Hey guys, I noticed Stephanie J. Block on Twitter saying how much she wants the show to extend through the summer and I was wondering if anyone on here knew how likely that was.
Stephanie J. Block ?@StephanieJBlock Happy to be back to work. I love this cast! I love this show! If you do too, buy tickets these next weeks so we can keep this love going!
Stephanie J. Block ?@StephanieJBlock ... Bottom line... Ticket sales speak louder than... Well, to a producer... Everything. Thanks for your support and belief in #DROOD!
My thought was that since an extension would mandate a switch to a standard production contract, that it was not likely. And now that they have to replace Wolfe, that adds another complication. But I personally would love to see the show continue to run and it wouldn't shock me if they extend through May or June at least to see how they fare with awards.
Studio 54 has nothing programmed for the rest of the season, which suggests that, at one point or another, they were probably considering running it indefinitely.
I know their ticket sales are not through-the-roof, but I was under the impression they weren't losing money either. I wonder if they will put the money in to keep this show open until closer to the Tonys.
In my opinion, Block, Rivera, and the show itself are all competitive.
The thing is, they already have to replace Betsy once she leaves. There's going to be another month of shows after she leaves, and Equity would not allow an understudy to cover for that long.
I would not be surprised though if they did extend in the summer, at least until the Tony's.
A question regarding understudies, when/if they switch over to a standard production contract, will they need to hire additional cast members? I don't believe they currently have 2 understudies for each role, which is required, no? Am I completely inventing that?
The two understudies for each role sounds familiar, but it probably has to do with the specifications of the requirements of each role. I would love to see the revival extend through the summer and win best revival, but I am curious about who they will replace Besty with, realistically. Loved her when I saw the show.
Well I would guess that the stars are already making above what minimum for the Production Contract is anyway (I would be hard pressed to believe that Stephanie, Chita, Will, Jim and possibly a few others are working for the minimum that Roundabout has set under the LORT contract), so it wouldn't necessarily be quite the huge expenditure that it might seem. The LORT rulebook is out of date right now, but as of last year actors working for minimum would see about a $400 bump per week for any extension, which, in the grand scheme of things, is not necessarily an insurmountable hurdle.
And yes, Kelly, you are making up the two understudies rule. The Production contract only stipulates that all parts except for star and "bit" parts need to be understudied, but does not require more than one understudy. You'll often see more than one understudy, but that is because most producers are smart enough to know that in an extended run there will eventually come a time when you might need more than one understudy for a role.
Good to know! I agree the "star" names are probably making more than minimum, but a friend told me one of the actresses turned down much more money to do this show instead, despite that she would be working for not very much above minimum.
my question regarding Drood's possible extension is, if they DON'T extend, when will it be pretty much a sure thing? like when is the point when we will be able to say "oh their scheduled closing is to soon for them to extend now"?
I've been wondering that as well. Both the cast and Roundabout themselves have been pretty intentionally vague when asked about it on social media and the like. I mean, in response to a question about a possible extension, they said: "We can't make any promises, but we'll cross our fingers too!"
No, I don't. The Roundabout is not known for that at all. They cut their losses and run, especially when it comes to the sticking point where they have to pay actors more money.
I think they thought (as did I) that this show would have been far more popular, and originally did think the show would extend. Block's post says it all - ticket sales are everything - and if that didn't happen over the holidays, what makes you think it will improve in the winter doldrums? I have no confidence it will even make it to March.
I fear Ghostlight is right. When actors have to keep telling people at stage door to "tell your friends" (I've heard this from many) and Block's tweet about pushing ticket sales, they know the writing on the wall -- if sales don't improve 'toot sweet', they are in trouble.
They failed to sell out over Xmas week, did they not? Not a good sign.
They did sell out a few of their shows Christmas week, but not all of them. I do believe you're both right, I always felt Roundabout wouldn't take it past the point of having to switch to a standard production contract unless the show was a massive sell-out type deal.
It's not unheard of for producers to sink money into a show to wait for the nominations though, but Roundabout, as Ghostlight said, doesn't tend to do that.
All that said, however, if they're making their nut (and right now, I believe they are), and they have nothing else lined up, there's no reason for them to close.
The minute they start losing money, though, they'll pull the plug. They'll negate the extension. The word "extension" actually means very little. It has only to do with possibility and intent.
They are always technically on the LORT contract when working for Roundabout (which has its own addendum in the LORT rulebook, as does Lincoln Center, MTC, Center Theatre Group, and Ford's Theatre). If any production extends beyond the initial subscription run then there is a salary bump that brings the minimum closer in line to Production Contract minimums as well as adjustments in the health, pension, and 401k payments by Roundabout. They also have to add a second assistant stage manager for musicals (if they hadn't already hired one before the extension).
Even if it does snag quite a few nominations and/or wins come Tony time, that is not going to guarantee increased ticket sales. Porgy and Bess took home Best Revival AND Best Actress and it did not boost ticket sales that greatly at all.
"However, this is one of the few BWAY shows showing up on tdf with any regularity -- another bad sign."
From what I've noticed, most shows from the subscription based companies (namely Roundabout and MTC, less of Lincoln Center) are on TDF for a good portion of their runs.
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joined:1/5/07
Posted: 1/2/13 at 10:11am