FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, September 9, 2014
Petitioners Demand Broadway Reverse Decision Not to ‘Dim the Lights’ for Joan Rivers
***http://www.care2.com/go/z/JoanRivers***
A Care2 petition by Broadway producer Tom D’Angora has gathered over 4,800 signatures
BROADWAY — On Monday, a committee of the Broadway League decided it would not dim the lights in honor of actress and comedian Joan Rivers. A Care2 petition started by Off Broadway producer Tom D’Angora demands the committee reverse its decision; it has gathered more than 4,800 signatures in less than 24 hours.
VIEW THE PETITION HERE: http://www.care2.com/go/z/JoanRivers
Dimming the lights on Broadway theater marquees is an industry honor reserved for actors who have passed. The Broadway League represents theater owners and producers, but D’Angora, producer of the long-running Off Broadway hits NEWSical: The Musical and Naked Boys Singing, disagrees with the decision.
“I believe with all my heart that Joan Rivers would be deeply hurt by this short-sighted decision,” D’Angora says. “Her acting was very important to her, as reflected in her documentary, and she was a Tony-nominated actress. I would like to bow my head as the lights go down for a legend — all they have to do is flip a switch to dim the lights.”
The Care2 petition asks Charlotte St. Martin, executive director of the Broadway League, to reverse the decision. St. Martin told the New York Times that Joan Rivers didn’t meet the criteria for the honor because she hadn’t acted on Broadway in 20 years. Rivers appeared on Broadway three times and earned a Tony Award nomination in 1994.
“I started the Care2 petition because she gave so generously to the Broadway community. This is our chance to thank her and show her our love and respect,” D’Angora says. “The New York theater community loves Joan Rivers and we demand she be honored.”
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