麻豆社国产

NEW YORK 鈥� 鈥淗amilton鈥� creator Lin-Manuel Miranda joined New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio on Monday at the grand opening of a Times Square COVID-19 vaccination site intended to jump-start the city's entertainment industry.

鈥淲e want to gather again, and we want to tell stories in the dark,鈥� said Miranda, the author and star of the hit musical about Alexander Hamilton. 鈥淲e cannot do that if we don鈥檛 feel safe and if you don鈥檛 feel safe. So the first step in that process is getting our vaccination shots, and the next steps will follow.鈥�

Broadway theatres have been shuttered since the coronavirus pandemic struck in March of last year. De Blasio has said he hopes dedicated vaccination sites will help the industry reopen by September.

The new Times Square vaccine site will be open to workers in theatre, film and TV, said the mayor, who stressed the importance of the entertainment industry to the life of the city.

鈥淵es, it鈥檚 part of our economy. Much more importantly it鈥檚 part of our identity,鈥� de Blasio said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 part of who we are, it鈥檚 part of our hearts. What it means in this city, the theatre, the music, the dance, the film and TV, it is our expression of everything that is New York City. It鈥檚 our creativity, it鈥檚 our heart and soul. We do something here that does not exist anywhere in the world quite like this."

The new vaccination site, housed in a former NFL Experience store, will be managed by Susan Sampliner, the longtime company manager for the musical 鈥淲icked.鈥� Miranda said that 鈥渋f anyone knows how to make a show run on time it鈥檚 Broadway stage managers. So you鈥檒l be in good hands.鈥�

The Associated Press