Industry Pro Newsletter: NYC Tourism is Back, Regional Awards Voting Underway

As many theatres get into the swing of their holiday shows and end of year giving campaigns, some good signs for the New York theater industry as tourism continues to rebound from the pandemic. While things still aren't back to the record setting year of 2019, the city is anticipating ending the year at about 85% of those levels, with a huge number of tourists making their way to the city between Thanksgiving and New Years Eve.

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Industry Trends

Are Theater Development Programs Important? by Cara Joy David

The theater we see is not usually a first draft of a work. That seems obvious, but very little press attention is paid to just how a show gets developed. One way has traditionally been through theater development programs. These programs are intensive communal experiences, often pairing the artist with a dramaturg and advisors to develop a piece.

"You can't turn out a play that's fully formed--it is a collaboration," said playwright Jennifer Maisel, whose work includes EIGHT NIGHTS, a 2021 Ovation Award-winner for Best Playwriting. "We're starting with the words, but we need to know how the words work."

Unfortunately, in recent years, theater development programs have been dying. Sundance Theatre Program, The Lark and Berkshire Playwrights Lab are three major ones that have shuttered. Others have taken hiatuses or spoken about reformation. There are still development programs out there, but many are facing funding challenges, leading artists to worry about how long they will be able to continue. Of the large fundraising campaigns that have been mounted with a "save the theater"-type banner, very few are for these career-enhancing opportunities. They are often seen as not very important by donors, including those theatrically inclined, even though they significantly impact the pipeline of new works.

"The programs falling off is a huge problem," said David Adjmi, who teaches dramatic writing in addition to being a playwright himself. "What am I going to tell my students? Where do these young writers go when they come out of grad school? You need a place to go to incubate your work that is safe, where it's not results drive."

Of course, not everyone has had a wonderful personal experience developing their work at one of these programs. "I think that the program was great, the advisors were really great, [but] I think the overall experience is like being in a crucible," said Bradford Louryk of developing a project about Lucrezia Borgia at Sundance. "It's like Vietnam for people who make theater. And I definitely came out shell-shocked."

But even Louryk strongly believes in the necessity of these programs. He blamed his negative experience at Sundance on being paired with the wrong dramaturg (then Sundance lead dramatist Mame Hunt), contrasting it with a positive experience at The Orchard Project. The Orchard Project is one of the development opportunities still available to artists, though in 2022 only 2020/2021 class members were allowed to participate.

There probably isn't an artist you could contact that would not support the proliferation of developmental programs because they are not only important to the development of individual new works, but also key to the developing of relationships. That is the softer part -- the fact that these opportunities help guide a career because they offer networking.

"They are where you not only get to evolve the play, but where you get to evolve your relationships in the theater world as a playwright," Maisel stated.

Broadway/New York

LaChanze-Norm-Lewis-Michael-McElroy-More-Announced-as-New-Black-Theatre-United-Executive-Committee-20221114">Black Theatre United Announces New Executive Leadership

Black Theatre United has announced its new Executive Leadership Committee which includes President LaChanze, Vice President Michael McElroy, Secretary Lisa Dawn Cave, Treasurer Norm Lewis and Compliance Officer Tamara Tunie. LaChanze-Norm-Lewis-Michael-McElroy-More-Announced-as-New-Black-Theatre-United-Executive-Committee-20221114">Click here to read more...

Stage Directors and Choreographers Society Announces New Board

While the union representing Stage Directors and Choreographers announced some new board members, one member who is not new is Evan Yionoulis, who was elected to a second term as President of the Executive Board. Click here to read more...

NYC Tourism Back to 85% of Pre-Pandemic Levels

6.5 million people are anticipated to travel to New York City in the six weeks leading up to Thanksgiving and New Year's, which is the latest indication of the city's recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. According to NYC & Company, the city anticipates 56.4 million overall visitors by the end of the year. The city intends to beat those 2019 visitation levels by 2024, which would make up 85% of the record 2019 tourism levels. About 9 million foreign visitors and 47.5 million local travelers are included in the statistics. Click here to read more...

Regional

Voting is Underway in the BroadwayWorld Regional Awards

After a nomination period through the end of October, the last few weeks have seen the launch of voting for this year's edition of the BroadwayWorld Regional Awards. Voting will remain open through the end of the year. Click here to read more...

Berkshire/Columbia County Arts Organizations Launch Pay Equity Initiative

In order to better understand how persistently low pay for nonprofit arts practitioners leads to disparities, family instability, and barriers to involvement in the local arts and culture scene, a group of cultural charities from Berkshire and Columbia Counties are collecting feedback. The cohort aims to highlight local perspectives on how employment for cultural workers in the Berkshire/Columbia County area functions-or doesn't function. Click here to read more...

International

The Guardian Explores Three More Case Studies of Funding Changes

With two case studies of organizations who saw their funding increase in the recent changes from Arts Council England, and one that saw a decrease but not a complete cut, the Guardian concludes their case studies of organizations dealing with the massive policy shift. Click here to read more...

Missed our last few newsletters?

November 14, 2022 - New Funding Challenges in the UK and US, New Leaders Take Their Posts

In the UK, there has been a major shift in governmental funding - with Arts Council England moving funds out of London and into the regions, causing a lot of major institutions to sort out how to fill the gap. In the US, programs designed to help businesses and producers make it through the pandemic have been winding down or coming to an end over the last fiscal year - but audiences and other funding aren't yet back to their pre-pandemic levels, leaving leaders in a tough position to figure out how to get their institutions back on firm financial footing. Click here to read more...

November 7, 2022 - COVID Continues to Impact the Industry, UK Shakes Up Arts Funding

Ask anyone working in arts administration right now, and they'll tell you that the challenges they are facing are numerous and unprecedented. For many regional theaters, audiences are slow to return - but is that individual ticket buyers or season subscribers? Are they concerned about COVID or is it something else? In Europe, a looming energy crisis is putting the pressure on many organizations budgets, and on top of that the UK announced a major shake up of how they are funding arts organizations in London. As we start to wind down 2022, we're beginning to understand the new challenges being faced in the new normal. As we move forward from here, we'll be tracking the new solutions to these challenges right here in this newsletter. Click here to read more...

October 31, 2022 - Quiet Quitting in the Arts and Supply Chain Woes Hit the Theater

For many working in the entertainment industry, it can often feel like we're living in a different economy than everyone else - the hours maintained have long been different from the rest of the working world, the day to day tasks, the workplace cultures. Some of these things are baked into the nature of the industry - if we're entertaining everyone after their work days, then we need to work at different times than they do - but others are part of the bigger shift towards a better working environment that many creatives and entertainment industry workers are trying to change. This week, a few different stories about how broader economic trends - quiet quitting and the supply chain - are showing up in the arts. Click here to read more...

BroadwayWorld Resources

BroadwayWorld Stage Mag - A Fully Interactive Show Program

The digital solution to your show program needs - want to see what's possible? Check out the Stage Mag's for A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder and for The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!)! Then start building your own at stagemag.broadwayworld.com.

Add Your Show to our Regional Events Calendar

As audiences get set to return to in-person performances, and as your company works to market your own return to the stage, make sure you've got your upcoming shows in our regional events calendars. Listings are free of charge, with boosting options available. Get your show listed now

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