Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Netflix(NEW YORK) — Jerry Seinfeld and U.S. Senator Charles Schumer are banding together in support of live venues.
WABC reports that the legendary comedian and New York senator took the stage at Gotham Comedy Club in Manhattan last night, both wearing masks, to call for federal relief for live venues impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Schumer stood in support of the Save Our Stages Act, a piece of legislation he’s co-signed that was introduced by U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and John Cornyn that, if passed through Congress, could provide grants of up to $12 million to the operators, producers, promoters and talent reps of live venues.
“It makes the city exciting to walk down the street and know right inside that door some people are on stage and doing things,” Seinfeld professed on stage. “It gives the city energy and and electricity and it’s more than just a business, it is the spark of our culture.”
The comedian’s statement follows an op-ed he penned for The New York Times last month called “So You Think New York is ‘Dead.’ (It’s not)” speaking to the city’s resilience.
The Save Our Stages Act is also supported by the National Independent Venue Association, which generated a letter to Congress in June asking for support for independent venues across the country, with a range of prominent figures singing the letter including Seinfeld, Amy Schumer, Lady Gaga, Whoopi Goldberg, Carol Burnett, Billy Joel and many others.
By Cillea Houghton
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