Starting this Sunday, the great Kate (Winslet) will be starring in HBO’s miniseries “Mildred Pierce” about a divorced single mother living through The Great Depression in middle-class Los Angeles. Winslet plays the title character in a sure to be award season favorite. Costarring are Evan Rachel Wood as Winslet’s daughter Veda, Guy Pearce, and Melissa Leo, who just won Best Supporting Actress for her work in The Fighter. A fan of Winslet’s since 1994′s Heavenly Creatures, I will definitely be tuning in to see my acting hero.

In promotion of the series, Winslet attended the premiere Monday night alongside her castmates. In reading the press about the event, there was mention of Winslet showing her support for a certain theatre company at a fundraising event over this past weekend. The Cardboard Citizens Gala Fundraising Dinner had A-listers like Winslet in attendance to raise money and awareness for London’s only professional theatre company with homeless and displaced actors. Winslet is the group’s “Ambassador” and hosted the event, even performing a scene with some 40 other actors to open the dinner.

Here are some statements from The Cardboard Citizens site:

“Cardboard Citizens changes the lives of homeless people through theatre and the performing arts.”

“Our workshops allow homeless and at-risk people to grow creatively.”

“We work with partners from across the arts and social sectors.”

“We create plays with people who’ve experienced homelessness.”

“We offer one-to-one support to help company members rebuild their lives.”

(Courtesy of cardboardcitizens.org)

As a person who has loved theatre her whole life, I can only imagine what this group is doing for the homeless in London. Here in Nashville, folks have come forward to raise awareness of homelessness in the city with The Contributor, a paper being sold by homeless people on the streets for $1. The Contributor…

• Provides a diversity of perspectives and info on the condition of homelessness while highlighting the contributions of homeless and formerly homeless individuals.
• Provides homeless and formerly homeless vendors with a source of income.
• Creates community between vendors and customers.

The paper has stirred many a conversation amongst my friends and given us all this concrete way to interact with people whose glances are normally avoided. Sad but true, right? But we’ve all got to start somewhere, and I am so thankful for the work of the paper and interest it’s sparked in our community, let alone all the good it’s doing for the homeless in Nashville.

Some of my friends have gone a step further in trying to meet needs here in the city by donating to and volunteering at Room in the Inn, a local shelter that seems to be doing some amazing work for the homeless and in the rest of us blessed enough to return to our own homes at night. Sometimes we just don’t know how to help, but organizations like these are doing such an amazing job of reconnecting us all.

Needless to say, I am challenged and inspired. How incredible would a homeless theatre group be here in Nashville? Oh, dear… Well, we’ve got to start somewhere.

By the by, Winslet donated the black and white Max Chaoul ‘frock’ (so British of me) she wore to the dinner (above) to The Cardboard Citizens; it raised over $160,000. Brains, beauty, a ginormous talent and a heart that “will go on…” and on. (Too easy. Had to make at least one Titanic reference, however cheesy.)