One of Prince George’s most beloved charity drives has just announced the details of its 7th campaign.
Miracle Theatre, put on annually by Ted Price and Anne Laughlin, has chosen the Prince George Share Hope Refugee Sponsorship Committee (Share Hope) as the non-profit that will be receiving the money raised this year.
All of that money will go towards helping Ukrainian refugees arrive and settle in Prince George.
Last year, the fundraiser gave over $150,000 to the Prince George Hospice House.
“What we do is contract professional actors across the country to come to Prince George, and we produce the play here for our community,” said Anne Laughlin, the Miracle Theatre Producer.
All proceeds from tickets sold and donations gathered for the play are then given to local non-profits, one or two are chosen every year.
This year, they said the choice was easy.
“You listen to the news, and you see those images,” Laughlin said. “Canada just has to help. Canada is helping, and Prince George is helping, and what we do is theatre. By doing that, we can raise money, and that money can help the Ukrainians.”
“We are blown away to be chosen as recipients for Miracle Theatre,” said Eva Gillis, the Share Hope chairperson. “This is by far the largest fundraiser event that is being done for us.”
She said Share Hope offers a minimum of three months of support to families coming to Prince George to flee the war in Ukraine.
“We respond to their cries for help,” said Gillis. “Other groups in Canada are sending people to us because they know Prince George is taking anybody. We don’t say no to anybody, we haven’t had to say no, we don’t want to say no.”
So far, Gillis said they have helped bring 124 Ukrainians to Prince George, with 74 more potentially on the way.
“In November alone, there are seven more families coming,” she said. “Some are couples, some are with children, some are single. When you hear their horrible stories, of course, how could you not help them to come.”
A family of eight is one of the latest to arrive, Gillis added Share Hope is in desperate need of a place for them to live.
The money will go a long way.
Gillis said depending on the size of a family, flights from Ukraine to Prince George alone can cost up to $10,000.
Lena Kyrylenko was one of many Ukrainian refugees at the announcement, she came to Prince George with her family of four. She was a school teacher in Ukraine.
“When we came here we were blown away by how supportive and welcoming the community of Prince George is,” she said. “We are honored to be here and have met so many great people.”
“I think any financial help would be a great help to anybody trying to leave Ukraine right now… If it was not for Share Hope, I do not know what we would have done.”
This year’s play is called Dancing Lessons, a romantic comedy by American writer Mark St. Germain.
“It has been a great hit everywhere it has played and been produced,” said Ted Price, the Director and Designer for Miracle Theatre. “It is very funny, very touching, uplifting, and it just tells a hell of a good story.”
Dancing lessons is about an unlikely couple, a geo-scientist and a professional dancer who are neighbors.
He said actors from across Canada will come to Prince George to put on the production, auditions will begin soon.
This year will see the production held in a brand new venue, the Knox Performance Space, which is being renovated right now.
Price said the new space is not designed with theatre in mind and transforming it into one will be a lot of work, but that they are experienced after hosting the show in the art space above Books and Company – “which is just a big open room.”
“We have all the materials needed to create tiered seating, a stage, a set. We know what is involved to do that, we have done conversions in other communities as well, it is almost a specialty. We think the space has a ton of potential.”
“It is for such an important cause,” he said, in closing. “There is a lot of donor fatigue, we really recognize that. All we are asking is you to come out and have a good time with this wonderful play, and you are helping the people of Ukraine.”
Tickets for the show will come on sale at Books and Company in the new year, but they will also be available at Studio Fair this weekend. They are $35 each.
Miracle Theatre has a large team of volunteers already, but more people can offer their services on their website here.