On the morning of Aug. 13, New York City Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani took the main stage at New York City Center for an announcement tied to arts accessibility. The mayor took his place onstage following a performance by Tony Award nominee Sam Tutty of the song “New York” from the Tony-nominated musical “Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)” with a choir of NYC high schoolers. City Center president and CEO Michael Rosenberg then introduced the mayor.
“Good morning, everyone,” the mayor began. “Or, should I say, ‘Oh, what a beautiful morning’?” — quoting the classic musical “Oklahoma!” Mamdani noted that he played the leading role of Curly in his eighth-grade production, speaking to a room that included city leadership like Cultural Affairs Commissioner Diya Vij and Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment Commissioner Rafael Espinal, artists like Manhattan Theatre Club executive director Chris Jennings, playwright Jocelyn Bioh and actor-director Steven Pasquale as well as a press corps with members from theater outlets and daily news publications.
Continuing with business, the mayor announced, “Beginning today, City Hall, in partnership with the Theatre Development Fund (TDF), is opening a lottery of more than 2,000 free tickets for high schoolers to seven marquee Broadway shows right here in New York, New York.” The list technically includes six Broadway shows and a musical production at City Center.
The Broadway shows participating in the ticket lottery are “Buena Vista Social Club,” the upcoming “School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play,” “Stranger Things: The First Shadow,” “The Lost Boys,” “The Great Gatsby,” “Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)” and City Center’s upcoming gala presentation of “In the Heights.” Tickets were provided to TDF by the individual productions.
“This is justice for the theater kids who have watched City Hall roll out lotteries for major sporting events all summer long and asked, ‘Why not me?’” the mayor continued. “If you are a high-school student anywhere across the five boroughs, you are eligible to enter this lottery.” The lottery is now open and will close on Aug. 17 at 10 a.m. ET. All NYC high school students, grades nine through 12, are eligible to enter. Winners will be able to reserve up to two tickets. All entrants to the lottery, whether or not they win a pair of the 2,100 tickets, will receive a free two-month membership to TDF. While the lottery will close in August, free two-month memberships will remain available through Sept. 13.
A membership provides the opportunity to purchase low-cost tickets to performing arts events, including Broadway shows. The membership will also include free or low-cost access to 24 New York City cultural institutions, including Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, New York City Center, Pregones/Puerto Rican Traveling Theater and the Public Theater as well as places like Carnegie Hall, the American Museum of Natural History and the New York Botanical Garden. A full list of organizations can be found here.
“There are so many kids growing up in our city for whom Broadway feels as if it is a world away, like something that only belongs to other people,” Mamdani said from the City Center stage.
“We are together today to prove differently,” he continued, “to make it possible for kids from Sheepshead Bay to Morrisania, no matter how much money their parents make, to enter that different world, to experience that magical moment when the lights go down, the curtain goes up, and they’re transported on the journey of a lifetime, one they will carry with them for decades to come.”
TDF executive director Deeksha Gaur noted in her remarks that the mayor’s personal connection to the city’s arts and culture is an example of what she hopes all people can experience, especially New York’s youth. “Mayor Mamdani, I think often of the stories that you have shared about being a teenager in New York and looking for fun, unique and affordable things to do, including the arts,” she said. “I’ve always found that to be so inspiring because those kinds of experiences are what strengthen our bond with our community and help us engage empathetically with others.”
“There’s never been a more important time to make sure young people get access to the arts, which is their birthright as New Yorkers,” Gaur continued. “And we are honored that this administration has made their joy a citywide priority.”
The mayor emphasized his belief in the necessity of theater. “From the plays of ancient Greece to the public gardens of Bhogal, India, to Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, history teaches us that the best art has always been made accessible to working people,” the mayor added. “We believe … the government holds a fundamental responsibility to make people’s lives better. We will do so by building new homes, by making groceries cheaper, by keeping people safe on our streets and by making wonder and joy something that every New Yorker can know.”
During the press conference that followed the official announcement, Broadway News asked if the mayor had any plans to support commercial theater, like Broadway, since he highlighted Broadway as crucial for all New Yorkers to experience. Mamdani replied, “That’s something that we’ll bring back to the team and have that conversation.”
