The cast and company of the smash hit musical WICKED have hosted a green theatre day and raised over £16,500 to help the Woodland Trust plant 11,000 trees at a St Albans forest.
2017 marks the seventh year of a partnership between the long-running musical and the Woodland Trust. The partnership has raised a total of over £58,000 directly helping the Trust plant more than 39,000 trees at Heartwood Forest, St Albans.
This year saw theatregoers at the Apollo Victoria Theatre encouraged to mark the occasion with an ‘#ElphieSelfie’ snapshot of their visit in the WICKED photo booth.
The WICKED company created bespoke picture frames themed to the production, signed pictures and merchandise, as well as providing exclusive experiences – all of which were made available for auction on eBay. Experiences snapped up during the auction week included an afternoon tea with Elphaba and Glinda, a private singing workshop with the production’s Associate Musical Director, and a ‘Greenifying’ experience with the makeup department.
Woodland Trust Chief Executive Beccy Speight, said: “We are extremely grateful to the Wicked team and all the people who donated to our cause for getting more trees planted in the UK. Over the course of this partnership, the Wicked cast and company have done some amazing work to support us through their creative fundraising endeavours. It is a real achievement that they have helped us to plant 11,000 trees. A huge thank you to all those who got involved.”
Michael McCabe, Executive Producer (UK) of WICKED adds: “We are proud to support the important conservation work of The Woodland Trust through this long-standing partnership. Our heartfelt thanks goes to the entire Wicked company whose passion and creativity enable us to continue raising funds for the planting of trees at Heartwood Forest. This is a legacy project that is very important to us all.”
The WICKED team also invited the public to sign the Tree Charter – a document that was launched at Lincoln Castle on 6th November. It has already gained over 300,000 signatures from the British public and calls for better protection for our irreplaceable woodlands across UK.
Trees that have been directly funded planted by money raised by WICKED have helped turn Heartwood Forest, St Albans into a thriving wood. Over half a million trees have been planted at the forest since 2009.
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THE WOODLAND TRUST
The Woodland Trust is the largest woodland conservation charity in the UK. It has over 500,000 supporters.
The Trust has three key aims: i) protect ancient woodland which is rare, unique and irreplaceable, ii) restoration of damaged ancient woodland, bringing precious pieces of our natural history back to life, iii) plant native trees and woods with the aim of creating resilient landscapes for people and wildlife.
Established in 1972, the Woodland Trust now has over 1,000 sites in its care covering over 22,500 hectares. Access to its woods is free.
For more information visit: www.woodlandtrust.org.uk
WICKED
Based on the acclaimed novel by Gregory Maguire that ingeniously re-imagines the stories and characters created by L. Frank Baum in ‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz’, WICKED tells the incredible untold story of an unlikely but profound friendship between two sorcery students. Their extraordinary adventures in Oz will ultimately see them fulfil their destinies as Glinda The Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.
Now in its 12th year in London and acclaimed as “one of the West End’s true modern classics” (Metro), WICKED has already been seen by over 8.5 million people in London alone and is the recipient of over 100 major awards worldwide, including ten theatregoer-voted WhatsOnStage Awards (winning ‘Best West End Show’ on three occasions) and two Olivier Audience Awards in the UK.
For more information visit: www.WickedTheMusical.co.uk
WICKED: FOR GOOD.
Through its FOR GOOD programme and other charitable endeavours, WICKED is proud to support the remarkable work of the following UK charities: Anti-Bullying Alliance (ABA); the Cybersmile Foundation; the Rainbow Trust Children's Charity; Stonewall's ‘Education For All’ campaign; The Woodland Trust and the National Literacy Trust.
The production’s annual WICKED DAY supports The Woodland Trust, raising funds for the planting of trees and the creation of acres of new woodland space across the UK; and the annual Wicked Young Writer Awards champions creative writing in young people (aged 5-25) and is presented in partnership with the National Literacy Trust.
Further information can be found at www.WickedForGood.co.uk
