Broadway is on its way back! And now there are specific steps to make it happen.
Mayor de Blasio made a special announcement today a few weeks back saying that the city is working to make the theater industry “ready to go” by September and lay the groundwork for a “strong comeback for Broadway and off-Broadway.”
Over the next four weeks, he said the City of New York would set up a dedicated COVID-19 vaccination site on Broadway for workers in the theater industry, a mobile unit for off-Broadway workers, plus pop-up COVID testing sites managed by theaters, and a new plan for how to safely handle crowds before and after shows. They are working with Broadway industry leaders.
And now, the first one has opened! Today (April 12), a vaccination site officially open in Times Square, serving theater, film, and TV industries to “ensure this important part of our identity continues to thrive.”
“Our theater community needs this,” he said. “These are people who have given their heart and soul to creativity, to making New York City great, to making Broadway the envy of the world. They deserve the opportunity to come back and do what they love…but our city needs it too.”
Broadway star Lin-Manual Miranda was even there to express his support in gets theaters back up & running in NYC as quickly and safely as possible.
…@Lin_Manuel got to speak from the heart ❤️ in the heart of Broadway!!! pic.twitter.com/UTcV743qee
— Luis A. Miranda, Jr. (@Vegalteno) April 12, 2021
Other Broadway stars also gave an outdoor performance:
Broadway is coming back! @NYCMayor and @Lin_Manuel give a standing ovation in the middle of Times Square pic.twitter.com/TG2FFt9ngm
— Bill "worst comms guy in history" Neidhardt (@BNeidhardt) April 12, 2021
The Mayor also cited the economic impact, saying that theater is a $15 billion industry in NYC, providing over 100,000 jobs.
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