Industry Pro Newsletter: Audience Intentions Look Good into 2023, Molly Smith Retires, and San Diego Rep Suspends Operations

Waking up the morning after the Tony Awards is a day that often has many feeling inspired to go out and make art - to pursue their dreams and their passions. And as we look at the broader theatre industry in today's newsletter, there are a lot of trends that should be viewed as highly encouraging: first, data from IMPACTS suggests that we will continue to see a rise in audience demand into 2023 for performance based organizations. Second, the Broadway musical is thriving on Australian stages - and recent granting after the pandemic is allowing more homegrown musicals to take shape there. Finally, a study of leadership in Colorado shows us that at least in one state, the majority of companies now have at least one woman involved in artistic leadership. Taken together, these are strong indicators of a bright future, even as the theatre continues to grapple with some of the other issues outlined in other articles included in this and previous editions of this newsletter.

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Industry Trends

Is It Time to Retire the Reverence for Theatre's 'Sacred Monsters'?

Writing in the New York Times, Jesse Green explores the history of the monstrous men who built the American theatre, and how we can and should move on from them in our artistry. Click here to read more...

IMPACTS: 2023 Will Show Increased Competition for Leisure Activities

In their latest round of research, IMPACTS describes an increased intention for people to find out-of-home leisure activities in 2023. While the demand looks like it will decrease for exhibit based activities, the data indicates a positive trend for audiences' intentions to visit performance based activities. Click here to read more...

Broadway/New York

A Strange Loop, The Lehman Trilogy, and more Win at the Tony Awards

For full coverage of last nights awards ceremony, check out the link to the hot topic on BroadwayWorld - our team worked tirelessly to pull all of the winners, speeches, reaction cams, and more into one spot for you to catch up on any part of the ceremony you may have missed. Click here to read more...

Lena Horne to Have Broadway Theatre Named in Her Honor

The Nederlander Organization announced that they would be re-naming the Brooks Atkinson after the Grammy Award winning singer, dancer, actress, and civil rights activist. She will be the first Black woman to have a Broadway theatre named after her. Click here to read more...

Regional

Molly Smith to Retire from Arena Stage

After leading the company for 25 seasons, Molly Smith will depart in July 2023. A nationwide search will be conducted to find her replacement. Under her leadership, Arena Stage has produced more than 200 productions. Click here to read more...

In Colorado, 63% of Companies Have at Least One Woman in Artistic Leadership

Since 2017, there has been a significant increase in the number of women in leadership positions at theater presenting institutions across Colorado.For many of the recently hired Artistic Directors, this is their first time in the role in any organization - a major sign towards the creation of a stronger pipeline to Artistic leadership. Click here to read more...

San Diego Rep Suspends Operations

After 46 years, the San Diego Rep announced last week that they would be suspending their operations and canceling all currently scheduled performances in order to explore restructuring to create a more sound financial footing for the organization. This follows the news of Sam Woodhouse, co-founder and longtime Artistic Director, announcing his retirement earlier this year. That retirement was supposed to take effect in September. Click here to read more...

San Francisco Playhouse Announces New Commissions

The seven announced commissioned playwrights comprise the fourth and fifth years of the Playhouse's five-year commissioning program, where they are aiming to commission and support the development of 20 new plays. An eighth playwright will be announced at a later date. Click here to read more...

Shakespeare in American Communities Grantees Announced

The $1.17 million program administered by the National Endowment for the Arts and Arts Midwest. The grant program supports high quality productions and educational opportunities for high school students, middle school students, and young people in juvenile detention facilities. Click here to read more...

International

At Closing, Cinderella Audience Doesn't Appreciate Andrew Lloyd Webber's Remarks

Lloyd Webber was not in attendance at the closing performance, but the productions director read remarks from the composer and producer, to which the audience verbally reacted with boos. They were particularly unhappy when Lloyd Webber referred to the decision to open the show as early as they did as a "costly mistake". Click here to read more...

With 9 Broadway Shows on Stage, Musical Theatre is Thriving in Australia

In addition to the hit shows currently running in Australia, Live Performance Australia cites Musical Theatre as the second most popular live performance art form in Australia - making the case for a strong and growing market. Click here to read more...

Can Arts Therapy Help the Arts Sector Recover?

With continued evidence on the benefits of arts therapy, can the inclusion of this field into the work of more traditional arts organizations help fuel the recovery of the sector? Click here to read more...

Missed our last few newsletters?

June 6 - Tax Credits in Maryland, A Unionization Effort in DC

The Tony Awards are on Sunday, and that feels really normal. Anyone who has walked through Times Square in the past week or so would also attest that the crush of tourists is also starting to feel normal. Box Offices across the country are starting to normalize, though I don't know anyone wants to go so far as to call them normal quite yet. However, there continues to be an undercurrent of change throughout the industry - the vast majority of it for the better in terms of trying to create better conditions for artists and other workers in the creative industries. That change doesn't come without strife, and that is the other thing that is becoming a part of the new normal - unionization efforts, Do Not Work orders, and social media campaigns to put pressure on producers and institutions to make changes to the very business model of theatre. Click here to read more...

May 31 - Is a Subscription Model the Correct Model for an Arts Organization?

As we hit the unofficial start of summer, overall the trends are looking up for Broadway and the broader theatre industry. That isn't to say there aren't ongoing challenges: ever-shifting health and safety protocols, continued reports of toxic work environments that need to be sorted, and a major shift in how audiences are buying tickets. But after two years of continued threats of shutdown, it is beginning to feel like the industry is safely back on its feet and in a stronger position than before to tackle many of these issues moving forward. Click here to read more...

May 23 - Mask Mandate Extensions, Are Tourist's Returning?

As awards season continues forward, there is a strong sense of normalcy within the industry - however, the announcement last week from both the Broadway League and at least one regional arts organization that mask mandates will continue into the summer is a strong reminder that we aren't yet back to normal. Tourism in New York is still below pre-pandemic numbers, and while many shows felt a boost in the post Tony nomination period in their box office numbers, there are other shows that are reliant on that tourist box office that are hoping to survive into summer when those numbers are expected to rebound even further. 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 off-Broadway's Blindness and for Next on Stage Season 3! 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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