On Labor Day, Be An #ArtsHero welcomed 100 New York arts workers to Times Square for a demonstration to demand $43.85 billion in relief aid to the arts and culture industry through the DAWN Act, based on an open letter that was co-signed by over 10,000 supporters.
The event, endorsed by Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, featured arts workers singing “Will I?” from Rent with direction by Tony nominee Sam Buntrock (Sunday in the Park with George) and music direction by Kimberly Grigsby (Amélie, Spring Awakening). The performance was followed by 100 seconds of silence, representing one second for each senator in the U.S. Congress.
The demonstration was part of Be An #ArtsHero's Day of Action, which included a series of in-person demonstrations and calls to U.S. Senators on Instagram Live, culminating in a live stream panel.
The Day of Action concluded with "The Ghostlight Panel: Changing The Conversation About The Creative Economy" featuring Tony winner Annaleigh Ashford, Washington Post Chief Theatre Critic Peter Marks, Oregon Shakespeare Festival Artistic Director Nataki Garrett, author Michael Seman, Depot Theatre Producing Artistic Director Kenney M. Green, and actor-playwright Nikkole Salter.
For more information about the campaign, visit BeAnArtsHero.com.
