Industry Pro Newsletter: Using the Arts to Fund the Arts? Edinburgh Sees Large Ticket Sale Drop

As summer comes to a close, many regional theaters are preparing to get their new seasons started - for many, this season still carries with it a lot of risk - some of the shows in their season are still shows they had intended to do at some point during the pandemic, and segments of the audience are still hesitant to return to their seats. For some, like Triad Stage in North Carolina, this is a moment of return not only from the pandemic, but from other scandals and self-examination that nearly destroyed the company. There, the board of directors was willing to put in the work to make changes, and as they prepare to re-open their doors the question will be if that effort has actually brought about change. In Edinburgh, the fringe continues to see pressures from many externalities resulting in the dual problem of increased costs for performers as well as decreased numbers of ticket buyers.

SUBSCRIBE NOW - Want this newsletter delivered to your inbox every Monday? Make sure and subscribe using the form at the top or bottom of this page to join the Industry Pro mailing list.

Industry Trends

Texas Church to Pay Damages for Hamilton, Hamilton Team To Donate Those Funds

After being ordered to cease by Hamilton's legal team, a church in Texas that had earlier this month staged unauthorized performances of the musical hit, apologized and agreed to pay penalties on Tuesday. Shane Marshall Brown, a spokeswoman for Hamilton, stated on Tuesday that the musical would give all losses to the South Texas Equality Project, a group that works to support the area's LGBT community. Click here to read more...

Adrian Noble Says the Audition Process Must Get Better for Actors

Adrian Noble, an ex-artistic director of the Royal Shakespeare Company claims that the audition procedure is a "litany of anguish" for actors and needs to be altered. His remarks can be found in a forthcoming book on directing Shakespeare, where he counsels directors on even the most fundamental manners, which are all too frequently lacking during auditions. Click here to read more...

Broadway/New York

Robert LuPone wearing a suit, holding a microphone against a black backdrop" height="280" src="https://cloudimages.broadwayworld.com/upload13/2193684/lupone.jpg" align="left" width="680" />

Robert LuPone, Founder of MCC Theater Passes Away at Age 76

Following a three-year fight with pancreatic cancer, LuPone passed away on August 27. He developed an early love of the arts. He witnessed his younger sister Patti LuPone perform at a PTA Dance Concert in a vibrant hula skirt while he was in the sixth grade at his North Port, Long Island elementary school. When he expressed his desire to wear the skirt to his mother, she responded that if he wanted to do so, he would need to sign up for dance lessons, which he did the next year. Click here to read more...

MET Opera to Drop Vaccine Requirement for 2022-2023 Season

Audiences will not need to present proof of vaccination in order to enter a performance or event, the Metropolitan Opera stated Wednesday. Everyone will still need to wear a mask that fits correctly over their nose and mouth when in the opera house, with the exception of while they are eating or drinking in a designated location. Click here to read more...

Landmark Commission Launches New Photo Database

The LPC Designation Photo Collection, a digital photo library of New York City's recognized landmarks and historic districts, was introduced by the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) of New York City. Property owners, architects, and contractors can now easily search and download designation photos as they consider work on these properties thanks to the digital photo archive, which enables the public to easily search and explore high-resolution images of designated buildings and sites throughout the five boroughs. The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation provided funding for this project in part. Several Broadway theaters with vintage marquees are included in the collection. Click here to read more...

Regional

Criss Henderson stands on stage at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre with the audience behind." height="280" src="https://cloudimages.broadwayworld.com/upload13/2193684/henderson.jpg" align="left" width="680" />

Criss Henderson to Depart Chicago Shakespeare

Henderson has announced that he will step down from his executive director position at the end of 2022. Criss Henderson has led Chicago Shakespeare Theater through 33 years of expansive expansion, award-winning shows, and nationally acclaimed education and community engagement initiatives. Click here to read more...

After Much Reformation, Triad Stage Prepares to Reopen

Preston Lane, the former artist director for Triad Stage, was accused of sexual abuse by a number of people over two years ago. Following the accusations, Lane resigned. Then came reckoning with We See You White American Theater and the pandemic. Despite the challenges, the board and remaining staff put in the work. Now, Artistic Director Sarah Hankins provides a thorough analysis of the improvements Triad Stage has made over the past 20 months in an effort to regain the community's trust as the organization gets ready to reopen after more than two years. Click here to read more...

Debbie Chinn Named Executive Director at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley

Chinn will take over for outgoing Executive Director Phil Santora on November 15th, directly after finishing her work as the Managing Director of Anna Deveare Smith's Pipeline Projects. Click here to read more...

Los Angeles Ballet to Have One Artistic Director for First Time

The Los Angeles Ballet announced on Wednesday that dancer and choreographer Melissa Barak has been named the organization's artistic director by the board of directors. Since the company was founded in 2006 by former co-artistic directors Thordal Christensen and Colleen Neary, Barak will be the first sole creative director. Throughout the first five seasons of the Los Angeles Ballet, Barak was a featured dancer. Additionally, Barak danced with the New York City Ballet. In 2013, she started her own contemporary ballet company, Barak Ballet, which is currently on hiatus as Barak concentrates on her new role. Click here to read more...

International

Using the Arts to Create Sustainable Funding for the Arts

Sydney Contemporary, the largest art festival in Australia, revealed in October of last year that it has partnered with new software company ArtsPay to convert transaction costs into significant donations to the arts. The main objective of ArtsPay is to develop an ongoing source of revenue for the arts through the arts. The project, aimed at projects having an impact on sector recovery, was launched with $97,000 in funding from the Australia Council's Re-imagine program in May 2021. Click here to read more...

Edinburgh Festival Braces for Major Drop in Ticket Sales

Eight prominent Edinburgh Festival Fringe venues have forecast a 25% decline in ticket sales from 2019 to 2020, citing rising lodging costs as the main threat to the festival's sustainability. A 25% drop in ticket sales are expected this year, according to the eight key production venues listed on the website EdFest.com: Assembly, Dance Base, Gilded Balloon, Just the Tonic, Pleasance, Summerhall, Underbelly, and Zoo. Click here to read more...

Missed our last few newsletters?

August 22, 2022 - Where are the Audiences?

For all intents and purposes, the performing arts industry is back into the swing of things from a production standpoint - yes, there are still differing protocols in place, there are still risks from the virus, and some organizations are leading the way on institutional reform. But in general, theatres and arts organizations are back to producing seasons in the way that we were used to before the pandemic. However, the audience hasn't returned in the same way. In multiple articles in this week's newsletter, we examine the question from a few different angles - where has the audience gone, and how do producing organizations get them back? Click here to read more...

August 15, 2022 - Policies Diverge Across Regions, Why Theatres Need to Utilize TikTok

The industry is in a weird spot right now, and the stories in this week's newsletter highlight the divergent paths different segments of the industry are going down - first, a story about the necessity of TikTok, as well as a story of the cancellation of The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical Concert at the Royal Albert Hall amidst the recently filed copyright infringement suit against the creators. In another form of copyright infringement, Lin-Manuel Miranda issued a statement on the illegal production of Hamilton. Then, on Broadway The Kite Runner becomes the first show to create a mixed mask policy - with at least one performance per week designated a mask required performance - while the rest of Broadway remains mask optional. But in Washington, DC, the trade group there announced that masks would remain required. As the industry recovers and reforms, we'll continue to see these kinds of divides on the regional level, and we'll bring you coverage of those divides as they happen. Click here to read more...

August 8, 2022 - New Leadership Model at Pennsylvania Shakes, New Auditions at Princeton

Our two Industry Trend stories this week take a look at a few of the different ways that people are trying to bring change to the theatre industry: first in reforming the work environment that has long been problematic, and second, the way Princeton is working on developing a new audition process to help bring more people into theatre in an educational environment. In the wider industry, we have a few more lawsuits, some more leadership transitions, and a look at the struggle to bring more access for disabled patrons to the UK. 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 A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder and for The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!)! 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

Want this newsletter in your inbox every week? Subscribe here.

Want more information about marketing options with BroadwayWorld? Request a media kit here and a member of our sales and marketing team will reach out promptly.

To post a comment, you must register and login.