J.K. Rowling Joins “Cursed Child” Cast for Special Lumos Gala Performance

by , · September 19, 2016

On Saturday, September 17, Lumos launched its We Are Lumos Worldwide campaign with a special Facebook Live chat with J.K. Rowling. Yesterday, J.K. Rowling was at a special gala performance of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in aid of Lumos. The press release notes that

thanks to the generosity of the play’s producers – Sonia Friedman, Colin Callender and Harry Potter Theatrical Productions – and Lumos’ 100% Pledge, all funds raised at the gala performance will go directly to Lumos’ work to transform the lives of some of the world’s most disadvantaged children.

Before the performance, Lumos hosted a special ambassadors event to profile their work. Among the ambassadors were Potter cast members Jason Isaacs, Evanna Lynch, and Warwick Davis.

 

 

The three actors joined Lumos Chief Executive Georgette Mulheir and President of Lumos USA Billy DiMichele for a Q&A session to discuss the latest projects and the trips Lynch and Davis have made on behalf of Lumos. Mulheir also talked of the importance of raising awareness, as many people don’t understand the scale of the issue, something the current T-shirt campaign is looking to tackle.

 

 

The limited edition “Be the Change” Lumos T-shirt is currently available to buy now. Make sure you get yours before it’s too late!

Shortly after the briefing, the Cursed Child gala event commenced. Preceding the show, Rowling herself spoke to the packed Palace Theatre audience, discussing her pride in the show, how she believes she “got it right” in allowing Sonia Friedman to adapt Harry Potter for the stage, and of course, the charity’s amazing work.

Children need, deserve and have a right to families. Thank you, from everyone at Lumos, for helping us achieve our ambition of bringing eight million children back into the light. It is, to paraphrase Albus Dumbledore, not easy, but it is right.

 

 

 

Just to add to the special occasional of the gala, audiences were treated to an exclusive performance by Stuart Ramsay as Harry Potter, due to the illness of Jamie Parker. While he may have lacked some of the flair of Parker’s Harry, it was a very strong performance, not least considering the pressure of this particular event.

 

 

You can read more about the special gala performance in the press release below.

Press Release

J.K. Rowling and cast members of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on stage at a special gala performance of the play in aid of her children’s non-profit organisation, Lumos

J.K. Rowling today joined some of the cast members on stage at London’s Palace Theatre, home to the West End production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, in support of Lumos and called for an end to the separation of millions of children from families in institutions and orphanages.

Photo caption l-r Poppy Miller, Paul Thornley, Stuart Ramsey, Sam Clemmett, J.K. Rowling, Anthony Boyle, Noma Dumezweni, and Alex Price. Photo by Dave Benett / Getty Image for Lumos.

The author addressed an audience of Harry Potter fans of all ages prior to the special gala performance to benefit Lumos, the non-profit organisation she founded to help end the institutionalisation of children globally by 2050.

“Children need, deserve and have a right to families,” she said. “Thank you, from everyone at Lumos, for helping us achieve our ambition of bringing eight million children back into the light. It is, to paraphrase Albus Dumbledore, not easy, but it is right.”

Thanks to the generosity of the play’s producers - Sonia Friedman, Colin Callender and Harry Potter Theatrical Productions - and Lumos’ 100% Pledge, all funds raised at the gala performance will go directly to Lumos’ work to transform the lives of some of the world’s most disadvantaged children. The special gala performance today is one of a series of events in the We Are Lumos Worldwide global campaign to raise awareness and urge people to get involved with the non-profit organisation’s work to bring the hidden children to light and get them home to families. The campaign was officially launched with aFacebook Live interview the previous evening (Saturday 17 September) between J.K. Rowling and writer and broadcaster, Lauren Laverne.

J.K. Rowling and cast members from the play also supported the launch of a new limited edition T-shirt. The ‘Be the Light’ T-shirts feature inspirational words from the author’s Very Good Lives Harvard commencement speech in 2008: “We do not need magic to transform our world; we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already”. They are available to buy now at www.represent.com/lumos. At least 60% of the retail price will go to support Lumos programmes around the world.

An estimated eight million children around the world live in orphanages and institutions. However, more than 80% have at least one living parent and the vast majority have relatives who could care for them in a family with some support.