BY JASON COHEN
Two Broadway actors,
Mark Aldrich and Jimmy Ludwig
witnessed live entertainment
industry workers suffering
throughout the pandemic
that caused this NYC honey
trap to close down completely
and decided to do something
about it.
Through their long
time web series The Happy
Hour Guys, they partnered
with Gun Hill Brewing Company
and have established
the Curtain Up Beer Project
raising money for The Actors
Fund, a nonprofi t that helps
performing arts and arts organizations
nationwide.
The Curtain Up project is
a brewing collaboration with
more than 65 plus other craft
breweries in 14 states and
Washington, D.C. Breweries
are asked to donate proceeds
from the special beer to The
Actors Fund as well as a local
arts group of their choosing
to ensure that communities
directly benefi t from the
project.
“We’re very happy to join
the Happy Hour Guys once
again to help our arts community,”
said says David Lopez,
co-founder, Gun Hill Brewing
Company. “Live performance
is a vital piece of NYC both
culturally and economically.
We look forward to more breweries
joining and making Curtain
Up throughout the year to
help arts groups in communities
nationwide and hopefully
beyond.”
Prior to the COVID-19
shutdown, the Happy Hour
Guys led the creation of
fi ve beers with fi ve different
Broadway shows, including
“Hamilton, Come From
Away and Waitress.”
Gun Hill Brewing Company,
creator of the fi rst Broadway
Brew Hamilton beer, has
developed a Hazy IPA recipe
for Curtain Up to be brewed
and released by breweries
throughout the country.
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“Our industry has never
faced anything like this,” said
Mark Aldrich/The Happy
Hour Guys. “The need grows
with each passing month,
which is why we expect the
project to last throughout 2021.
Our mission with Curtain
Up was to create relief funding
for our fellow arts workers
– we’re thrilled The Actors
Fund and Gun Hill Brewing
Co. have jumped on board as
well as our brewery partners
across the U.S It’s also an opportunity
to raise awareness
of just how vulnerable arts
workers are and to start the
conversation on how to repair
that.”
Aldrich, who has been on
Broadway for 12 years and
starred in “Newsies and Ragtime,”
spoke with the Bronx
Times about the fundraiser.
The Virginia native explained
that the shutdown has been especially
hard on actors. While
some are doing virtual work,
many have left the business
Broadway actors, Mark Aldrich and Jimmy Ludwig have partnered with
Gun Hill Brewing to raise money for actors during the pandemic.
Courtesy of Mark Aldrich
all together.
According to Aldrich, the
hope is partners like Gun Hill
Brewing and other companies
are able to help raise money
for them during these trying
times. While he hopes Broadway
will reopen in the fall,
Aldrich realizes it will not fi x
things overnight.
“They’ve (Gun Hill)
been amazing,” he stressed.
“They’ve been the best partners
we could have hoped for.
A lot of people don’t realize
that when Broadway is up and
running full time it brought
in more money into the city
than all of the sports teams
combined.”
Breweries and arts organizations
that would like more
information or to get involved
can reach out through Curtainupbeer.
com or info@thehappyhourguys.
com.
Bronx’ Gun Hill Brewing
leads nationwide collaboration
to help arts workers
2173 White Plains Road OPEN
718-931-4335
Just South of Pelham Pkwy.
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