Canadian drama, according to some pundits, is at death’s door and the livelihoods of those who work in the industry are on the critical list. More professionals in the film and TV industry are looking for short-term financial assistance than ever before and the situation is only going to get worse, says the executive director of the Actors’ Fund, an organization that helps those in need.

‘People are in deeper trouble than they have ever been before,’ says David Hope.

The fund, established in 1958 to provide short-term emergency assistance to professionals working in all sectors of the entertainment industry – not just performers – gave $236,000 to those in need last year, a record 60% increase from the year before.

While the fiscal year doesn’t end until March 31, 2004, Hope predicts this year’s numbers will be even higher. ‘No one knows what the future holds, but the trend appears to be upwards,’ he says.

The precipitous decline in drama stems from multiple factors including cuts to the Canadian Television Fund, changing of federal regulations on broadcasters relating to dramatic production and the collapse of international markets for North American programming.

Hope says that people in the entertainment industry tend not to have a lot of reserves to fall back on. While the fund’s disbursement committee expects people to realize that the film and TV businesses are challenging at the best of times and expects professionals to plan for times when work is hard to find, ‘the industry has faced a dramatic downturn that no one could have foreseen,’ he says.

The fund doesn’t receive any government support and relies solely on donations and fundraising events such as the first annual More than Applause campaign held Oct. 20-26, which raised about $30,000, with receipts still being counted at press time. The campaign encouraged those working in the industry to collect donations at work and hold several small fundraising events such as Martini Madness, an event organized by Theatre Cares in Vancouver. The More than Applause benefit in Toronto, organized by actress and fund board member Avery Saltzman and actor Stephen Findlay, capped off the week.

In addition to helping those stung by declining film and TV production, the fund has traditionally also aided those coping with personal challenges.

Brenda Devine, who has been receiving assistance from the Actors’ Fund since she was diagnosed with breast cancer in fall 2001, calls the fund her ‘lifeline.’ The fund has been paying her rent, groceries and utilities for the past two years, as she hasn’t been able to work due to her illness.

‘It’s so wonderful that in the midst of the most insecure profession in the world, here is this safety net, the support of your community and your peers, and it really makes you feel like you’re not alone,’ says Devine.

Devine, whose 30-year career includes guest spots on the TV series Traders, Road to Avonlea and Street Legal and a role in the CBC series Gullage’s, admits her concern regarding the current state of Canadian film and TV.

‘It’s so scary,’ says Devine. ‘My friends keep saying I’m not missing anything because I can’t work, but the industry certainly hasn’t been as good as it was formerly, which is why to get ill at this point in my life was such a disaster and very threatening financially.’

The fund is available to help anybody who can show that he or she has been making a living in the industry for the past three years and is now in financial need. While there’s no preset maximum of financial assistance for which a person can qualify, Hope says that not every need can be met.

Hope stresses the importance of increasing people’s awareness of the fund, both for those in need and for those who are able to donate. ‘This is a community fund, and it’s really important that nobody who is really in need of help should suffer because they don’t know that the Actors’ Fund is for them,’ he says. ‘It is up to everyone to support it when and how they can.’

-www.actorsfund.ca