Steady Rain Smashes Fundraising Record
Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig made a unique place for themselves in the history of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS fundraising Dec. 8, when it was announced that they had raised $1,549,953 in the 21st annual Gypsy of the Year competition in six weeks of curtain appeals at their hit Broadway drama, A Steady Rain.
The figure is not only the most ever collected by a single show in the history of BC/EFA fundraisers, but totaled more than was raised in entire Broadway-wide Gypsy of the Year events in any of its first nine years.
To a standing ovation, Jackman thanked "all [the people] we bullied, cajoled and slept with" to collect the money.
The Steady Rain bonanza boosted the 2009 Gypsy of the Year total to a record $4,630,695, far outdistancing the previous record of $3,927,000 set in pre-Recession 2007. This year's event was held Dec. 7 and 8 at the Palace Theatre, and was hosted by Julie White and Seth Rudetsky.
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Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig Are Fundraising Champs
Tony Award winner Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig are film stars, acclaimed stage actors and, now, the top fundraising team in the history of the annual Gypsy of the Year competition.
The duo, who co-starred in the recent Broadway hit A Steady Rain, were presented with the All-Time Top Fundraising Award at the Dec. 8 Gypsy competition, held this year at the Palace Theatre. In fact, Jackman and Craig raised a whopping $1,549,952 for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. (The 21st annual competition brought in an all-time record total of $4,630,695.)
Just how did the dynamic duo manage this feat? What follows are just a few of their fundraising methods:
# Autographed posters for $300 apiece; signed Playbills for $60 each.
# Jackman and Craig's T-shirts, which were worn during the show, fetched anywhere from $3,000 to $5,000 nightly.
# Backstage photographs with any audience member willing to make a $2,000 donation to BC/EFA. There were as many as ten people a night posing with the stars.
# Bucket collections in the lobby of the theatre.
The all-time high for one performance, it should be noted, was $64,850. At that Dec. 3 performance, three autographed t-shirts sold for $12,000 each.
Helping Jackman and Craig raise this extraordinary amount were stage managers Michael Passaro and Pat Sosnow as well as the crew, dressers, security, front-of-house personnel and stage door men.
In a statement Tom Viola, executive director of BC/EFA, said, "Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig are extraordinary men. Their goodwill and outstanding generosity of time and energy will be the stuff of legend."
A Steady Rain marked the Broadway debut of Craig, known as the latest James Bond in the famed film series. In London he has worked with the Royal National Theatre (Angels in America), the Peter Hall Company at the Old Vic (Hurlyburly), and he was nominated for a 2002 London Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actor for his performance in A Number at the Royal Court Theatre. His film credits include "Defiance," "Quantum of Solace," "Flashbacks of a Fool," "The Golden Compass," "The Invasion," "Casino Royale," "Infamous" and "Renaissance," among others.
Jackman, who was recently seen on screen in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," earned a Tony Award for his work in the Broadway musical The Boy From Oz. He is also known for his film roles in the "X-Men" trilogy, "Someone Like You," "Swordfish," "Kate and Leopold," "Van Helsing" and the recent "The Fountain" and "Happy Feet" (in voice). His stage credits also include Trevor Nunn's staging of Oklahoma! at Britain's National Theatre and award-winning work in productions of Sunset Boulevard and Beauty and the Beast in his homeland.
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BC/EFA is the nation's leading industry-based, nonprofit AIDS fundraising and grant-making organization. By drawing upon the talents, resources and generosity of the American theatre community, BC/EFA raises funds for AIDS-related causes and other critical illnesses across the United States. Since its founding in 1988, BC/EFA has raised over $170 million dollars for critically needed services for people with AIDS and other serious illnesses. BC/EFA is the major supporter of seven programs at The Actors Fund – including The AIDS Initiative, The Phyllis Newman Women's Health Initiative, The Al Hirschfeld Free Health Clinic, The Dancers' Resource and three supportive housing residences.
BC/EFA also awards annual grants to over 400 AIDS and family service organizations nationwide. For more information visit
www.BroadwayCares.org.
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