The episode also takes you through The Actors Fund Credit Accounts Organizer, a self-assessment tool which will give you a simplified snapshot of your pertinent credit and debt information. Credit is important in today’s world, and responsible use of credit offers many valuable options that can improve your financial life. For many people in the entertainment industry, credit is the tool that you use to ensure lifestyle continuity – in other words, paying your bills and putting food on the table when you’re in between jobs. When you use your available credit it becomes debt, which can limit your options and create undue financial pressure. This segment will not only help you to determine if you have a debt problem, but also to establish a stable method of managing your overall credit health.

You can view all seven episodes in the Podcast Series on The Actors Fund website.

The Actors Fund would like to extend special thanks to those individuals who graciously donated their time and resources to this series. Chaim Cantor, President of the New York Chapter of the IATSE Local 600 Cinematographers Union, who recruited the fabulous crew: Peter Barrow, Desirée Oritz, Glynis Burke, Annette Lian-Williams, Russell Costanzo, Mitch Jacobsen, and Alyssa Trumper. The Fund also thanks scriptwriter and WGA member Halayne Eherneberg, as well our fabulous SAG actors: Diedre Goodwin, Michael Iannucci, Nancy Johnston, and Michael McCoy.

In this eight minute video, Michael McCoy covers some of the challenges people working in performing arts and entertainment face when trying to balance variable income and expenses, and also touches briefly on important tax issues. A performing artist’s financial life is complex, so it’s easy to get confused when trying to organize your money. This podcast will help you distinguish between regular and irregular income, and determine what this means for building yourself a financial cushion, saving for periodic expenses and investing for your future. The overall goal of the Financial Wellness series? Establishing a stable method of managing your finances!

The Actors Fund Podcast Series is based on workshops that are presented regularly at The Actors Fund’s New York and Los Angeles offices. Geared towards assisting entertainment and performing arts professionals, these videos are for you! The rest of series is available on our website – and be sure to check back for our next installment!

The Actors Fund would like to extend special thanks to those individuals who graciously donated their time and resources to this series. Chaim Cantor, President of the New York Chapter of the IATSE Local 600 Cinematographers Union, who recruited the fabulous crew: Peter Barrow, Desirée Oritz, Glynis Burke, Annette Lian-Williams, Russell Costanzo, Mitch Jacobsen, and Alyssa Trumper. The Fund also thanks scriptwriter and WGA member Halayne Eherneberg, as well our fabulous SAG actors: Diedre Goodwin, Michael Iannucci, Nancy Johnston, and Michael McCoy. Visit www.actorsfund.org to learn more about the series and to view the latest podcast.

Caroline Parrone: Auction Guru and Young Professional!

Meet Caroline Parrone, a part of our events team here at The Actors Fund. In addition to managing our Auction of 1,000 Stars (voice lesson with Barbara Cook, anyone?), Caroline is behind The Fund’s newest undertaking, Young Professionals, which offers 21–39 year olds an opportunity to support the performing arts, and enjoy a cocktail or two as well! We asked Caroline to share some details about the YP’s, and…

What can members of the Young Professionals expect and look forward to? The new Young Professionals of The Actors Fund can expect to be offered great opportunities to explore all types of performing art forms that may have seemed out of reach, out of price range and out of age range. We plan to offer events in film, theatre, dance, opera, music and more, as well as networking, volunteer days and opportunities to meet new people with similar interests. They will also gain knowledge about The Fund and its programming to better inform themselves and their friends in the performing arts profession.

When’s the first big YP shin-dig? Our first event will be a “Get to Know You” networking event on Wednesday, March 7^th at 7pm. We will send out more information soon!

What’s the last book you read? I am currently reading The Paris Wife by Paula McLain – I was never a big Ernest Hemingway fan, so I thought this book, told from his wife’s perspective, would be an interesting read – and it is! (Although I am still no fan of Hemingway)

Who plays you in your big screen biopic and why? Hopefully some Young Professional who will “make it big” due to her break out role as Caroline Parrone!

What’s your Oscar pick for best picture this year? Billy Crystal for everything! I love him and I am excited he is hosting this year – it means I will actually watch the show!

What’s the last film you saw in a movie theatre? I saw War Horse and the new Muppet movie in the same week… I laughed, I cried.

Give us your shameless plug for the next Auction of 1,000 Stars! The next Auction of 1,000 Stars will be filled with unique experiences, celebrity meet & greets, Broadway walk-ons and so much more! Since 2000, the Auction has raised more than 2 million dollars in much needed revenue, allowing our incredible team of social workers to help nearly 12.500 people in performing arts and entertainment in need, crisis or transition. So keep an eye out for the next auction! I have a feeling 2012 will be our best event yet!

The Young Professionals of The Actors Fund aims to reach out to performing arts advocates & enthusiasts in their 20s and 30s, and to encourage their involvement and support of The Actors Fund. Our hope is to engage a younger generation of supporters by increasing awareness of The Fund through events, outreach and volunteer opportunities. Young Professionals membership includes an invitation to an Actors Fund YP members-only cocktail party, discounts on YP event tickets, access to other Actors Fund event tickets and discounts to select Special Performances. For more information on how you can become part of the Young Professionals, visit our website or send an email to yp@actorsfund.org.

Are you working in comedy? Do you want to help shape the future of The American Comedy Fund, how it works and how it will be able to help you and your peers? Take The Comedians Survey before January 20, 2012!

In the spring of 2011, Comedy Central, in partnership with the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF) initiated The American Comedy Fund, establishing the first-ever fund dedicated exclusively to supporting the comedy community. Administered by The Actors Fund and the Motion Picture & Television Fund (MPTF), the American Comedy Fund will privide much-needed social services, emergency assistance, health care, insurance, housing and employment and training services for those comedic performers who qualify during times of need, crisis or transition.

In order to better serve the community and to help shape the services The American Comedy Fund intends to provide, The Actors Fund is conducting a survey of comedians to better understand the life and challenges of those working in the field. So far, almost 400 comedians have taken this survey, so if you haven’t we’d love to have you participate, and encourage you to spread the word. Your responses will help shape the future of the fund!

To access the survey go to: www.ComediansSurvey.org. For more information on the survey, please contact Judy Rosch at 917.281.5988 or jrosch@actorsfund.org.

Residents and guests enjoy the Holiday performance in the The Lillian Booth Actors Home's MusiCares Salon. Photo by Karissa Krenz.

The Holiday festivities at The Actors Fund’s Lillian Booth Actors Home continued on December 15th, when more than 90 family members and friends joined residents for the annual Holiday Party. There was fabulous food, as well as entertainment by American Guild of Variety Artists members Betsy DiLellio, Darryl Reuben Hall, Kelly Briscoe and Ron Brooks. The party wrapped up after performances by a few of the residents, which included a sing-along that featured some of the song suggestions we’ve received from you over the past few weeks.

Additionally, two of the day’s visitors were from The Wall Street Journal – writer Lizzie Simon and photographer Claudio Papapietro – who filed a wonderful on The Home, which appeared in the paper on December 23rd. Download a pdf from our website here.

A wonderful time was had by all – check out the video below for some of the sights and sounds from the party!

The Lillian Booth Actors Home of The Actors Fund is a state-of-the-art an assisted living and skilled nursing facility  in Englewood, NJ, for everyone who has dedicated their lives to performing arts and entertainment. Click here to learn more about The Home and its services.

Howard McGillin with Lillian Booth Actors Home resident Jennie Shulman

It’s been an especially eventful December at the Lillian Booth Actors Home (more to come next week!). On December 5th, John Erman (our fabulous Actors Fund supporter who donates his time and talent to make special monthly visits by celebrities and entertainment legends possible) and Tony and Drama Desk Award nominee Howard McGillin stopped by The Home to spend some time with the residents. Set to be seen as Frank Crawley in the upcoming production of Rebecca at the Broadhurst Theatre, Howard spoke about his life in the industry, which includes his record-setting run as the longest running Phantom of the Opera on Broadway. He also treated the residents to a few show-stopping tunes, accompanied by pianist Joseph Thalken.

Howard with resident Gordon Connell

And just in case you want to see the show Howard dedicated so much of his career to, The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway is about to become the first production ever to hit 10,000 performances on February 11, 2012. Amazingly, that record-setting event will benefit The Actors Fund! Don’t miss it – visit our website for tickets.

The Actors Fund’s Lillian Booth Actors Home is an assisted living and skilled nursing care facility that provides a comfortable living environment on six acres of property in Englewood, New Jersey. Click here to learn more about The Home and its services.

The Book of Mormon cast with Actors Fund Trustee Bebe Neuwirth before the December 7th Special Performance. Photo by Jay Brady.

This past week also featured two fabulous Actors Fund Special Performances, the amazingly electric shows that have been a popular part of the entertainment community for more than 80 years. Each year, Broadway companies in New York and on the road add an additional performance to one of their already exhausting eight-show weeks. Everyone involved – actors, musicians, crew, ushers, and more – generously donate their time so that all proceeds go to support The Actors Fund.

On December 7th, The Book of Mormon – the Tony-winning can’t-get-tickets-to-it show – finally had a chance to give its Special Performance, as the original date in September fell victim to the wrath of Hurricane Irene. An excited audience packed the Eugene O’Neill Theatre a Wednesday at 1pm, and in a single matinee the show’s team raised $250,000 to support The Fund’s programs and services! Andrew Rannells (Elder Price), followed the curtain call with this heartfelt curtain speech:

The company of Anything Goes. Photo by Jay Brady.

A few days later, the Roundabout Theatre Company‘s production of Anything Goes gave a spectacular Sunday night performance to a sold-out house, featuring the ailing Sutton Foster’s understudy Kristen Beth Williams. After the show, Tony and Oscar–winning legend Joel Grey gave one of the most incredible Actors Fund curtain speeches to date, kicking off with a little Cabaret treat. He went on to talk about his amazing Actors Fund Special Performance history (which began with Cabraret in the 1960s), then read an emotional text from Sutton Foster, who had so wished she could be there, which thanked Kristen for stepping in with her wonderful interpretation of Reno Sweeney.

The Fund would like to thank the actors, musicians, stage managers, theater managers, company managements, and the many others that are part of both of these wonderful shows – and all of the productions that offer Special Performances – for donating their time so that all proceeds go to The Actors Fund.

We can’t wait for January’s upcoming Special Performances of Follies (January 15) and Relatively Speaking (January 29), and are looking forward to the many, many more to come! To purchase tickets to these or any of our upcoming events benefiting The Fund, visit our website.

This episode features SAG and Actors’ Equity member Nancy Johnston, who you’ve seen on Broadway in The Secret Garden, The Music Man, and Elf, as well nationally in countless regional theatre productions and as Hold Me Touch Me in The Producers First National Tour. “The Actors Fund pulled me out of the fire on three occasions,” says Nancy. “Whenever I’m in a show and the time comes to raise money for The Fund, I always volunteer to spearhead those campaigns. And when Tim Pinckney called me about this project, I said, ‘Oh yes, what hoop can I jump through for you!’ It comes right back — it’s paying it forward.”

The rest of The Actors Fund Podcast Series is available on our website. And check back for our next installment!

The Actors Fund would like to extend special thanks to those individuals who graciously donated their time and resources to this series. Chaim Cantor, President of the New York Chapter of the IATSE Local 600 Cinematographers Union, who recruited the fabulous crew: Peter Barrow, Desirée Oritz, Glynis Burke, Annette Lian-Williams, Russell Costanzo, Mitch Jacobsen, and Alyssa Trumper. The Fund also thanks scriptwriter and WGA member Halayne Eherneberg, as well our fabulous SAG actors: Diedre Goodwin, Michael Iannucci, Nancy Johnston, and Michael McCoy. Visit www.actorsfund.org to learn more about the series and to view the latest podcast.

World AIDS Day 2011 marks the 30th year of the fight against HIV/AIDS, the tragic pandemic that continues to affect the lives of millions of people around the world. To commemorate those we’ve lost and to support the many living and coping with the disease, The Actors Fund HIV/AIDS Initiative commissioned this special poster by graphic designer Craig Russell. A client of the Initiative who generously volunteered his services, the empty chair encourages us to take a moment to remember the many people in the entertainment community we’ve lost to AIDS, from performers to patrons.

Throughout his graphic design career, Craig has worked with a numerous organizations, spending the bulk of his time with Channel 13/WNET Television. He has served on the National Board of Directors of The Graphic Artists Guild, done projects with Mary Corliss at MOMA’s Film Stills Archive, and did a series of five large pastel promo portraits of Katharine Hepburn for the Quad Cinema’s renovation, about which Hepburn wrote in a letter that he made her look “G** damned whiiZZingly fascinating!”

Additionally, the staff of The Actors Fund’s HIV/AIDS Initiative took some time out for this special World AIDS Day 2011 video message, embedded below.

The Actors Fund HIV/AIDS Initiative works with men and women in the entertainment industry to create confidential, holistic plans and support systems that will meet each person’s emotional, medical and financial needs over the long term. Our experienced Social Workers provide case management, advocacy, crisis intervention, individual and group counseling, financial assistance, financial management skills development, and referrals to community resources. For more information, visit www.actorsfund.org.

Tony winners Chita Rivera & John Cullum

On Monday morning, a few of us were fortunate enough to get a first look at rehearsals for the highly-anticipated one-night-only production of The Visit, a benefit performance for The Actors Fund and Vineyard Theatre at the Ambassador Theatre on November 30, 2011. The cast and creative team took time out from their jam-packed rehearsal schedule to perform three numbers from the show, which featured Tony winners Chita Rivera and John Cullum, as well as appearances by some the incredible talent behind the production: book writer Terrence McNally, composer John Kander, choreographer Ann Reinking, and concert director Carl Andress (lyricist Fred Ebb was, of course, there in spirit).

We shot a little video of the event, so be sure to check out the sneak peek below, and if you’d like to purchase tickets, head on over to The Actors Fund’s website. It’s also not too late to participate in our Facebook ticket giveaway, which is running until November 28, 2011. And don’t miss the event’s coverage in the Broadway press, including Playbill and Broadway World (photos and video).

Many thanks to the incredibly talented cast, crew and musicians, all of whom are donating their time for the benefit. In addition to Ms. Rivera and Mr. Cullum, The Visit features Lina Balgord, D.B. Bonds, Matthew Deming, Alan H. Green, James Harms, Michael Hayward-Jones, Joy Hermalym, Howard Kaye, Doug Kreeger, Mary Ann Lamb, Jerry Lanning, Ryan Lowe, Brianne Moore, Karen Murphy, Brian O’Brien, Kevin Reed, Hal Robinson, Dana Steingold, Rebegga Strimaitis, Jeremy Webb, and Tony Nominee Mark Jacoby. Special thanks, as well, to Jon Kalbfleich (musical director) and David Loud (musical supervisor and vocal/dance arranger).

John Kander, Terrence McNally, Chita Rivera, John Cullum, Ann Reinking and Carl Andress.

–Karissa Krenz