"We must bring arts and culture back to life."
In Governor Andrew Cuomo's 2021 State of the State address on Tuesday, January 12, he expressed an intention to help revitalize New York's arts and culture industries, which have been decimated by the pandemic.
"We must accelerate the return of the arts," he stated, recognizing that many artists are currently struggling; they cannot endure another six months of waiting for live entertainment to return. "These artists are part of what makes New York, New York...We cannot wait until summer to turn the lights back on the arts and provide a living wage for artists. We will not let the curtain fall on their careers."
To that end, Governor Cuomo announced his latest initiative, a New York Arts Revival, which he described as "a public-private partnership to bring back the arts."
Pop-up performances and outdoor exhibitions will be held throughout the state, beginning February 4, 2021. One of the culminating events of this initiative will be the opening of Chelsea's "Little Island" performance space at Pier 55, where DG Council Member George C. Wolfe has been commissioned to develop new work.
The Governor acknowledged that this arts revival initiative will have its challenges, but he was strong in his belief that live theatre will return. "The show will go on," he said. "The fans will be back. And New York will be New York again. We will go to performances and we will applaud like never before."
This initiative will hopefully prove to be a step forward for playwrights, lyricists, librettists, and composers in the state of New.York. However, we still have a lot of work to do to ensure that the entire theatre community, throughout the country, is given the full federal support that it desperately needs during this unprecedented era in American history. We are calling on DG members to help us in a historic letter writing initiative to the new administration. Click the button below to learn more.
