Overnight in March, many thousands of entertainment industry workers lost their livelihoods. A great number of them fall through gaps in the government support schemes and have no means to provide for themselves or their families. Since the lockdown began, the Equity Benevolent Fund has been dealing with more than 250 claims per week for financial support from performers and creatives who cannot afford to pay for food, utilities or other essentials.

In response to this crisis, Michelle Collins has brought together an ensemble of some of the best British acting talent under the hashtag #FortheLoveofArts, to read monologues, all between 2 and 5 minutes long and recorded at home, to raise some much-needed funds for those in need. To date, Sir Ian McKellen, Sir Derek Jacobi, Sue Johnston, Lesley Manville, Elaine Paige, Mandeep Dhillon, Joseph Fiennes, Miriam Margoyles, Michelle herself, and many others have come aboard the project. The content is produced by Debbie Gray and Sam Cornish of Genesius Pictures alongside Michelle Collins. Their monologues can be viewed on the Equity Benevolent Fund’s YouTube channel.

You can find more information on the Equity Benevolent Fund, and other ways to donate on the Equity website.