Industry Pro Newsletter: Shelly Lowe Confirmed as NEH Chair, Broadway Data Shows Reopening Did Not Go As Planned

While the data from the late fall and early winter show that Broadway's reopening didn't go as planned, and the usual January closing announcements were an emotional blow after the Omicron related surge, the slate of opening dates announced on Broadway for early to mid-April (to make the Tony eligibility cutoff), have many in the industry starting to feel optimistic that this time a corner has truly been turned. Add on that many states are continuing to scale back various restrictions, and the wider workplace is beginning to treat COVID as something endemic, as opposed to a pandemic. While this will bring with it a new set of challenges, and other industry concerns require a rethinking of what was once business as usual, the work of getting to the new normal may be starting to come with fewer external jolts to the system.

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The Social Report

MJ climbs to the top of the leaderboard following opening night. Otherwise it was a quiet winter week on Broadway, with mostly upcoming shows showing significant growth rates, reflecting audience's anticipation of new productions opening later this year.

Industry Trends

Shelly Lowe Confirmed as New Chair of the NEH

The National Endowment for the Humanities has a new chair, and Shelly C. Lowe is now the first Native American to lead the agency. Lowe was confirmed last week in the Senate after being nominated in December. Read more...

Rethinking the Lobby

Writing in American Theatre, Jerad Schomer and Lissa So examine how theatre companies across the country have transformed their own thinking of ways the public can gather. While some companies opened their lobbies to protestors during the Black Lives Matter movement, or made courtyards accessible for outdoor places to gather, the past two years have led to a radical rethinking of what it means to be a place for the public to come together. Read more...

New Education Tools from BroadwayWorld

After announcing our new Director of Education Outreach, BroadwayWorld also recently launched two new resources for theatre students - our Broadway Glossary and our Theatre Scholarship Database. Check them both out and pass them along to an aspiring theatre student in your life today! Read more...

Broadway/New York

How The Music Man Made it to Opening Night

With a mid-preview COVID shutdown, the majority of the cast having contracted the virus at some point, and the high profile departure of Scott Rudin, The New York Times sat down with members of the shows cast and creative team to uncover just how the show has survived through hardships that would have potentially caused the closing of other productions. Read more...

Private Data Shows Reopening Didn't Go As Planned

As Broadway prepared to reopen this fall, the general thinking in the industry was that lower tourism numbers would create an opportunity for new and more experimental works to find a home on Broadway thanks to a more New York local audience. Box office reports from the fall show that this wasn't the case. Read more...

Lincoln Center Explores Pay What You Can Ticketing

Along with announcing their upcoming spring slate of free performances in the atrium, Lincoln Center announced a Pay What You Can ticketing model for their latest edition of American Songbook, taking place in the Kaplan Penthouse. Read more...

Regional

In Chicago, The Question Remains Postpone or Forge Ahead

Coming off the cities highest surge of COVID cases since the beginning of the pandemic - which resulted in multiple holiday productions shutting down across the city - theatre leaders are unsure how to move ahead, with each institution taking a slightly different approach. Read more...

"For Orchestras, There Are Crowds on Stage, Too"

Navigating social distancing is a challenge that doesn't stop at the audience - theatres have taken up the challenge throughout the pandemic through creative blocking solutions. Many of those options aren't available to orchestras - The Chicago Tribune takes a look at how Chicago area orchestras are rising to the challenge of keeping their artists safe. Read more...

Williamstown Theatre Festival Announces Major Changes

Following the LA Times investigation last September into dangerous and abusive working conditions at the festival, Williamstown's leadership announced a major change to their operational model designed to address many of those concerns - including ensuring that their programming meets their capacity in a way that allows artists, interns, and all staff members the ability to work in a safe environment. Read more..

International

Former Prime Minister Theresa May Urges Local Council Not to Cut Arts Funding

Amidst budget crunches, local councils across the United Kingdom are proposing deep cuts to their arts funding - including 100% cuts in more than one location. Former UK Prime Minister Theresa May is urging those councils to reconsider. Read more...

Missed our last few newsletters?

January 31 - Smaller Shows Feel the Squeeze, CTG Eyes Transformation

The virus related news is looking better this week, as New York's COVID positivity rate continues a rapid decline. However, that doesn't mean the wider theatre industry is out of the woods quite yet, as attention can once again shift to the other changes in artist and audience sentiment in the wider Cultural Industry. While we've thought we were looking at this turning point before, that doesn't change the fact that the work to bring further equity to the industry remains ongoing, and as companies continue to chart their paths forward, many are working to build that equity into their recovery. Read more...

January 24 - New Pay Equity Standards, Audiences Want Vaccine Mandates

Much of the industry felt a little bit on hold the last week, as public health officials began more open discussions that the latest wave of the coronavirus may be starting to trend downward in many places. While that still means some restrictions and caution across the globe, it does also mean that many companies that have been able to weather the storm are once again preparing to reopen - holding those plans as loosely as they are able. In New York, some governmental support may be renewed for the performing arts sector in the form of the New York City Musical and Theatrical Production Tax Credit. Meanwhile last week, members of the creative economy were in front of the House Small Business Committee to lobby for more support from a national level. Read more...

January 17 - Closing vs Hiatus, Does the Subscription Model Still Make Sense?

News of more closings - and planned reopenings - highlighted the Broadway news last week, and regionally we've seen a few more delays in productions announced. Broadway and many regions also announced an extension of mask mandates and vaccination requirements for audiences into the spring, serving as a reminder that the path to that final "new normal" will likely have a few more twists and turns before we arrive. 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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