The donation was made as the foundation celebrates the centenary year of Noël Coward’s first produced full-length play, I’ll Leave It To You.

As 2020 marks the centenary year of Noël Coward’s first produced full-length play, I’ll Leave It To You, the Noël Coward Foundation is donating £50,000 to Acting for Others, an organisation founded in 1963 as The Combined Theatrical Charities. Coward was an early champion of the charity, alongside Richard Attenborough and Laurence Olivier. 

The donation is being made by the foundation due to the ongoing difficult situation with Covid-19, which is having a major impact on the theatre industry. This donation will be distributed to two of Acting for Others’ member charities – the Actors’ Children’s Trust, formerly known as The Actors’ Orphanage, of which Noël Coward was president from 1934 to 1955, and the Royal Theatrical Fund in support of those working off-stage, either in front of house or backstage roles.

Noël Coward’s I’ll Leave It To You first premiered on Monday 3 May, 1920 at Manchester’s Gaiety Theatre prior to transferring to London’s New Theatre, the first West End production of one of his plays. The theatre was renamed the Noël Coward Theatre in 2006.

Talking about the news, Alan Brodie, Chair of the Noël Coward Foundation, said today, “This current crisis has caused us to postpone events we had planned to celebrate the centenary of Noël Coward’s first play. Noël was a leader in the theatrical community organising events and bringing together his colleagues and celebrity friends to fundraise in support of the industry, so it feels fitting to use the available funds during this time to support the theatrical profession he loved so much. It’s not just actors but everyone connected to the theatre from the creative teams to back stage and front of house workers who needs help and we are therefore pleased to support Acting for Others which has been doing so much to help the many individuals and families in our profession most financially affected by Covid-19.”

Acting for Others provides financial and emotional support to all theatre workers in times of need through the 14 member charities. The Acting for Others charities are Actor’s Children’s Trust, Dancers’ Career Development, Denville Hall, Drury Lane Theatrical Fund, Equity Charitable Trust, Evelyn Norris Trust, SafetyCurtain, King George V Fund for Actors and Actresses, Ralph and Meriel Richardson Foundation, Dance Professionals Fund, The Royal Opera House Benevolent Fund, The Royal Theatrical Fund, Theatre Chaplaincy UK and The Theatrical Guild.

For more information about Acting for Others visit: http://actingforothers.co.uk/