Rebel Wilson is giving back to the theatre school that helped her achieve her Hollywood dreams.
The actress, writer and producer has announced she’s making a $1 million donation to the Australian Theatre for Young People – the same place she took weekly acting classes in the 90s after she was rejected by the National Institute of Dramatic Art.
“This company has been such an important part of my journey. It was a launching pad into the entertainment industry,” she says in a video shared with her 10.1 million Instagram followers.
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Captioning the video she adds that she’s making the donation because “the entertainment industry in Australia, particularly live theatre, has been so hard hit by the pandemic” and she wants to help “young Australians shine.”
The money will go to the school’s new premises in Walsh Bay, Sydney and there’ll even be a building named after her:
“The Rebel Theatre will place young people centre stage and Australia’s future leading actors, playwrights and theatre-makers will walk its boards,” a statement shared on the theatre’s social media account reads.
According to the theatre, Rebel was attending their workshops and performing in their productions when she won the Lendlease 2000 Scholarship launched by Nicole Kidman. This meant she could enrol at the New York Film Academy and the Second City Training Centre and eventually launch her career.
As Rebel says, “this is gonna be incredible for so many young Australians!”
(Feature Image Credit: Still via @atyp_theatre/Instagram)