Phoebe Waller-Bridge has been "blown away" by Amazon Prime Video's support for theatre professionals amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Phoebe Waller-Bridge

Phoebe Waller-Bridge

The 35-year-old actress, Olivia Colman and 'Fleabag' producer Francesca Moody have all heaped praise on the company after it pledged to donate as much as £4.6 million to support the European film, TV and theatre production community during the current crisis.

In a joint statement, they said: "We're utterly blown away to have such an extraordinary level of support from Amazon.

"Our theatre community has never been more threatened or fragile and this donation, alongside those from other industry individuals, is a game changer for its future."

Some £500,000 of the donation will go towards the Theatre Community Fund, which is being spearheaded by Phoebe, Olivia and Francesca.

They said: "On behalf of the Theatre Community Fund we extend a huge thank you to Amazon for the acknowledgement of the value and power of UK theatre and how we as an industry will survive anything when we hold each other up in times of crisis."

Jennifer Salke, the head of Amazon Studios, thinks it's important to support the industry amid the ongoing pandemic.

She also acknowledged that Europe's "creative community" has been a key part of Amazon's success in the TV and film industries.

Jennifer said: "The creative community in Europe has been vital to our success in producing high-quality Amazon original TV series and movies.

"It is essential for us to help that community through this pandemic."

Meanwhile, the UK government previously announced a £1.57 billion support package aimed at protecting theatres, galleries and museums through the crisis.


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