ADVERTORIAL
Live Performance Has Been Gone From New York
For More Than A Year. It’s Time To Bring It Back.
Downtown Live performers pose for a group shot in Lower
Manhattan earlier this month (l-r: Katie Madison, Meghan Finn, Eisa
Davis, Debora Balardini, Andressa Furletti, and Kaaron Briscoe)
Photo: Maria Baranova
There are many reasons people
come to New York, to live or to
visit. The jobs. The restaurants.
The world-class museums. The
24-hour subway service. But one
of the biggest draws New York
has is simply its energy – the
sensation that the city is always
moving, always breathing, and
that a day or night here is always
on the brink of turning into magic.
Live performance is and
has always been a big part
of that magic. From the post-
Revolutionary War performances
in Lower Manhattan’s own
erstwhile Park Theatre to the
beatnik poetry readings in
Greenwich Village coffee shops
to the glittering marquee lights on
Broadway, New York’s live music,
theater and arts has made it an
essential destination for centuries
of creatives from across the
globe. But for the last year-plus,
our theaters, music venues and
cafes have been quiet. We’ve
lost the magic of catching a
glitzy musical or elegant opera
or your friend’s band at the dive
down the block. And the artists
and venues who brought us those
magical experiences have taken
a massive financial hit.
It’s time live performance came
back. As vaccinations increase,
Covid-19 cases go down and
life begins to resemble normalcy,
we need to support the artists
and venues who help make New
York the vibrant, exciting cultural
destination it is. This month, the
Alliance for Downtown New York
is doing its part by teaming up
with En Garde Arts + The Tank to
host Downtown Live, a series of 30
in-person performances that will
take place in unexpected outdoor
spaces around Lower Manhattan.
The festival, which runs on May
15-16 and 22-23,will feature live
theatre, music and contemporary
performance from a lineup that
includes many Obie- and Pulitzer
award-winning artists. We hope it
reminds New Yorkers how special
this city’s cultural scene is, and
how lucky we are to have it.
This is just one small step. It is
on us, when theater and concerts
resume, to support the arts as
much as we can, and to foster
a creative environment in which
our artists and venues can thrive.
New York is coming back. Let’s
make sure we capture all of it.
– Jessica Lappin, President,
Alliance for Downtown New York
MAY 15-16 + 22-23 1 BATTERY PARK PLAZA
BABA ISRAEL & GRACE GALU
JAMES & JEROME • KATIE MADISON
85 BROAD STREET
EISA DAVIS, KANEZA SCHAAL & JACKIE SIBBLIES DRURY
DAVID GREENSPAN W/ JAMIE LAWRENCE
ELLEN WINTER W/ MACHEL ROSS
4 NEW YORK PLAZA
MEGHAN FINN & KAARON BRISCOE
GROUP.BR • KUHOO VERMA W/ JUSTIN RAMOS
Schneps Media May 13, 2021 5