When the devastating wildfires swept through Southern California, the Garry Marshall Theatre (GMT) didn’t hesitate to step up. Transforming into a pop-up donation collection site, GMT quickly became a vital hub for gathering essential supplies for wildfire victims and first responders.
“These are our neighbors,” GMT’s producing artistic director Joe Bwarie says. “Our nonprofit has a mission and purpose far greater than a traditional playhouse. For the last five years, GMT has made great strides to welcome the community to be in community with others in so many ways.”
In GMT’s first weekend of collections, volunteers gathered essentials for those most impacted. The following week, GMT offered allergy-friendly foods for pickup and collected thousands of school supplies. “The response has been jaw-dropping and inspiring, and it continues to be,” Bwarie explains. “In those two weekends, we were joined by over 250 volunteers and thousands of people dropping off what they could contribute.”
Watching the community unite was deeply moving, Bwarie adds. “Seeing the spirit of strangers who became so connected by showing up to help, and then, without pause, building a new network of community was magnificent,” he recalls. “The common conversation I overheard was ‘I wish we were strong and together like this on the best days and not only after the worst.’ Of course, there were many moments of tears because even in the helping, there was a sense that we all wanted to be doing more for those who were experiencing that devastation in the blink of an eye.”
Volunteers provided displaced families with everything from clothing and toiletries to pet supplies and bedding, as well as thousands of N95 masks.
GMT also ensured that donations reached those who needed them in real time. “We had incredible local volunteers who were trucking or driving supplies around L.A. County,” Bwarie says. “We turned the box office into a communication center where volunteers were on the phones with various locations, shelters and organizations to get minute-to-minute needs. We would get calls saying, ‘We are desperate for cases of water,’ and we would fill a truck with cases of water.”
Although the immediate crisis has passed, Bwarie emphasizes that GMT is committed to providing continued support for those affected by the fires. “While the Garry Marshall Theatre stands in Toluca Lake and Burbank, we will be a place that leads with ‘What can we do for the community?’ and not ‘What play can we afford the rights to?’” he says. “We have announced our summer camps for 2025, and as we have offered for our spring series, if any family impacted by the fires has a child who would benefit from a week of camp, all they need to do is contact education@garrymarshalltheatre.org and we will make that a reality.”