Free Republic

For the music venue owners, theater producers and cultural institutions that have suffered through the pandemic with no business, the coronavirus relief package that Congress passed on Monday night offers the prospect of aid at last: it includes $15 billion to help them weather a crisis that has closed theaters and silenced halls. The money, part of a $900 billion coronavirus relief package, is designed to help the culture sector — from dive-bar rock clubs to Broadway theaters and museums — survive. -snip- Broadway theaters, which have been closed since March, applauded the relief package. “We are grateful for this...

The $900 billion coronavirus relief package includes a long sought measure to send aid to struggling independent theaters and music venues. But now those cultural centers and small businesses are left waiting for help yet again. The measure was set to become law this week, but President Donald Trump on Tuesday threatened to blow up the deal, the result of months of contentious negotiations. -snip- It caps a several-month push for the Save Our Stages Act, a bipartisan plan to buoy small arts and entertainment venues that have taken a drubbing during pandemic health restrictions. Private, small performing arts venues,...

U.S. Sen. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and the Broadway League renewed the call for dedicated federal funding for Broadway and other New York live venues today, reiterating the push for the $10 billion bipartisan Save Our Stages campaign. “Today we are fighting hard to keep stages alive, stories told and shows going on,” Schumer said at an outdoor press conference in New York’s theater district near the TKTS Booth. The senator joked that he would demand “a Lion King’s share of federal relief” for Broadway. Citing the $15 billion contributed by Broadway to New York’s economy last year, the 100,000...