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Organizing a collective voice for the theater community
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Politics, Research, Outreach
As a 501 (c) 6 advocacy organization, the League of Independent Theater may endorse and support political candidates in primaries and elections. Many elections are decided by just a few hundred votes. We have had and will continue to have meetings with politicians on the local, city and state levels. We will be giving our support to politicians who are looking out for the interests of our territory.
For information on the Performing Arts Platform we are working to implement, see the Platform page.
For information on the League's involvement in the 2013 Citywide Election, see this archive.
Join us to help bridge the divide between our local government and independent theater.
The LEAGUE OF INDEPENDENT THEATER’S PERFORMING ARTS PLATFORM
The League of Independent Theater (“LIT”) is the only 501(c) 6 advocacy organization for the independent theater and performing arts population of New York City. As such, the League and its coalition partners, which comprise cultural and performance institutions that serve over 50,000 independent performing artists, 86% of whom vote, far exceeding the general population, entreat our city’s elected officials to acknowledge the independent theater sector’s historical significance and cultural, civic and economic importance to New York City, and to demonstrate tangible support of independent theater in order to allow it to continue its positive impact. LIT will endorse candidates in every city race and work to form alliances with other cultural advocacy organizations in the city. Our endorsement will be based on the candidate’s willingness to adopt the following performing arts platform:
As a pro-performing arts elected official, I will work to:
1. Create access to low-cost and/or no-cost Community Facilities Spaces that are currently available and remain unused throughout the City through the creation of a Community Facilities Space Database.
2. Create access to empty and unused City property to be re-purposed as temporary rehearsal, office, and (if appropriate) performance space.
3. Include non-profit performance venues in the favorable electricity and utility rates enjoyed by religious institutions and the VFW.
4. Implement a proposal that would reduce or eliminate property tax assessments for those non-profit organizations that have an artistic mission and/or rent performance space to similar non-profit performing arts groups with artistic missions of their own. This proposal was unanimously ratified by all twelve (12) Manhattan Community Boards.
5. Secure affordable and permanent low-cost housing for working artists.
6. Support the commission of an economic impact study for the independent theater territory.
7. Work with the Department of Cultural Affairs to expand the Cultural Institutions Group to include the independent theater sector’s anchor venues.
8. Install plaques at sites of historical import and rename streets after the founders of the independent and Off-Off Broadway community.