Money raised by the Fund also bolsters programs that offer health insurance counseling and career guidance to current and former workers in the industry, helping them navigate the regulations for qualifying for medical coverage or for tax credits for financed housing.

In 2020, the Fund awarded a total of $18 million in direct financial assistance to some 15,000 people, noted Joseph P. “The Actors Fund is an invaluable resource to the arts community in the best of times,” said Equity president Kate Shindle. In March, for instance, Actors Equity partnered with the Fund to administer its emergency Curtain Up Fund of $870,000. Right now, a hefty chunk of it goes toward emergency financial assistance for arts workers, not only through the Actors Fund’s own grant program but through an additional 16 programs managed by the Fund for industry organizations including SAG/AFTRA, IATSE and the Producers Guild of America. I only hope that this continues to live on in some form or another, whether it be a cast recording, a show at the Disney parks, or even a full-fledged two-act Broadway musical.But as well-known as the Fund is, many in the business may not know the specifics of how the money it raises is distributed. It's a shame that this is only available to view for a limited time. But other than that, this was definitely a perfect way to begin the New Year after the dumpster fire that was 2020. Also, because of the short runtime, a lot of subplots fall by the wayside, and as a result, Ego's appearance is a little too brief and the character development comes too quick. One of my biggest criticisms is with the book and its reliance on Remy's narration. I also have to applaud the Broadway Sinfonietta Orchestra for making this sound like a true Broadway musical. I also really love all the cute references to other Broadway musicals. When I heard the music, I thought it incredible that this pandemic could bring out so much creativity, and also, why hasn't Disney and Pixar's lawyers stepped in? So anyhoo, after this musical was released, I gave it a standing ovation from my couch! Every single song was incredibly written, the performances were standouts, most notably Ashley Park as Colette, Wayne Brady as Django, Adam Lambert as Emile, Andrew Barth Feldman as Linguini, Mary Testa cross-cast as Skinner, and, of course, Tituss Burgess as Remy. That's also where I first heard of the grocery store musical. I first heard of the Ratatouille TikTok musical via an episode of the BuzzFeed podcast News O'Clock.

Ratatouille musical soundtrack