‘The Inheritance’ Playwright Matthew López, Broadway for Biden Team on Election Events (EXCLUSIVE)
Matthew López will host two upcoming events geared at galvanizing the LGBTQIA+ community to participate in the 2020 election in support of Joe Biden.
“The Inheritance” playwright is partnering with Broadway for Biden on the initiatives — one will be a virtual phone bank and the other will be a town hall to discuss queer issues.
The virtual phone banking event will take place on Monday, September 28 from 7:00 – 9:00pm EST and will feature members of “The Inheritance’s” sprawling cast. In between dialing, ensemble members such as Lois Smith, Tony Goldwyn, and Jonathan Burke will give short remakrss. In an interview with Variety, López likened the event to the Jerry Lewis telethons of yore, albeit without appearances from members of the Rat Pack.
“The ultimate goal will be to place as many phone calls as we can, but we’re not accountants,” said López. “We’re performers, so we need to provide a little entertainment value.”
The playwright said he’s hoping to split the 40-plus “Inheritance” cast into groups, pitting members of the principal cast against the rest of the ensemble in a race to see who can make the most calls.
“In addition helping to do their part to save the Republic, their reward will be my undying gratitude,” said López. “Hopefully my affection and esteem will be enough of an inducement.”
On Saturday, October 3, López will host a Town Hall for Broadway for Biden which will feature members of the theater community discussing the Biden campaign’s policies.
“Queer rights and the lives of queer people touch on everything,” said López.”Our community spans the width and breadth of American society. That brings with it all kinds of American vulnerabilities — economic injustice, racial injustice, a lack of access to healthcare, income inequality. We’re not single issue voters. We need to expand the definition of what we consider to be queer issues.”
The filmed panel discussion will stream for free at BPN.FM/B4B at 2:00pm EST and will remain online. Broadway Podcast Network will present the event.
Broadway for Biden is an online community that brings together professional theater workers, students, and fans around the country to increase voter turnout and raise funds to elect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.
In addition to “The Inheritance,” which is expected to be a major Tony Awards contender, López has been seen off-Broadway with “The Whipping Man” and “The Legend of Georgia McBride.” He is currently adapting “The Legend of Georgia McBride” for the screen.
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