Wendell Pierce has partnered with Caesars Palace Times Square to launch a fund for legacy theaters of color.
The new nonprofit initiative is for $10 million, and it will support “historic theaters and ensembles that spotlight the stories of New York’s communities of color while addressing the chronic underfunding these institutions face,” reports state.
The fund will also give direct investments to help with production, marketing, and to make sure that theaters such as the Billie Holiday Theatre, Black Spectrum Theatre, New Heritage Theatre, and The Negro Ensemble Company have more visibility.
Caesars Palace Times Square will provide other benefits to participating theaters and their employees, which will include childcare services, student and medical debt relief, rental assistance, and priority job access through their monthly theater labor job fair.
The Tony Award-nominated actor, who recently made history as the first Black actor to play Willy Loman in the Broadway production of Death of a Salesman, spoke about the new fund. “As an artist and advocate, I believe that the social justice movement of the 21st Century is economic development and creating opportunities that sustain and uplift our communities- both on stage and beyond,” he said.
He continued, “Caesars Palace Times Square is a formidable investment, creating access and opportunity, with a profound creation of jobs in the greatest cultural economy of the world. This project will not only be transformative for our creative Broadway community but for the broader labor force as well. I fully endorse this project and recognize this is a powerful step toward ensuring that cultural groups of color are not just included but are leaders in shaping the future of Times Square — with a commitment to workforce inclusion, community partnership, and artistic vibrancy for all.”
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