Lincoln Center to Restart Stages!

Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts has announced Restart Stages, a sweeping initiative that will create 10 outdoor performance and rehearsal spaces—an outdoor performing arts center—as well as other outdoor civic venues to help kickstart the performing arts sector and contribute to the revival of New York City.

Artistic programming will feature Lincoln Center’s world-class constituent organizations, including outdoor performances of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s annual Summer Evenings concerts, film screenings from Film at Lincoln Center, a concert and cabaret series by Lincoln Center Theater, and dance workshops from New York City Ballet. This project will also help bring back New York’s rich and vital performing arts ecosystem by also reaching far beyond the Lincoln Center campus to include a wide range of cultural and community partners and guest curators, including the Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance (BAAD!), Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute, Harlem Week and the Harlem Arts Alliance, Korean Cultural Center New York, and Weeksville Heritage Center.

Restart Stages venues will include:

• A cabaret-style stage on Hearst Plaza
• Dedicated family and kids' areas with arts activities for young people
• Venues for rehearsals, opening up the artistic process to visitors
• Space for public school graduations, recognizing the extraordinary achievements of students under difficult circumstances
• An outdoor reading room, created in partnership with The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts

New Yorkers can also participate in a range of civic and community service opportunities. These include blood drives in partnership with the New York Blood Center and food distributions in partnership with Food Bank For New York City. Lincoln Center will also serve as a designated primary election polling place in partnership with the Board of Elections.

Restart Stages launches on World Health Day, Wednesday, April 7, with a special performance for healthcare workers. Learn more here. 

This is exciting news for the neighborhood, and we are looking forward to having live performing arts back in Lincoln Square - the cultural and entertainment heart of New York City. Lincoln Center’s Restart Stages will bring some life and energy back to the neighborhood, which we hope will increase foot traffic to Lincoln Square’s diverse mix of shops and restaurants. Stay tuned for more details as they’re announced.

Photo credit: Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts