A short thread about this statement from the Broadway League: “We are thrilled that Governor Cuomo clearly recognizes the impact of Broadway’s return on the city and state’s economy and the complexity of restarting an entire industry that has been dormant for over a year."

First, the League is not restarting an industry. They are restarting Broadway, which has been dormant for a year. However, there are many more theatres in the United States than just Broadway. Off-Broadway theatres & regional companies are more numerous. They're in the industry.

I'm delighted to know that Broadway is restarting, but we must not overlook all of the theatres that have had to weather the storm, and will still be at great risk as they return to production. The press must place the performing arts restart in broader context.

While not "industry" per se, let's also remember that community theatre, university theatre, and high school theatre have been severely affected by the pandemic. Broadway is an important part of the theatrical ecosystem, but it is not, in and of itself, the entire system.

As for dormant, let's not forget about the creativity shown by countless artists and companies, who found ways to serve their audiences – and thanks to the internet, audiences everywhere – with both live work and recorded work created for streaming by theatre artists.

Companies have also brought renewed attention to audio drama, an under appreciated form that was well-suited to this terrible time, bridging distance between actors and avoiding the need to put everyone in onscreen boxes.

I suspect that we will see a lot of work spring to life over the summer, from companies that are sufficiently nimble and have the financial wherewithal to resume public performances, indoor and out. See it. I will.

Broadway is about 40 theatres where some important theatre is made, no doubt about it, and it does affect NYC's economy. But the *restart of theatre* will take place on hundreds if not thousands of stages in the coming months. We must remember, honor, and support all of it.

We must also thank those who never went fully dormant, and kept us engaged, entertained, and most importantly united in this most difficult of times – many of whom have done so to provide support to artists and causes.

Finally, with all of the pain and all we have learned in the past year about the ongoing racial inequity, bias, and violence not just in this country but in our arts community and organization, let's make sure that we don't simply restart, but rebuild anew – and better.

P.S. No one should take this as me slagging Broadway. I'm not. I just feel that it's essential that we lift up all theatre together, not only the biggest. No one organization represents it all. So it's up to all of us to make sure there's a big tent.

P.P.S. There's an effort to propagate a hashtag that says "Nothing Beats Broadway." That's not helping anything in regards to the rest of this thread. Let's look for positive and inclusive messaging and support that.