Industry Pro Newsletter: 'Keep the Requirements' say DC Theatregoers, April's Top Ten off-Broadway Shows
And the Broadway League confirmed their vaccine and mask requirements will remain until at least 4/30.
By: Alex Freeman Apr. 04, 2022
Survey data suggest that theatregoers want to see mitigation measures - such as vaccination requirements and masked audiences - remain in place for the foreseeable future. This survey data specifically comes from DC, but the Broadway League is also taking notice and currently mulling their own plan on whether or not to extend these requirements past April 30th. The data seems pretty straightforward that these measures are working in protecting audience members and staff members alike - and based on the Broadway League's gross reporting, they also don't seem to be hurting attendance at shows. While one does anticipate that at least some of these requirements will eventually return, landing in a new state of normal will require deep listening to the science and to audiences about what helps them remain comfortable sitting in theatre seats.
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Industry Trends
Government Crackdown on Ticket Fees May Not Be That Simple
Recently, the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau announced that it was working to crack down on fees that only become apparent to a consumer after they've gone much further down the path of making a purchase - things like resort fees at hotels and the service fees on tickets. While they cited Broadway ticket fees specifically, it isn't entirely clear that the bureau has jurisdiction in this matter. Read more...
Supreme Court to Hear Fair Use Case
From the art world, a case involving fair use protections and copyright law will be heard by the Supreme Court. The case seeks to understand if Andy Warhol's work drawing on top of photographs of Prince was truly transformative in a way that is protected by fair use, or if it was a violation of copyright. The case has the potential to shift our understanding of fair use and copyright protections. Read more...
Broadway/New York
Each month, BroadwayWorld will be rounding up the ten best titles running off-Broadway in the coming month - check out April's list now! Read more...
Nikki Renee Daniels Steps in and Becomes Broadway's First Black Bobbie
The actress, who normally plays Jenny in the production, made her debut as Bobbie on March 30th. It has also been announced that she will once again be in the role of Bobbie this upcoming weekend. Read more...
Broadway's Mask and Vaccination Requirements to Remain Until April 30
The Broadway League confirmed this week that the requirements will stay in place until April 30 as originally announced, and that they are currently monitoring the situation in New York and will make a new announcement on April 15th regarding the protocols beyond the end of April. Read more...
Regional
Broadway Licensing Announces Standing Ovation Grant
The $5,000 award will go to a school that produced a Broadway Licensing (or family of brands) title in the last year, and that reflects the company's core values of Innovation, Advocacy, Humility, Transparency, Partnership and Collaboration, and Inclusion. In addition to the prize money, the winning school will be featured in next year's education catalog. Read more...
DC Theatregoers: Keep Masks and Vaccine Check
New research conducted by Theatre Washington and Limelight Insights by Shugoll show that 52% of theatre patrons in DC don't want the mask and vaccination requirements to expire on April 30th. A full 77% of respondents were clear that they definitely didn't want the vaccination requirements to end. Read more...
International
Industry Figures Warn of Coming Crisis in UK Arts Sector Hiring
With many temporary agreements on pay set to expire in April, UK Arts Sector workers have been working longer hours and for less money in most situations since the sector was able to return from the pandemic. However, this has only exacerbated an ongoing problem pre-pandemic: wages are too low to keep up with the continued rise in the cost of living, causing many to leave the industry and a new worker shortage to appear. Read more...
Lack of Opportunities for Women Writers Worse Post-Pandemic
Following recent research in the UK, it was found that with the backlog of work that was canceled or postponed during the pandemic, the situation for women writers in the UK - either in the form of productions or development opportunities - has only grown worse. Read more...
Missed our last few newsletters?
March 28 - The Lost Generation of Theatre-Makers, Broadway League Reports Individual Grosses
Last week, we got two different sets of data that started to make a case for the current state of the cultural economy - a report from the NEA laying out just how bad things got in the depths of 2020 (and hinting at some initial recovery in 2021) - and the first time The Broadway League reported individual show grosses since Broadway reopened. While these data sets don't give a complete picture on their own - not to mention the numerous regional data points that we've previously reported on - the signs are clear that recovery is upon us, but the path ahead is still a long one for many organizations. Read more...
March 21 - Nicole Rosky New Editor-in-Chief of BroadwayWorld, New Data on Pandemic Recovery
New data points show that the theatre industry is once again at an inflection point - first, data backs up the anecdotal sense that the recovery from the pandemic shutdown has been uneven across the globe, and across different regions within countries. With most pandemic response being handled on a local level, this uneven recovery is not surprising. As the industry gets back to the new normal, we are also seeing an increasing number of examinations that reveal that things might be getting back to the old normal in a way that seems to ignore many of the non-pandemic related conversations around equity and access to opportunity that occurred over the last two years - like unpaid internships continuing to be offered at many large institutions. Read more...
March 14 - Tony Awards Have a Date, New DEI Report from AEA
The announcement of the Tony Awards and the return of the BC/EFA Red Bucket campaign brought a huge sense of normalcy back to the theatre industry last week - unfortunately this week, we were also reminded how far the industry has to go in establishing the new normal with the release of Actors Equity Association's latest Diversity and Inclusion report. As we look toward Tony Awards season, this is also your reminder that this newsletter would be great to include in your For Your Consideration campaigns. For more information on sponsorship opportunities, reach out to the BroadwayWorld Sales team. 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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