Industry Pro Newsletter: Hopes for 2024, National Theatre Wales 100% Funding Cut
Cara Joy David Looks Back on Meaningful Stage Door Experiences from 2023
By: Alex Freeman Jan. 08, 2024
Happy New Year! This week, Cara Joy David looks back at the stage door experience at a few of the musicals currently running on Broadway, we check in with various insiders hopes for Broadway in 2024, and we look at Dallas and Denver - where the recovery has taken different paths. Across the pond, The National Theatre Wales deals with a complete funding cut from their arts council.
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Industry Trends
The Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC) and the Broadway League have successfully negotiated a pivotal agreement. This deal expands the production contract to incorporate associate directors and choreographers. The move is seen as a positive step in enhancing labor relations within the theater industry, recognizing and including a broader spectrum of creative professionals.
Broadway/New York
Industry Trends Weekly: How Did Actors Behave at the Stage Doors of Last Year's Musicals? By Cara Joy David
Last year, I spent a lot of time at stage doors. I wanted to write about what it was like. I wrote about my experience at the stage doors of straight plays and the installment about musicals was supposed to follow quickly thereafter but kept getting bumped. I could not let it slip too far into 2024 however, so here it is.
The Sweeney Todd, including stars Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford, will usually sign and take pictures. The night I was there, no one asked Groban for a photo until about twenty people in, and then I heard earlier people upset they didn’t have the courage. (When I was there, Gaten Matarazzo, or “G Man,” as a security guard referred to him, was still there, and security announced he would only sign Playbills, but they made no similar announcement for anyone else.) I was most struck by the interaction between Ruthie Ann Miles and a Southern tourist named Beth. Miles is one our very best performers—on break from Sweeney, she turned in a performance in The Light in the Piazza that was so powerful it left half the audience in tears. (Her performances The King and I and Here Lies Love are still tops for me too.) Miles is also one of Broadway’s best humans. Beth stopped Miles on the line because of how much Miles’ performance meant to her. Beth had lost her daughter to cancer and she explained she “went a little nuts” after that; she saw herself in Miles’ performance. Miles has gone through her own heartbreaking loss, but Beth wasn’t stopping Miles because of that. This was all about Miles’ Begger Woman performance. Miles' performance, in a relatively small role, meant that much to this woman. Miles took down her mask to talk to Beth. She hugged her. It was a moment that helped me remember the importance of theater. I couldn’t hear everything Miles said, but I spoke to Beth afterward and the brief conversation moved her. That’s a benefit of the stage door experience.
Likewise, I was outside the How to Dance in Ohio stage door, when a 19-year-old autistic woman named Sarah Jane waited for the cast. She mumbled to herself her own name and a pre-planned introduction to the cast members. I interrupted briefly and she explained to me how much it meant to her to see autistic performers onstage; she too wanted to be a performer. That day, only a few of the young adult cast members signed, but one of them was Ashley Wool, the cast member this young woman most identified with. Sarah Jane delivered her pre-planned speech and was so touched by Wool’s excited reaction.
Nothing as emotional happened at the other musicals. Merrily We Roll Along has thankfully managed to stop non-attendees from autograph-seeking. When I was there, security checked tickets before allowing people to enter the autograph area. That night, if you got in the area, you got a signature and a photograph with Daniel Radcliffe. About half the folks left after meeting Radcliffe. Jonathan Groff and Lindsay Mendez came out about 30 minutes later and individually greeted most of the remaining folks. At Back to the Future: The Musical, Roger Bart did not sign, but the rest of the cast did, and Casey Likes spent a long time talking to fans. I heard an older fan chat with Kimberly Akimbo’s Victoria Clark about every single thing she’s ever done (a lot!), while a few young fans waited for their signatures and photos. At the MJ stage door, one eager fan tried to get each cast member to sing, which was awkward, though some complied. At Gutenberg! The Musical!, neither Josh Gad nor Andrew Rannells sign, but they do tend to wave and say something to the fans before they get into their respective cars.
I’m not going to go through all the rest because there was nothing remarkable enough to report from an impartial observer's perspective, but it’s different for the fans. Actors aren’t required to stage door; when they do it means something to the waiting crowd.
Industry Insiders Share Thoughts on the Broadway Season and Hopes for 2024
Theater insiders delve into a reflective discourse on the challenges and triumphs of the recent Broadway season. Their insights provide a nuanced perspective on the industry's dynamics, from navigating pandemic-related difficulties to celebrating notable achievements. As they share their thoughts, these insiders also express their collective aspirations for the future of Broadway in 2024, outlining hopes for growth, inclusivity, and artistic innovation.
Regional
Dallas Morning News: For North Texas Theater Groups, a Home Venue is Key to Success
North Texas theater groups highlight the critical role of having a dedicated venue for their success. The article explores how having a permanent space fosters artistic growth, audience engagement, and financial stability for these theater organizations in the region.
Denver Post: Denver Theater Scene Bucks Trend in National Crisis
Denver's theater scene stands out amid a national crisis. The article delves into the factors contributing to Denver's theatrical resilience, examining innovative strategies, community support, and adaptability that have allowed the city's theaters to navigate challenges successfully.
International
BBC: National Theatre Wales Receives 100% Funding Cut
After Arts Council Wales issued the full cut, National Theatre Wales requested a re-examination of the decision. After the review was requested, Arts Council Wales members declined to re-examine the decision and proceeded with the 100% funding cut.
The Stage: The Stage UK Ticketing Survey 2023 - Breakdown in Full
The Stage presents a comprehensive breakdown of its UK Ticketing Survey for 2023. The article provides insights into ticketing trends, audience preferences, and challenges faced by the UK theatre industry, offering a detailed analysis of the survey results.
Missed our last few newsletters?
Before we dive in, a quick programming note - this will be our last Industry newsletter of the year. Cheers to all of you for reading along with us this year, and we look forward to continuing to support the best practices of the wider industry in 2024! A few exciting data points to close out the year - the first being that Broadway audiences this past season were younger and more diverse than in seasons past. This is a bright spot in a season that saw a bumpy box office. A new study from SMU DataArts also looked at the amount of funding that went out to arts and culture organizations during the pandemic and the impact of the unprecedented governmental support.
December 11, 2023 - Lookingglass Alice Heads to PBS, Actors Seek Higher Pay in Australia
The transformation continues to be global - after US based writers and actors won concessions from the film industry, stage performers in Australia are looking to increase their own pay. In response to funding changes at the government level, the English National Opera is moving out of London and heading to Manchester. And PBS is bringing a regional production to national airwaves as they get set to premiere Lookingglass Alice. As 2023 comes to a close, it has been a year of transformation for the entertainment industry, but in a way that it feels like we are just on the precipice of the change that is coming - and we’ll be here in 2024 with all the industry coverage you’re looking for each Monday.
This week, Cara Joy David dives into the eligibility decision surrounding Gutenberg!, and some good news on the regional front - success in one of the emergency fundraising campaigns at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley. Not only were they able to save their season, but exceeded their goal in a way that makes future planning possible and the full staff has been retained. And don’t forget - the BroadwayWorld Regional Awards are open for voting!
BroadwayWorld Resources
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