Industry Pro Newsletter: New Executive Leadership Announced for Many Theatres
And the Metropolitan Opera Got Through Their Entire Season Without Missing a Curtain
By: Alex Freeman Jun. 21, 2022
Coming out of the pandemic, there were a ton of Artistic and Executive Leadership positions open at institutions across the country, and as those roles have been filled, that has opened up other jobs - causing the leadership jobs carousel to keep on spinning. Last week, a slew of announcements brought clarity to who would be leading many of the major institutions, at least on a temporary basis. Other stories this week include how the Metropolitan Opera managed to get through an entire season without missing a curtain due to the pandemic, a huge step forward for the RSC in their portrayal of an iconic Shakespeare character, and BroadwayWorld celebrating record traffic on Tonys' Night.
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Industry Trends
BroadwayWorld Celebrates Record Breaking Tony Awards Traffic
Over Sunday and Monday of last week, the site logged more than 750,000 visitors - a jump of 56% over 2019 traffic, the last Awards ceremony before the pandemic. Working hard to provide the ultimate second screen experience, the BroadwayWorld editorial team worked tirelessly to offer red carpet coverage, interviews with winners, and more during the day and night. Click here to read more...
Seema Sueko Receives Alan Schneider Director Award from TCG
Theatre Communications Group announced last week that Seema Sueko was the recipient of the 2022 Alan Schneider Director Award. The award recognizes an exceptionally talented mid-career freelance director. Click here to read more...
Broadway/New York
Signature Theatre Removes Interim Tag from Timothy J. McClimon
Timothy J. McClimon will be the new Executive Director of off-Broadway's Signature Theatre, removing the Interim tag from the title he currently holds. He was the Interim Executive Director for six months while the company conducted a search for the role. Click here to read more...
Metropolitan Opera Concludes Season, Having Not Missed a Performance
In a year plagued by new waves of coronavirus, the Metropolitan Opera was able to get through their full season without canceling a single performance. Click here to read more...
Broadway Cleaners Fight for a New Contract
After three years of stagnant wages and now a full season with new, and arduous, health and safety protocols, the cleaners, restroom attendants, and elevator operators that keep Broadway running are negotiating for a new contract. Click here to read more...
New York Philharmonic Restores Musicians Pay
After a canceled season, the New York Philharmonic, like many institutions, was looking to cut expenses in any way possible. They then cut musicians' pay by 25%, with the promise that once the financial outlook improved, they would restore salaries to their original levels. After a stronger than expected season, the Phil will restore pay starting this fall. Click here to read more...
BAM Expanded Their Audience During the Pandemic
In the most recent season, 48% of BAM ticket buyers were first time - compared to 31% in previous years. Leadership credits the wide variety of programming, ensuring the Brooklyn Academy of Music isn't just for one audience, was the key to their success. Click here to read more...
92NY Adds a Space Refurbishment to Its Rebranding
A $200 million plan was unveiled for 92NY, the newly rebranded 9snd Street Y. The plans for the first major phase of the renovation include adding a dance studio, $24 million in work on Buttenweiser Hall, and other infrastructure upgrades. Click here to read more...
Regional
The new role is designed to demonstrate OSF's commitment to bringing Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility to all levels of the operation. Appointed in Spring 2021 as the first Director of IDEA at OSF, Muse has been elevated to include the Managing Director title, overseeing the HR, IT, Safety, Physical Plant, and Company Management departments. Click here to read more...
Jade King Carroll New Artistic Director of Chautauqua Theater Company
Carroll's first season of programming will begin next year for the summer institution, but her appointment will officially begin at the end of August, where she will spend one week in residence with the current company to better familiarize herself with the operation. In addition to her robust regional and New York credits, she has previously directed at CTC. Click here to read more...
Mark Cuddy Named Interim Artistic Director of Cleveland Play House
While the Play House conducts a full national search, Cuddy, the long time Artistic Director of the Geva Theater Center, will step into the role on an Interim basis. Click here to read more...
Ted DeLong Named Interim Managing Director at Woolly Mammoth
The former General Manager and Associate Producer at Oregon Shakespeare Festival, DeLong will hold the position until a new Managing Director is named following a full national search. Click here to read more...
International
Richard Hughes is First Disabled Actor to Portray Richard III at the RSC
In what many disability rights activists are calling a huge step forward, Richard Hughes is the first disabled actor to take on the iconic role of Richard III at the Royal Shakespeare Company. Click here to read more...
SOLT/UK Theatre Announces Pair of Leaders
For the first time in its history UK Theatre and Society of London Theatre are to be run by a pair of Chief Executives, Claire Walker and Hannah Essex. The pair were previously leading the British Chamber of Commerce, which they led through the pandemic. Click here to read more...
Missed our last few newsletters?
June 13 - 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. Click here to read more...
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...
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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