“525,600 minutes, how do you measure a year in the life?” is the thought-provoking question from the iconic and award-winning musical “Rent”. This question from the beautiful, “Seasons of Love” is what prompted our choir, The Do Your Thing Virtual Choir, to create our fourth fundraising video since lockdown began on 23rd March 2020. 

The questions raised in this song seem so relevant at this time for all of us who are living in this pandemic. As a choir this has been a song we have enjoyed performing for many years but like so many songs now, the lyrics have taken on an entirely new meaning due to the effects of COVID-19, and it now this feels like the right song at the right time.

Our Virtual Choir community reflects the wider community in that our members include key workers, working parents trying to homeschool, members who have had to shield/isolate, members who themselves have contracted COVID-19, and tragically friends they have lost. However, there has also been a lighter side of lockdown life - Joe Wicks’s workouts, copious amounts of coffee (or something stronger) being drunk, Netflix box sets and of course the joys and difficulties of Zoom! We were keen to portray all of the colours of lockdown in this video as they reflect upon this past year.

As a choir, we have always chosen to support charities we have a strong connection with in our fundraising efforts, and this one is certainly no exception. Having enjoyed many performances on theatre stages ourselves, we are keen to support the theatre and performing arts industry, which has been devastated since the theatres closed indefinitely. The shutting down of these venues has had an enormous impact on thousands of people working in the industry, many of whom are freelancers who haven’t been able to receive any kind of support from the UK Government. 

We really wanted to find a charity that supported these people and we are delighted to be supporting the “Acting for Others” charity, made up of 14 individual theatrical charities. Since the beginning of the pandemic, these 14 charities have offered emotional and financial support, welfare and benefit advice and worked closely to support over 5000 theatre workers in need, becoming the go to charity for the theatrical industry. I really hope we can raise lots of money for this wonderful cause and help those left devastated by the pandemic in the performing arts industry.

Thank you for your support. Liz Taylor, Founder and MD of Do Your Thing and Do Your Thing Virtual Choirs.

To see our video please go to: https://youtu.be/VlhuFg1XZns