David Greenspan, Kuhoo Verma, Eisa Davis and More Announced for DOWNTOWN LIVE Performing Arts Festival

The Alliance for Downtown New York, in association with En Garde Arts and The Tank have announced Downtown Live, a new free performing arts festival. Over two weekends in May, Downtown Live's nearly 30 in-person shows will bring live art performances to unexpected places across Lower Manhattan, including a covered loading dock (4 New York Plaza), an arcade along the Stone Street Historic District (85 Broad Street) and a plaza with harbor views near The Battery (1 Battery Park Plaza). After a year of lockdowns, Downtown Live offers audiences a long-awaited chance to see live theatre, contemporary performance and music from a lineup that features many Obie Award and Pulitzer Prize winners, as well as emerging voices. Audience members will have a chance to engage with live, pandemic-responsible programming and explore all that Lower Manhattan has to offer.

"New York City has a long history of being the cultural epicenter of live theater, music and the performing arts. It's embedded in our DNA and an essential component of what makes our city tick," said Jessica Lappin, President, Alliance for Downtown New York. "Our festival, Downtown Live, will be an exciting and safe way to help bring live performances back to Lower Manhattan and a great signal of what lies ahead."

En Garde Arts Artistic Director Anne Hamburger conceived Downtown Live as a way to reinvigorate live performance while putting dozens of theatre artists, technicians and support artists back to work quickly with an opening date that was feasible during COVID. "Downtown Live can help to alleviate the isolation that we have all felt since the shutdown," says Hamburger. "It provides a safe pathway back to live theatre while providing greatly needed financial support to a group of risk-taking visionary theatre artists and musicians."

"We've put together an incredible line-up of established and emerging artists-audiences are going to relish the chance to catch these music and theatre performers at work. We're thrilled for the support of the Downtown Alliance-this event will enliven the street life, supporting local businesses in lower Manhattan," says The Tank Artistic Director Meghan Finn.

Confirmed artists participating in Downtown Live include Pulitzer Prize finalist and celebrated writer and performer Eisa Davis with Kaneza Schaal & Jackie Sibblies Drury; Artistic Director of the Obie-Award winning theater The Tank Meghan Finn with playwright/actress Kaaron Briscoe; Obie Award-winning, Off-Broadway favorite playwright and actor David Greenspan; award-winning New York-based Brazilian Theater Company, Group .BR; hip-hop, spoken word and performance artists Baba Israel & Grace Galu; popular downtown music and storytelling duo James & Jerome; classical singer/musical theatre composer and performer Katie Madison; Lucille Lortel Award-winning performer Kuhoo Verma with Justin Ramos; and genre-bending songwriter, theatre-maker and solo performer Ellen Winter with Machel Ross.

Tickets will be free with reservations required and will be available starting Monday April 19th at TheTankNYC.org and EnGardeArts.org.

All attendees will be required to follow COVID Safety Protocols, including mask and social distancing guidelines. Space is extremely limited.

Overseeing the physical production of the festival is Mosaic NYC, a Women- and Black-owned event design and production company specializing in bespoke theatre, music and branded events. To learn more, visit www.mosaicnyc.com.

Downtown Live extends great thanks to Rudin Management Company, Inc. (1 Battery Park Plaza), Edge Funds (4 New York Plaza) and Ivanhoe Cambridge (85 Broad Street) for extending use of their properties to host these performances.

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