Grange Park Opera

J.R. Ballantyne, Chorus: In light of all the uncertainty caused by the current lay of the land, I just want to say how much I deeply appreciate your generosity. Your Artist in Need Fund could not have come at a better time for me. It will help to support me in my creative endeavours of eventually returning to the U.K. to seek artistic employment once our world and industry recovers.

Michael Burke, Chorus: Please pass on my sincere thanks to Wasfi and all those at Grange Park Opera who have allowed us to be paid something towards this season. It is a most kind gesture and will really help to keep me going over the summer period even if it is likely to be a real financial struggle

Cody Austin, Principal, La Bohème: I do sincerely appreciate this gesture by Grange Park Opera. Thank you.

Sohpie Timms, Chorus: I just wanted to send a quick email to say how grateful I am for this payment from the Artiste in Need Fund – it is very welcome at this time and has made a huge difference to me and ensuring that I am able to make it through this period.

John Holland Avery, Chorus: With all the uncertainty going on, what Grange Park Opera has achieved by paying the below charitable sum is indeed immense and miraculous to hear. I am so immensely grateful to belong to the Grange Park Opera family. Please pass on my gratitude to other Grange Park Opera staff if possible. I’m looking after my 81 year old healthy father and fellow family members, so this money is very gratefully received whilst I get online teaching built up.

Jackie Holt, Costume Supervisor: Thank you for this, that’s a very lovely gift in these strange times.

Roberto Abate, stand-in Principal: I wanted to send a quick email to say a big thank you for this generous payment, and for including me in this scheme even though I was only due to play a small part in the 2020 season.

Catrin Woodruff, Chorus: I just wanted to write to say thank you so much for pulling together this Artiste in Need Fund in what are truly unprecedented and uncertain times. It is such a shame that we won’t be able to create this summer’s season together, but this gesture of kindness and generosity is truly a ray of hope and happiness, and will make a huge difference to me as I navigate the financial side of lockdown life. Thank you for inviting me into the Grange Park Opera family – I’m very sad we won’t be starting next week as planned, but look forward to that bright new day on the horizon.

Philip Wilcock, Chorus: I’m writing to thank you, and everyone at Grange Park Opera, for the generosity, forward thinking and kindness you’ve shown in making the payments you’ve made today. Not every company has been able to show this level of compassion for artists, technicians and other freelancers who are facing significant losses due to the pandemic and your actions today will go a long way to supporting the people who work (or were due to work!) for you.

Matthew Howard, Chorus: Thank you so much for this, that’s incredibly thoughtful.

John Nicoll, Stage Manager: Thank you, thank you, thank you. I really wasn’t expecting anything, but cannot tell you how thankful I am for this.

Gianluca Marciano, Conductor: Thank you VERY much!!!

Tom Marshall, Sound Designer: What a marvellous surprise this was to read. Like everyone I wasn’t expecting this in the slightest and with everything that’s going on right now it comes as a very welcome relief. Thank you for your kindness and generosity and I look forward to the day we can all create theatre again soon.

Shem Hamilton, Principal, Meet Me in St Louis:  I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for this extremely kind gesture amongst this peculiar time. I am devastated that I could not be a part of the Grange Park Opera summer season this year and was so excited! From the kindness I’ve received from everyone on the team thus far, I know it would’ve been a brilliant experience. Hopefully, one day our paths will cross again…. But until then, I wish you all safety and my best wishes.

David Shipley, Principal, La Bohème: Many thanks for this, very much appreciated.

Eleanor Jones, Chorus: Thank you so much for your email and for managing to secure this discretionary artiste fund. It is an incredible source of help and comfort at the time and I very much appreciate it.   Please pass on my heartfelt thanks to all involved.

Mark Bonney, Chorus: That is indeed very kind and thoughtful, and much appreciated during these times!!

Jack Sheen, Assistant Conductor: This really is incredibly generous and will help a lot over what is set to be a few months of uncertainty.

John Ieuan Jones, Chorus: Thank you so much for this, it was greatly received and very much appreciated!

Benjie del Rosario, Chorus: I know you didn’t have to do anything like this but this single payment is extremely generous of you. It will help me tremendously financially and I am most grateful to you for setting up the emergency fund.

 Valeria Bettini, Assistant Stage Manager: The care and concern that you have given towards the freelancers in the industry is outstanding, and I think it speaks volumes about Grange Park Opera as a company that puts people first.

Alish Tynan, Principal, La Bohème: It is so lovely of you guys to be doing this!

Emily Goodenough, Assistant Choreographer, Meet Me in St Louis:  I am honestly flabbergasted by the generosity at Grange Park Opera, it is so kind.

Deborah Andrews, Costume Supervisor: Thank you very much for this payment.

Rosanna Harris, Chorus: What can I say? Thank you, thank you, thank you! The most amazing email to receive in this dark time. This generous gift will make all the difference to me financially in this difficult and uncertain time. It won’t be forgotten.

Jessica Costello, Chorus: Wow.  Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.   I love you guys, and I am beyond honoured to be a part of the Grange Park Opera family. I am always here to help out, no matter what, during this difficult time. I’m very much going to miss seeing your faces this season. I so hope to be able to be part of another magical season again in the future! Forza forza forza!!

Thomas-Lee Kidd, Chorus: I just wanted to drop you a message to say a huge thank you to yourself and everyone at Grange Park Opera for your generous grant. It has helped me and many others out considerately in these challenging times.

Laura Pitt Pulford, Principal, Meet Me in St Louis: I just wanted to let you know how grateful I am for this.  It was totally unexpected but so so appreciated.  In such crazy times it has made a huge difference.  I am very sad that we will no longer be able to do the show as I was so looking forward to it.

Benjamin Cox, Repetiteur: This is such a wonderful surprise, given we weren’t expecting anything. Thank you to all those who have made this possible; it is enormous help indeed during this bleak time.

Andrew Watts, Principal, The Life & Death Alexander Litvinenko: Thanks you very much

Nick Lodge, Sound Operator: Thank you all so much. It was such a shock to get this email and a huge act of kindness. I think it is very telling how different companies are treating people at the moment and what you have done will help me massively and I won’t forget it.

James Ballantyne & Samantha Hull, Chorus: Bernard, that’s so kind. What a lovely, lovely gesture. This shall not go unremembered.

Thorvald Blough, Chorus: Thank you so much for this email. I am so grateful to you, Wasfi Kani, and Helen Sennett for such a generous contribution to an artist in need. It means a huge amount to me at this time and really will help make the difference. So I thank you very kindly

Sofia Buchanan, Stage Technician: I’m sorry about this season, I was greatly looking forward to it and seeing everyone again. Thank you for the email and I’m very grateful.

Joelle Dyson, Chorus: Once again, thank you so much for your generosity. This will help immensely and I am so very grateful. Please keep safe, and I hope you and your loved ones are all well.

 Nicole Finneran, Chorus: I just want to express my deepest gratitude to you and everyone at Grange Park Opera for your unprecedented generosity during these uncertain times. I am so grateful for your kindness and I hope we get to meet and work together in the future. Sending nothing but well wishes to you and the whole team and may our paths cross again in the future.

Wendy Griffin Reid, Stage Manager: How extraordinary. How magical, and how honoured I feel to be a part of such a wonderful family/company. I am slightly tearful for receiving such a kind and, in the light of these difficult circumstances, such a generous gift. Your thoughtfulness is SO appreciated.

Felicity Jones, Wardrobe Maker: The news of a payment from a fund via the grange park opera would be very much appreciated in these crazy times. I thank you and the team for spending the time in arranging this. I very much appreciate the support. I hope you are well and send my best to all the team, doing there bit remotely.

Samantha Kerrison, Stage Management, Meet Me in St Louis: Oh wow! Thank you. That is very generous of the company

Emma Mockett, Chorus: This is amazing news

Gyula Nagy, Principal, La Bohème: I hope you are all keeping safe and healthy. Thank you very much for the email and for offering your help with this amount, it is really generous from you all. Me, and my family with the newborn, do appreciate it, it is a big help.

Lateef Oshinowo, Stage Technician: Bernard, I thank you and everyone at Grange Park Opera for this life line. Grange Park Opera didn’t need to do this but did and that’s what make you brilliant people. Much appreciated

Kimberley Raw, Chorus: I wish you could see my face, I’m beaming! This was the best email I could have opened today. Thank you so very much to you all for your kind generosity towards the 2020 Grange Park Opera company. I am so thankful and grateful for this gesture and I so greatly appreciate this. I also really appreciate having been given the opportunity to sing with Grange Park Opera in the first place and I hope that in the future I may have the opportunity to do so again. It is such a difficult time for everyone but one of the groups who have especially struggled during this awful time are those who face financial difficulties and with such  uncertainty this really will go such a long way in levitating some of the financial stresses I faced in the coming months as a self-employed singer. From the bottom of my heart, thank you to you all. Stay safe.

Olivia Ray, Principal, The Life & Death Alexander Litvinenko: Thank you very much for your generosity.  It is greatly appreciated. I hope you are keeping safe and well and look forward to seeing you all on a bright new day.

Ryan Ross, Chorus: I do not know what to say except Thank You for this incredibly generous and kind gesture! I know this epidemic is unprecedented in our lifetime and cancelling the season was the only choice for everyone’s sake. I have now been employed with the company for six incredible seasons and have been fortunate to be involved with some incredible productions and two of my heros during this time. I always look forward to coming to work with the company and hope we will all get to work in another season I’m happier times. Thank you again and I look forward to seeing you all soon.

Olivia Sjöberg, Chorus: I want to thank you all for this fund. I can’t even begin to explain how incredible helpful this is going to be for me (and everyone else) during these incredibly hard times. I hope to be back at Grange Park Opera soon and that you are keeping safe.

Andrew Slater, Principal, The Life & Death Alexander Litvinenko: Brilliant, thanks Wasfi and Bernard. Tomorrow I will shout this out on Facebook, if I may. Truly an Opera family.

Rachael Speirs, Chorus: Thank you so much for your email regarding the discretionary fund for Grange Park Opera 2020. I am truly indebted to you, Helen, Wasfi and all at Grange Park Opera for giving me the opportunity to work for this company this year and I really do hope that I may be able to experience singing on the Theatre in the Woods stage at some point in the future. Please accept my deepest thanks to all involved in making the discretionary fund happen as this will make an enormous difference to me in my current financial situation.

Helen Stanley, Chorus: Thank you so much for this. It’s massively appreciated right now, and it means so much to have been looked after. Please know that it’s absolutely not taken for granted. Thanks also to Wasfi and Helen. I was gutted not to be singing with Grange Park Opera this year, and I hope there will be opportunities in the future! Hope that you and yours are keeping well.

Ben Taylor, Stage Electrician: Many thanks and great to hear Grange Park Opera are able to offer help in this difficult time. I’m sure it’s not been easy to cancel the season.

Matthew Thistleton, Chorus: This is so lovely and makes a huge difference! I really appreciate the effort that you went to for this. Thank you again and please thank the rest of the team

Alice Turner, Repetiteur: Thank you for your email and for your extremely generous offer in these really difficult times for all of us. It is greatly appreciated and it has come as a very welcome boost to an especially hard day here.

Thomas Wortley, Stage Electrician: What a welcome piece of news, and deeply reassuring: not every organisation in the performing arts is behaving in this way. Huge thanks. I suspect this kind of decency and goodwill will mean a great deal in our industry when the world starts up again.

 Judy Young, Deputy Stage Manager, La Bohème: Gosh, I’m not sure what to say to this amazing email. This is a very kind gesture indeed. I love the poem you share with us – but modestly you missed out the preceding line… you are very generous, thank you.