Hugh Jackman and Renée Fleming to take part in New York initiative to kickstart the arts post-pandemic

Hugh Jackman, Renée Fleming, and Chris Rock are among the 150 artists and arts organisations that will take part in what is being titled the New York Arts Revival initiative – a push to kickstart the arts community in New York.

Led by the US state's governor Andrew Cuomo, the project is a partnership between Scott Rudin, James Rosenthal, and the New York State Council on the Arts. The series will include pop-up performances across New York State, with participating artists also including Amy Schumer and Wynton Marsalis, and organizations like the National Black Theatre, Ars Nova, and Ballet Hispánico.

Across the earlier months of 2021, New York will be trialling what occurred in the UK last summer (albeit with greater state support). A pilot program will explore the creation of socially distant performances in venues with flexible seating arrangements, and a collaboration with the Mellon Foundation will provide grants to more than 1,000 artists and arts groups. New York Arts Revival is expected to culminate in both the Tribeca Film Festival and the opening of Little Island, a new outdoor space on the Hudson River, this spring.

New York Arts Revival will launch on or around February 4, with exact details to come.

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