New York Times (01/09/26) Paulson, Michael
Zohran Mamdani, New York City’s new mayor, traveled to the Flatbush section of Brooklyn this past Friday and personally handed out vouchers for free tickets to a long-running theater festival of experimental work. In doing so, he declared that live theatrical events and culture should be more accessible to the city's residents. Mamdani prevailed upon the annual Under the Radar Festival, which is running now through Jan. 25, to make 1,500 free tickets available. He stood on Hillel Place and handed out cards with QR codes for those tickets to anyone who wanted them. He remarked, "The shared laughter in a crowded theater, the eager debrief after a musical, the heavy silence that hangs over all of us in a drama — these are moments that every New Yorker deserves. The giveaway came about quickly. Mark Russell, the festival's founder, said Mamdani had apparently attended a dinner a few evenings earlier at which Under the Radar came up. The mayor's staff reached out the next day about creating a free ticket initiative.
Read the full story from The New York Times.