Wendell Pierce's $10M Boost: Saving NYC's Historic Theaters!
Colaboradores
Wendell Pierce, celebrated for his roles in iconic series like The Wire and Jack Ryan, is making a significant impact off-screen. He's teaming up with Caesars Palace Times Square and Roc Nation's Gaming Project to launch a $10 million fund dedicated to supporting legacy theaters of color in New York City.
This initiative, known as the New York Coalition of Legacy Theatres of Colorado Fund, directly addresses the chronic underfunding faced by these vital cultural institutions. The fund aims to provide crucial resources for production, marketing, and increased visibility for theaters like the Billie Holiday Theatre, Black Spectrum Theatre, New Heritage Theatre, and The Negro Ensemble Company.
Beyond financial support, Caesars Palace Times Square will offer participating theaters and their employees access to vital benefits. These include childcare services, student and medical debt relief, rental assistance, and priority job access through monthly theater labor job fairs. This comprehensive approach aims to not only sustain these theaters but also uplift the individuals who bring their stories to life.
Pierce, who recently earned a Tony nomination and made history as the first Black actor to portray Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman on Broadway, emphasizes the importance of economic development in the 21st-century social justice movement. He believes in creating opportunities that sustain and uplift communities both on and off stage.
"As an artist and advocate, I believe that the social justice movement of the 21st Century is economic development and creating opportunities that sustain and uplift our communities- both on stage and beyond," Pierce stated. He sees the Caesars Palace Times Square project as a "formidable investment, creating access and opportunity, with a profound creation of jobs in the greatest cultural economy of the world."
This initiative represents a powerful step towards ensuring that cultural groups of color are not just included but are leaders in shaping the future of Times Square, with a commitment to workforce inclusion, community partnership, and artistic vibrancy for all.