Broadway-Themed Event Raises $10,500 For Council Candidate Brewer

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — A virtual fundraiser held by Upper West Side City Council candidate Gale Brewer garnered $10,500 Thursday night as the Manhattan Borough President continues to drum up support for a council seat.

The event, Broadway and Beyond For Brewer, included appearances and virtual performances by a bevy of Broadway stars, including Kevin Smith Kirkwood, who appeared in Kinky Boots, musician Peter Cincotti, and Deborah S. Craig, who portrayed Marcy Park in the Broadway show “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee”, according to a campaign spokesperson.

The event also attracted a number of other entertainment stars and activists and paid tribute to the Upper West Side’s commitment to the performing arts.

“The West Side is home to a vibrant performing arts community that makes New York City the special place it is. I believe the arts must play a central role in helping us come together and move forward from the deep challenges of this past year,” Brewer said in a news release. “I am deeply honored to have the support of these amazing performers, and I’ll keep working to ensure that we rebuild and reinvest in our arts and culture community as New York recovers.”

Brewer has become known for her passion for protecting performance venues on the Upper West Side throughout the coronavirus pandemic, her campaign said. As the city continues to move closer to reopening – including on Broadway, which has been shuttered because of COVID-19 restrictions, supporters said that the District 6 candidate has remained a champion for the performing arts.

Brewer, who has fought to expand arts education opportunities in New York City schools throughout her career, has focused over the past year on helping the city’s theater scene by supporting the Save Our Stages Act. She has received endorsements from several local organizations, including the American Federation of Musicians Local 802, her campaign said.

“Gale Brewer is perhaps the most accomplished elected official and public servant working today,” the group said in a news release endorsing Brewer. “These unprecedented times call for leaders with both the vision and experience to help uplift our cultural sector and steer our city through a post-pandemic world. We believe her expertise will help musicians on the Upper West Side face this crisis head-on, as the district rebuilds from its roots in the performing arts.”