Meeting Our Match: Philanthropist Anne-Marie Canning on the Power of Musical Theatre

To close out 2020, Philanthropist Anne-Marie Canning is embarking on a new means to support the future of The Musical Stage Company and new Canadian musical theatre with a generous commitment to match all new and additional gifts up to $15,000 made by December 31, 2020. We sat down with her earlier this fall to discuss her love for musical theatre, and how the future of Canadian musical theatre is in our hands.

For Anne-Marie, dancing with her mother to the cast recording of SOUTH PACIFIC ignited a life-long love for the unique lure of musical storytelling. Nowadays, Anne-Marie is passionate about the new musicals being developed at The Musical Stage Company. “When I first heard one of [Crescendo Series Artist] Britta Johnson’s songs, I was so excited by how new and fresh her voice was. We have a tremendous amount of talent in this country. The Musical Stage Company is building talent up from the ground level and nurturing the genre of musical theatre right here at home.”

Anne-Marie wants to see Canadian musical theatre soar to new heights internationally and believes in The Musical Stage Company to take our country’s most extraordinary stories global. In the face of COVID-19, The Musical Stage Company has continued supporting artists and their work nationwide, ensuring that our country’s most extraordinary stories are ready to go global when the world reopens.

But we can’t shape the future of Canadian musical theatre alone. “When the curtain lifts on this pandemic, I want The Musical Stage Company to be ready to take their biggest leap forward. To do that, The Musical Stage Company is counting on donors to stand by them and stand with them,” says Anne-Marie. “I’ll meet you halfway. If you can manage to make that extraordinary move of making a donation, this is the time to do it.”

Raise your voice and double your impact. Your gift will be matched. To make a donation, click here or contact Alethea at alethea@musicalstagecompany.com or by phone at 416-927-7880 ext. 226.