Acting is Activism
Modern drama grew out of the dramatising by amateur actors of Bible stories. Mediaeval mystery plays were Christian propaganda and none the worse for it. Great drama has sprung from great causes: from Ibsen and Arthur Miller to Marin Sherman's Bent.
Scripts with a mission aren't always successful but I've often been attracted to a part because a good point is being made amidst the theatrical or cinematic virtues of the rest of the script.
I have performed to benefit various charities, raising money or awareness. This once overlapped with my professional work, when a "one night only" revival of Bent became the 10th anniversary production at the National Theatre followed by a run in the West End.
— Ian McKellen, July 2008
Ian McKellen, David Kernan, Ned Sherrin, Keith Waterhouse, Judi Dench, Alan Bates, and Michael Williams at The Playhouse in support of Crusaid
Photo by Caz Gorham