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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, PLEASE

BE AN #ARTSHERO CAMPAIGN
ARTS WORKERS UNITE: 100 DAYS OF ART AND ACTIVISM

RELEASES NEW PLAYWRIGHT LETTERS
TO BIDEN/HARRIS ADMINISTRATION BY
JOHN LEGUIZAMO, MARTYNA MAJOK, JEANNE SAKATA, STEPHEN FLAHERTY, KIRSTEN CHILDS AND MORE

BE AN #ARTSHERO KICKS OFF
THE PEOPLE’S INAUGURATION PARTNERSHIP
WITH LIVE READINGS OF LETTERS
TODAY

New York, NY (January 21, 2021) – Be An #ArtsHero and The Dramatists Guild of America released brand new “Dear Mr. President and Madam Vice President” letters as part of its nationwide campaign, ARTS WORKERS UNITE: 100 Days of Art and Activism, to make Arts & Culture Workers a legislative and economic priority.  Additional playwrights include John Leguizamo, Martyna Majok, Jeanne Sakata and Stephen Flaherty. Be An #ArtsHero will also host LIVE readings of select letters today, Thursday, Jan. 21, 2021, in conjunction with the launch of The People’s Inauguration, an online celebration at ThePeoplesInauguration.org.

ARTS WORKERS UNITE: 100 Days of Art & Activism launched on January 20, 2021 and mirrors the first 100 days of the Biden/Harris Administration. The campaign aims to engage the nation in legislation, hard data, and various initiatives which includes Arts & Culture Workers from various disciplines and Congressional districts. In this critical period where the new administration will seek to enact its agenda, Arts & Culture must be a top priority for economic revival and national reconciliation. Follow along and participate in the 100 Days of Art & Activism campaign here.

“For an industry that added $877 billion to the U.S. economy, we as a country are letting our arts and culture workers behind. Let’s change, and let’s change now.”
– John Leguizamo

Joining the historic letter-writing campaign among the hundreds of letters written by America’s most prominent Playwrights, Composers, Lyricists and Librettists, include
Tita Anntares, Emily Bohannon, Kirsten Childs, Lear deBessonet, Troy Deutsch, Halley Feiffer, Stephen Flaherty, John Leguizamo, Jennifer Maisel, Martyna Majok, Ronnie Marmo, Mary Beth McNulty, Scooter Pietsch, Jeanne Sakata, Thelma Virata de Castro, and more.

The letters chronicle the writer’s hopes, dreams and vision for what America can become with the arrival of a new administration. Among other priorities, the letters urge the establishment of the Secretary of Arts & Culture and vow to serve President Biden’s mission to “build back better” and “heal the soul of America.”

“The story of our nation is in critical condition. It needs big ideas. It needs bold vision. It needs a critical mass of voices going to where the silence is, making the invisible, visible — and the impossible, roar to life,” explained Be An #ArtsHero on their mission behind the ongoing letter-writing campaign, in partnership with The Dramatists Guild of America.

“Through live performance, thousands of people have become intimately acquainted with the story of this little-known American hero, neglected in our history books — well as thousands of other vital and dynamic stories that shed searing light on our country’s past, present, and future.”
– Jeanne Sakata

Dramatists who participated in the launch of the letter-writing campaign included Lynn Ahrens, Rick Elice, Adam Gwon, Aleshea Harris, David Ives, Lisa Kron, Andrew Lippa, Anaïs Mitchell, Marsha Norman, Robert O’Hara, Theresa Rebeck, Sarah Ruhl, Nikole Salter, Tina Satter, Heidi Schreck, V (formerly Eve Ensler), Bess Wohl, Doug Wright and more.

Letters are available to read at beanartshero.com/letters-100days.

Today, Be An #ArtsHero kicks off a partnership with The People’s Inauguration by hosting Instagram Lives on their platform featuring readings of “Dear Mr. President and Madam Vice President” letters with Rachel Chavkin, Jenny Koons, Vichet Chum, Rajiv Joseph and Nikkole Salter. Additionally, Be An #ArtsHero and Arianna Afsar created an oath ceremony for artists and Arts Workers as part of The People’s Inauguration’s swearing-in ceremony. To take the oath, visit this link.

The People’s Inauguration begins ten days of virtual conversations, artistic expressions, music performances, teach-ins, vigils and around-the-table family ceremonies. Some events will focus on grief and healing; others on justice and reckoning, others on joy and rising. All of them will have one thing in common: the expression of a “people’s oath” that recommits us to our core values and to one another.

Be An #ArtsHero invites America’s Arts Workers to learn about their socioeconomic value and use their skills to push the new administration to pass sweeping relief and recovery legislation. Arts & Culture Workers from across the country will call on the new administration to engage with the colossal socio-economic value of the Arts & Culture sector, which brings a massive $877 billion in value added to the U.S. economy while providing 5.1 million American jobs. Currently, 2.7 million Arts Workers are unemployed due to the economic devastation wreaked by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Arts & Culture sector adds more to the GDP than Transportation, Agriculture, Construction and Tourism. With an economic growth rate nearly double that of the rest of the economy, it’s clear that relief and recovery for the Arts & Culture sector must be made an economic and legislative priority.

ABOUT BE AN #ARTSHERO
Be An #ArtsHero is a national, non-partisan grassroots movement that emphasizes Arts & Culture’s contribution to the economy. They are a united, intersectional, sector-wide coalition that exists to defend and position the Arts & Culture sector of the U.S. as a legislative priority for support and investment commensurate with our socio-economic value. BAAH’s Open Letter to the US Senate has been signed by more than 16,000 supporters, including leaders of major Arts organizations; rank and file, blue collar Arts Workers; and countless high-profile celebrities. They are endorsed by American Theater Wing, Broadway Cares/EquityFightsAIDS, Dramatists Guild, Costume Industry Coalition, Young Audiences Coalition, Ovation TV, FreelancersUnion, ExtendPUA, Touring Professionals Alliance, the SIMS Foundation and more.

THE DRAMATISTS GUILD OF AMERICA
The Dramatists Guild of America is the national, professional membership trade association of theatre writers including playwrights, composers, lyricists, and librettists. The Guild was established for the purpose of aiding dramatists in protecting both the artistic and economic integrity of their work.

The Guild believes that a vibrant, vital, and provocative theatre is an essential element of the ongoing cultural debate which informs the citizens of a free society; and that if such a theatre is to survive, the unique, idiosyncratic voices of the men, women, trans and non-binary artists who write for it must be cultivated and protected.

The Dramatists Guild acts as an aggressive public advocate for dramatists’ interests and assists dramatists in developing both their artistic and business skills through our publications, which are distributed nationally, and educational programs, which we sponsor around the country.

THE PEOPLE’S INAUGURATION
On January 20, we celebrated the work of democracy as we watched a new President and barrier-breaking Vice President make an oath of office. Today, on January 21,  we will join them in making a commitment to do our part to heal and rebuild America. We envision a nation that is anti-racist, equitable, and sustainable. Each of us has a role in that labor, and we will only succeed if we lead with love.

# # # #

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