strategically and successfully manage their income and savings, especially at such an unpredictable time.

We couldn’t do this life-saving work without your continued generosity. We hope you enjoy these upcoming virtual performances and experiences as we head into the holiday season!

Kris Kringle The Musical
December 1–25

KrisKringleTheMusical.com

This holiday season, Kris Kringle The Musical has created something wholly unique that will bring the magic of the boy who sees toys in the stars to an audience that yearns for a warm-and-fuzzy Christmas feeling! Join Kyle Sherman, Jason Simon, Kim Crosby, Amy Coelho and more as they bring this story to life.

Throughout the next few weeks, you’ll be led through an Advent Calendar door to enjoy a new part of the story each day! This also features bonus videos, including a Spanish version of one of the show’s most popular songs, “My North Star.”

Time Stands Still
Thursday, December 3, 8 pm ET

Spotlight on Plays

Time Stands Still is Pulitzer Prize winner Donald Margulies’s play about a photojournalist and a foreign correspondent trying to find happiness in a world that seems to have gone crazy. Laura Linney, Alicia Silverstone, Eric Bogosian and Brian d’Arcy James return to the roles they originated on Broadway. They are once again directed by Tony Award winner Daniel Sullivan.

Hurt Village
December 4–8

Cast Black Talent

It's the end of a long summer in Hurt Village, a housing project in Memphis, Tennessee. A government Hope Grant means relocation for many of the project's residents, including Cookie, a thirteen-year-old aspiring rapper, along with her mother, Crank, and great-grandmother, Big Mama. As the family prepares to move, Cookie's father, Buggy, unexpectedly returns from a tour of duty in Iraq. Ravaged by the war, Buggy struggles to find a position in his disintegrating community, along with a place in his daughter's wounded heart.

Written by Katori Hall and directed by Steve H. Broadnax III, Hurt Village has a cast that includes Priah Ferguson, Joaquina Kalukango, J. Alphonse Nicholson, Loretta Devine, Gail Bean, Eric B. Robinson Jr., Bertram Williams Jr., Cecil Blutcher, Snoop Dogg and Stori Ayers.

Holiday “In” to Benefit The Actors Fund and Jazz at the Ballroom
Friday, December 4, 7:30 pm ET

Holiday-In-Show.com

On December 4, non-profit Jazz at the Ballroom (JATB) will host an hour-long virtual “Holiday In” concert to benefit The Actors Fund and JATB and celebrate the unique power of art and music to unite and re-energize. Taking inspiration from televised holiday specials of yore with music legends like Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra, the livestream concert, hosted at Bing Crosby’s former estate, features an incredible line-up of musicians and Broadway artists.

“Alysha Umphress, Tony Yazbeck, Matt Doyle and Max Clayton all share their talents and style in the show. It’s a dose of optimism,” says co-host, Frank DiLella, Emmy Award winning host of NY1’s On Stage. Other guests include Kathryn Crosby and a wide range of award-winning vocalists and musicians from around the world.

Meet Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson

Omaze Sweepstakes

You could win an epic photo with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, taken by his friend—and author!—Hiram Garcia, when it’s safe to travel again. Flights and hotel are included for you and a guest, and you’ll also get a copy of Hiram’s book The Rock: Through the Lens: His Life, His Movies, His World. Plus if you use the promo code ACTORSFUND50, you’ll get 50 extra entries.

The best part is every donation will support The Actors Fund. But hurry: the last day to enter is December 8!

More Online Events:
Stars in the House: Mondays-Saturdays at 8 pm ET
LE at Home: Check out the full list of experiences, all of which are available through 2021.
#BWAYWORLDRECORD: Join them to attempt breaking The Guinness World Records™ title for the record of largest online video album of people singing the same song.
When The Lights Are Bright Again: Submit your letter to this book BY our industry, FOR our industry, immortalizing this historic moment in time
Catharsis Co. Skincare: $5 of every purchase will be donated to The Actors Fund