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Senator Chuck Schumer & More Celebrate Broadway's Return in Times Square
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Oct 26, 2022
Earlier today, leaders from the Broadway community gathered in Duffy Square to celebrate, what else, but the return on Broadway. 'The reviews are in. We are closer than ever to closing the curtain on COVID-19' said New York Senator Chuck Schumer. 'And when Broadway comes back, New York comes back!'
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Hello, I'm Richard Ridge for Broadway World
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We're in Duffy Square for the Broadway Will Be Back press conference, which included many of Broadway's leaders and Senator Chuck Schumer
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We're here today because the reviews are in and we are closer than ever of closing the curtain on COVID-19
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Yes. See this curtain, it's closed. That's COVID-19. It's gone. or going anyway
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And you know, when Broadway comes back, New York comes back. So we're standing here at Times Square, that's the curtain capital of the world
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to announce new details about Broadway's reopening and recovery, as well as all of our New York stages, the thousands of other stages throughout New York City
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that make our neighborhoods, our communities, and our city ticks. As you know, the last COVID bill included Save Our Stages
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I'm glad to say in these partisan times it was a bipartisan bill
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It had support of Democrats and Republicans. I'm glad to say that
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Republicans, you did such a good job on Save Our Stages. Continue to work with us on other stuff, please
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Now, so. The spotlight in Washington for a period of time was on our stages, that they need what the help they needed with this horrible pandemic
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Because when people have to get close together, those were the industries most hurt
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And this and Broadway and our stages and our arts venues were one of those
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Well here the news Right now billion is on the way to the theater district our theater industry our live venues and our cultural institutions in New York and across the country
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Because this relief is now actually going out to the theaters and the stages and the venues, not sitting on some shelf in Washington, I have something else to announce
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At this moment, 19 Broadway shows are now on sale. 40 shows, 40 will open in the 2021-22 season
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So folks, start buying your tickets when they become available. And many of them are available right now
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Without SOS, it would have taken much longer to recover. Some of the stages would have closed
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many of them. Some people would be out of work for good, but now we're back. So instead of
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mourning the loss of jobs and of stages and of the arts and culture, we are saying today
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without a doubt fire, we are reopening bigger and better than ever
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The news that the lights are staying on, that the curtains will keep
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calling that the seats will fill and fill from Times Square to upstate New York, Broadway's back
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and so are our other stages like our comedy stages as well. What did today mean to you, Charlotte
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It means we're back. That light at the end of the tunnel that felt like a freight train now is
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really a light and having the top cheerleader for Broadway, Senator Schumer
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reinforced how important that is to our city and our country just made my heart swell It was just fabulous Super Schumer That his new name Super Schumer Absolutely I mean just you mentioned those numbers Are there going to be like 40 on a regular day 80 on a double day
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We all got goosebumps. What those numbers mean to you? Well, what they mean is I've got 80,000 and 40,000 people that are escaping from whatever life is giving them
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that are getting joy and laughter and heartache, which some shows do
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but getting that emotion that theater delivers. And it means a lot of people are going back to work
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It's great to be in Duffy Square. It's great to see so many people maskless and vaccinated
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It's great to have this kind of energy. And Senator Schumer here, you know, that's been forwarding the cause of Broadway
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and all of the people on Broadway as well. We need everybody working in collaboration and all of these different levels to get us going
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Oh, I agree with Stokes. And it was great to hear Stokesby. Boy, what a wonderful atmosphere
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great everyone was feeling about being together again. And I love what Stoke said. He can't wait to
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share an armrest with Senator Schumer, you know, and with everyone else. So we expect to see our chairman
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at every opening night. Oh, I love it. Super Schumer has to be there now for all the..
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Now he put his name in the pot. Now he's going to have to do something. At least one show will help
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That would be sure be nice. Well, you know, I want to thank all of the actors fun for what you have
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done during this pandemic, because you found ways to raise money through all the people who work in
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to give back to all the people who are in need, what that meant to both of you
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It was remarkable. The response that the community made to support the actors fund
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knowing that we were in this together. And we've never seen such dynamic generosity in the past
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And the staff has been terrific Our board has been wonderful We were just so proud of the community which has really come to help the actors fund jokes for you Well I grateful to Joe and the staff really They the ones that have been doing all the heavy lifting during all of this time
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And it's really been remarkable how not only have they kept the office going
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but have been able to help so many people that have needed our services so much
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but have also kind of stayed ahead of the game, it seems, every step of the way
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And I'm grateful to you, Joe, for doing that. And this man is the heart of the actors' fund, as I call him
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And we're also grateful to all of the people out there that have donated and helped the actors fund as well in organizations that have come together to
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Well, listen, obviously Broadway is so visible. And I think even more than folks going to work, it's more of a day of, you know what
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the city's back. We have a way to bring back our passion, share our passion with the folks that come to see the shows
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And you know what? It's all encompassing. It's really, it's something special. And again, it's beyond the work. It's beyond getting paid. It's really about, we need to move forward. And COVID has, we've had enough of it. We've had enough of it
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You've worked so hard over the past 14 months with all the unions and everything else. As you look back at these 14 months, what are you taking away from all of that
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What I really learned is that Broadway truly is a community and that everybody, we're working in
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partnership. We all want a safe Broadway. We all want a successful Broadway. There has been a
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spirit of collaboration that I have never seen before. I'm sorry we had to have a pandemic
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but if we were going to have one, that was a great outcome. September 14th, what that date means
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to you? Well, it means that there'll be at this point five shows opening and I can only go to one
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and so that's breaking my heart. But it means we're all back to work and life begins to resume
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the way we all love to live
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