Coronavirus: Amazon donates £500,000 to Fleabag theatre fund
A fund set up by two Fleabag stars to support theatre workers affected by the coronavirus crisis has received a £500,000 donation from Amazon Prime Video.
Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Olivia Colman said they were “utterly blown away” by the “extraordinary” level of support.
The donation forms part of a $6m (£4.6m) commitment from the US streaming giant to support the European TV and film production sector during the Covid-19 crisis.
This includes a £1m donation to the Film and TV Charity’s Covid-19 Response to launch a new grants scheme to help the industry recover.
The £500,000 donation to the Fleabag stars’ fund will provide hardship grants to theatre workers and freelancers across the UK.
“The creative community in Europe has been vital to our success in producing high-quality Amazon Original TV series and movies for our global audience, and it is essential for us to help that community through this pandemic,” said Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon Studios.
In a joint statement Waller-Bridge, Colman and Fleabag producer Francesca Moody said the donation was a “game changer”, adding the theatre community has “never been more threatened or fragile”.
The UK’s creative industries have been badly hit by the pandemic as lockdown and social distancing measures brought production to a standstill and forced theatres to close their doors.
Last month the government unveiled a £1.57bn support package for theatres, galleries and museums, but culture secretary Oliver Dowden warned the funds would not be enough to save every job in the sector.
Amazon holds the US distribution rights to Fleabag in the US while Waller-Bridge, who is also a head writer and producer on Killing Eve, last year signed an exclusive £50m contract to make new shows for the streaming service.
The Film and TV Charity fund was established earlier this year with an initial £1m injection from Netflix, while Sky has also donated £500,000.
Alex Pumfrey, chief executive of the Film and TV Charity, welcomed the donation and said it would be used to “kick start a new fund to support the diverse talent in our industry through the recovery process”.