Theatre--Public Service

Left to right:  Walter Brown (president of AUI) Amy Fusilier (Lafayette Branch Manager of Second Harvest Food Bank) and Ruth Diaz (project director of AUI's production of Bat Boy: The Musical)

Today, Acting Unlimited, Inc. (AUI) presented Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana with a check to provide nearly 3,000 meals in the Lafayette community. The presentation was made by Walter Brown, AUI President at Second Harvest Food Bank located at 215 E. Pinhook Road. 

When Acting Unlimited, Inc. held auditions for Bat Boy: The Musical in April 2010, the explosion aboard the Deepwater Horizon was only a week in the future. Throughout the rehearsal process for the musical, the national and local news were both filled with the repercussions of that disaster, including the plight of the residents of the coastal communities. The issue of economic problems was also a deep theme in Bat Boy, and that parallel gave the president of AUI an idea that would allow him to fulfill a dream that he had had for years.

"Independent theatre companies need to be deeply connected to the communities they serve," says Walter Brown, AUI president and director of Bat Boy: The Musical. "Knowing that there was a part of the local community that was facing the disruption of their entire lives and lifestyles because of the oil escape provided me with a chance for the theatre community to give back to the area. And because there was a connection to the story that we were working on, it provided a chance for the cast and crew to experience the real effects of having to change a community's whole way of living."

In searching for a charity which would serve the people affected by the oil spill, Brown believed the partnership with Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana was a perfect fit. Second Harvest Food Bank serves the 23 coastal parishes in Louisiana from the Texas boarder to the Mississippi boarder. The organization works through food distribution, advocacy, education and disaster response to fight the everyday disaster of hunger. 

AUI donated $725, their proceeds from one performance of Bat Boy: The Musical to Second Harvest. With every dollar donated, Second Harvest Food Bank can feed a family of four. The $725 that AUI raised will have far reaching effects on the community resulting in nearly 3,000 meals. 

“It is easy for one individual to have a large impact in the fight against hunger,” says Amy Fuselier, Lafayette Branch Manager of Second Harvest Food Bank. “Anyone can help by donating time, food or funds.” 

AUI is currently working on new projects and plans to make charitable donations a part of every productions. 

“We hope that additional companies will follow AUI’s lead in supporting Second Harvest,” added Fuselier. 

To contact Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana, visit their website at www.no-hunger.org or call the office at 337-408-2465.