“Singer, songwriter and actor Ben Platt says that he thinks the uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus pandemic could lead to a renaissance of the arts.

“During a TIME 100 Talks discussion on Thursday, Platt, who originated the title role in the critically acclaimed Broadway musical Dear Evan Hansen, told TIME executive editor Dan Macsai why he believes the future of art is bright amid everything going on throughout the world.

““I’m feeling very heartened by the fact that so many people have been continuing to produce art,” he says. “I think in times of crisis or in times of hardship, if anything, it sort of lights a fire under everybody’s butt to create more art. I think people have more that they want to say and write about and have a greater need to connect than ever.””

Read more at Time