The Stage

Dear John

Giving to charity - where do I start?

First published 14th December 2006

Question:
It's the season for giving and although I'm not quite a celebrity yet, I'd like to do my charity bit. Any advice on where to start?

Answer:
As has been addressed in a number of Dear John columns around this time of the year, Christmas and New Year can be a very lean time for performers who don't have a panto or other seasonal engagement in their diaries while for those who do, it can be a taxing logistical task to get any of the ordinary seasonal preparations done when you are stuck up a beanstalk or playing the back end of a cow twice a day in some far flung theatre.

Nevertheless, there are many charities up and down the country who have good reason to be grateful for the warm heartedness of many a performer prepared to brave the cold to rattle a box, trek to the local children's hospital or perform the complete works of Dickens in record-breaking time for a good cause. Here are two performers who do more than the occasional good deed for charity.

What the experts say:

This is a picture of Richard Johnson Richard Johnson

After a degree in performing arts at Middlesex University, Richard has had a split career between performing in the West End and public relations. His last show was Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty's Theatre. Now head of media for one of the largest children's charities - the Children's Society - he has recently joined the board of trustees at the Musicians Benevolent Fund.

"Although I now work for a charity, I think there are huge benefits to being involved with charity from a performance career perspective. I suppose the obvious way in which you could lend your talents to a cause are in terms of fundraising shows and special performances, and certainly there are many charities which might be delighted to have you onboard in this way.

"Don't forget that many charities have a network of local branches which often mount their own fundraising events as well as the big national campaigns.

"However, this is just one area in which your skills may be of use. There are so many pressing needs that every charity always has to find creative ways to bring its message before the public - which means every creative talent comes in handy.

"Backstage skills can be just as useful as onstage abilities - for instance, somebody who is adept at set design, wardrobe or another visual area could make a huge difference to the effectiveness of a window display in the local charity shop.

"A stint of administration work in the charity office may seem a million miles away from showbusiness but as I know John often highlights in this column, it's often the business skills you can pick up in jobs like that which make a big difference to your ability to run your day to day career and get you into the spotlight.

"As well as fundrasing and raising awareness for your chosen charity, you may find you can also help in a hands-on way with the work that organisations like the Children's Society do - we do a lot of workshops and activities with children from underprivileged backgrounds and if you can teach some of your performing skills to kids who might never normally get the chance to work in these areas, you could make a huge difference to someone's life.

"Certainly I would encourage any performer or theatrical person who wants to volunteer their skills not to be in any way shy about making contact. There is certainly a charity out there somewhere just waiting for your unique contribution and neither of you will be able to identify what that might be until you make that first contact."

This is a picture of Russ Kane Russ Kane

Russ Kane is a broadcaster, writer, performer and soon to be the Chief Barker of the Variety Club of Great Britain.

"My advice is for the performer to contact the charity direct to speak to them and understand from their perspective what might be the most effective way of going forward.

"At the Variety Club we are known for the many superb events we produce and we are always on the look-out for new, fresh ideas to make that event even more memorable. A performer may have a fabulous idea we could incorporate to everyone's advantage - us, the performer and most importantly, the children that we help.

"Of course, if a performer wants to make a donation then that's great - and always very much appreciated. If you want to produce your own event, then by all means contact the charity involved as they may have a lot of experience that can help you maximise the success of the project. For instance, our team of experts is always ready to lend their skills to yours so that you can raise as much money as possible.

"But whatever you do, we thank you for considering us and are really grateful for your time and effort."

John sums up

At the risk of introducing a touch of the bah humbugs into an otherwise very worthy query, I should mention it is undeniable that some performers at the early stages of their career - and perhaps even at 'valley' periods of later careers - become involved in fundraising events, not so much because they are deeply enthused by the issue or specifically need being fundraised for as by the fact that it is an opportunity to get exposure somewhat higher than they might be able to achieve on their own merits. If you are approached to do a fundraising or awareness-raising gig, it helps a lot if you are familiar with the organisation it is for, particularly if there is any kind of political connotation to the show. Knowing something about the issue will give you a degree of sincerity which can only help to make the whole show better, and more importantly, you won't suddenly find you're supporting an organisation with views exactly the opposite to the ones you hold, or worse, the views of the group whose fundraiser you compered last week.

* Contact the Children’s Society on 0207 841 4420, www.childrenssociety.org.uk

* Contact the Variety Club at www.varietyclub.org.uk

* Feedback/queries are welcome to dearjohn@thestage.co.uk