Democrats Propose $1 Billion Annual Aid For Struggling Nonprofit Theaters Post-Covid

• Nonprofit theaters need help due to Covid. Democrats want to give them $1 billion each year with the STAGE Act.
• Senators and actors say local theaters are important for communities and artists.
• The bill aims to unite both parties by showing how supporting theaters benefits the economy and brings people together.

 

 

EKO HOT BLOG reports that four years post its onset, Covid-19 still lingers for certain theaters in need of federal aid, as per Democrats.

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Nonprofit theaters remain financially strained, facing closure without swift financial support.

Hence, a group of Democrats proposes the STAGE Act, aiming to allocate $1 billion annually to bolster the industry, sustaining community theaters and nurturing artistic talent.

Sen. Peter Welch stressed the importance of local theaters in fostering community vitality, joined by Sen. John Fetterman and Rep.

Suzanne Bonamici, who rallied support for the bill during National Theater Week.

Hollywood stars Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Danai Gurira echoed the sentiment, highlighting the transformative impact of theater on individuals and communities.

Oskar Eustis, artistic director of the New York Public Theater, emphasized the role of nonprofit theaters as crucibles for artistic and communal expression.

Maria Manuela Goyanes of the Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company asserted the legislation’s pivotal role in ensuring their survival, warning against a cultural landscape dictated solely by market forces.

Eustis posed a stark choice between a fragmented society and a unified culture supported by federal intervention.

Unlike the bipartisan Save Our Stages Act, the current proposal garners solely Democratic backing.

However, Rep. Bonamici sought to appeal to Republicans, framing it as both an economic and communal imperative.

Sen. Fetterman, drawing from personal experience, underscored the developmental benefits of community theater, advocating for increased youth engagement.

Gurira echoed this sentiment, noting theater’s capacity to unleash creativity and transcend cultural boundaries.

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Transitioning between personal anecdotes and policy discourse, the advocates emphasized theater’s unique ability to inspire and unite, calling for bipartisan support to preserve this cultural heritage.