www.broadwayworld.com: "My heart breaks for everyone who works on Broadway or depends on it to make their living. Today the Broadway League made the difficult but responsible decision to put the safety and health of their workers and audience first. This is a deeply painful time for everyone who depends on the arts for their livelihood. We are at this moment because, seven months into the pandemic, our nation still lacks a coherent national strategy for masks and testing which could help bring the virus under control,"
2 comments:
I think that this broadway shut down is really sobering for our industry and our connection to the rest of the world is clearer than ever before. Being someone who decided to go to high school for the arts, and later attend college for theater, I view our jobs as a job reserved for people who are exceptionally talented at what we do- its a college major after all. To see theater and event workers be at the same if not worse mercy to the government as waiters and service works is highly disappointing and pretty humiliating at times. It is concerning that NYC actors, Stage Managers, Designers, Directors, etc. rely on unemployment when they are between projects, or the fact that you can lose your healthcare if you're not able to work on an AEA contract for over 6 months, which isn't really ideal during a global pandemic. Arts workers are too reliant on the government and their policies by nature. I think that the unions should push harder for not only a living wage but also deserved pay.
Echoing what Shahzad said, I definitely think the shutdown hit everyone in the industry hard. I feel like I have been watching everything else around me open up, except for arts and entertainment. While I understand that our industry does have to take more precautions and we want to do open in the safest possible conditions, it’s hard to have to not feel completely lost and static. It is hopeful to know that there are people advocating for entertainment industry workers to be able to get support to help them through this time, but it still feels endless. I hope that the struggles during this time give an insight into the life that entertainment industry workers have to deal with during phases of unemployment in-between jobs and can make more lasting changes in a post- pandemic world. But as of right now, if we can just get the COBRA subsidy, CARES act expansion, and HEROES act through to make actionable changes for those effected, it will be a great starting point.
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