Today Mayor Bill de Blasio, Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen and Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME) Commissioner Julie Menin launched new initiatives to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting. A few of those many initiatives are near and dear to my heart. In the effort to make theatre, and Broadway in particular, more accessible MOME will launch “Access Broadway”, a program that will provide 1,000 free tickets to low-income New Yorkers to attend family-friendly Broadway shows. It’s like MOME heard my cries or something, and it’s about damn time.
Not stopping there, another initiative “Broadway in the Boros,” is bringing Broadway to the people. For the first time, Broadway shows are being brought to neighborhoods across New York City. Featuring a showcase of vignettes performed by members of the current casts and orchestras from hit musicals including She Loves Me and Fiddler on the Roof, these lunchtime performances are free and open to the public. One performance will take place in each borough throughout the summer. The series kicks off at National Lighthouse Point Plaza in Staten Island at noon on Friday, June 24. Additionally, Off-Broadway and Off-Off-Broadway performances, many with live music accompaniment, will be featured throughout the City.
Check out the press release below!
MOME has partnered with the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) and members of the Broadway League to provide 100 tickets per month to NYCHA residents for ten Broadway shows during the coming year. “Access Broadway” was made possible by the generous financial support of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 817, IATSE, and the Lizzie and Jonathan Tisch Foundation.
“On behalf of the thousands of behind-the-scene workers we represent in the media and entertainment industries throughout New York, we congratulate the Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting on their 50th anniversary. We thank them for the good work they do on behalf of our members and commend them for their continuous dedication in keeping the entertainment industry in NY a vibrant and critical part of the culture and economy,” said IATSE International President Matthew D. Loeb.
“Theatrical Teamsters Local 817 celebrates the 50th Anniversary of MOME. While we ourselves celebrate our 90th anniversary, our growth spurt didn’t really kick in until the creation of MOME. The members of Local 817 are proud to sponsor ‘Access Broadway’, bringing world class theatre to those New Yorkers and their families who ordinarily wouldn’t have the opportunity to enjoy,” said Theatrical Teamsters Local 817 President Thomas J. O’Donnell.
While the shows have yet to be announced, hopefully it includes some of our favorite Broadway Black shows! Likewise, hopefully this opens the doors for many other initiatives, as there is still so much more work that needs to be done in diversifying the audience as much as we have diverse stories on the stage.
For more information click here.
