Celeb Cause - An Indoor Picnic and Cabaret - Sydney - Has Ended

Directed by Stuart Maunder Written by David Mitchell Musical Direction by Michael Tyack

Get together a group, bring a picnic basket and join many of the entertainment industry’s finest for a sparkling night of cabaret at Cause Celeb – An Indoor Picnic and Cabaret on Sunday, 7 September at The Opera Centre, Surry Hills.

CAUSE CELEB will trace in song and story the seven decades of Sydney entertainment since the foundation of the Actors Benevolent Fund.  The glory days of the Tivoli, The big JCW musicals, The Phillip Street revues, The STC, Ensemble, Nimrod, Stables and Belvoir.  Musical highlights from each era, will be recreated by some of the stars who made them happen.

The glittering cast of performers for the night include iOTA, Paul Capsis, Jonathan Biggins, Christine Anu, Mitchell Butel, Simon Burke, Genevieve Lemon, Christine Douglas, Peter Carroll, Noeline Brown, Donna Lee, Georgie Parker, Katrina Retallick, Trevor Ashley, Chloe Dallimore, Helen Dallimore, Angela Ayers, Tyran Parke, Geraldine Turner, Maria Venuti, Jackie Love, Margi De Ferranti, Garry Scale, Laura Murphy, Blake Bowden and many more.

All proceeds for this unique event will benefit The Actors Benevolent Fund (ABF), a non-profit charitable organization and is administered entirely by a Management Committee of volunteers from the entertainment industry. The Fund’s function is to provide assistance to professional performers, who due to injury, illness or disability are unable to work, either temporarily or in some cases for the rest of their lives.

“The idea of actors performing to help their own was pioneered in Australia by the late Gladys Moncrieff.  She gave a gala concert for fellow actors who had fallen on hard times back in the 1940s.  Since then, The Actors Benevolent Fund has helped countless actors stricken with illness and misfortune.  We’re so proud that so many in the performing arts industry are prepared to give of their time and talent to celebrate the great work of the Fund,” said David Mitchell, ABF Committee.

The night of cabaret is directed by Stuart Maunder, who has directed for all the state opera companies around Australia and was Executive Producer of Opera Australia until 2009. Stuart’s Music Theatre work includes the original Australian productions of Dusty and Little Women, and revivals of Shout!, My Fair Lady, A Little Night Music, Sunday in the Park With George and Into the Woods.