Industry Pro Newsletter: Victory Gardens Terminates All Staff, A New Broadway Season is Underway

Last week, the Board of Directors at Victory Gardens opted to terminate their full staff and change the fundamental direction of an institution that was, for a long time, a very important incubator of new work. This is the latest development in a sweeping labor reset taking place across the industry, and after a series of victories for the labor movement, what feels like the first set back in asserting the rights of workers in the performing arts industry. In the UK, the West End paused to remember the Queen, and in New York, a new theatre season is underway.

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Industry Trends

A New Season Begins

Broadway's newest season has already started! This summer, two Broadway productions-Into the Woods and The Kite Runner-have already launched the 2022-2023 theater season, and many more are on the way. Prepare for the 16 (and counting) new plays and musicals that will make their Broadway debuts this fall when the weather begins to cool. Click here to read more...

Shelly Lowe on Leading the National Endowment for the Humanities

Shelly Lowe discussed her experience as the first Native American head of the National Endowment for the Humanities, the federal organization tasked with promoting study of the humanities, in an interview with Inside Higher Ed this week. She was appointed by President Obama to the NEH's advisory body, the National Council on the Humanities, in 2015 before being nominated by President Biden to the chair position in October 2021 and being approved by the Senate in February of this year. Click here to read more...

Broadway/New York

Dramatists Guild/New York Public Library to Host Sondheim Talks This Fall

The Dramatists Guild will host two unique events this fall in partnership with the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts to honor the legacy of renowned lyricist (and former Guild Council president) Stephen Sondheim, particularly his support of his fellow playwrights. These events, which are free and open to the public, will be held in conjunction with The Dramatist magazine's special Sondheim issue, which will be available in September online and in some bookshops. Click here to read more...

McCarter Managing Director to Take Over at City Center

Michael S. Rosenberg, who is currently the managing director of the McCarter Theater Center has been chosen by the City Center board to serve as the organization's new president and CEO. Rosenberg will take over on November 1 after Arlene Shuler, who is leaving the company after 19 years, retires. Click here to read more...

City Ballet Dancers Get a New Contract

Some organizations, like the New York Philharmonic, have reversed wage cuts from the epidemic era in recent months as the financial outlook for arts institutions has been a little more positive. As the dancers at City Balley negotiated a new labor contract, they pushed for wage hikes in an effort to make up for those losses. This week, City Ballet announced that, as part of a three-year labor agreement, it will increase dancer compensation and reinstate some benefits that had been suspended due to the pandemic, like vacation pay and retirement account contributions. Click here to read more...

1/52 Project Announces First Grant Recipients

Beowulf Boritt, a Tony Award-winning set designer, established The 1/52 Project, a new financial grant program, and has chosen the first seven early-career designers to receive prizes totaling $100,000. Each of the first grantees will get awards of up to $15,000 and was chosen based on ability, creativity, innovation, and potential for future achievement in the professional theatrical sector. The honorees for 2022 are Brittany Bland: projection designer; Everett Elton Bradman: sound designer; Stefania Bulbarella: projection designer; Jessica Alexandra Cancino: set designer; Frank Cazares: costume designer; Jordan McCree: sound designer; and Jingyi Johanna Pan: costume designer. Click here to read more...

Regional

Victory Garden's Board Terminates All Employees

The 16 employees who remained at Victory Gardens had filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board. Before a unionization vote could occur, the Board of Directors, accused of "toxic behavior" and a "lack of transparency" opted to terminate all employees instead. Click here to read more...

Boston's Symphony Hall Eliminates Mask and Vaccine Mandate for Audiences

Visitors won't be asked to present proof of immunization or a negative test result when Symphony Hall opens in the coming weeks for a full season of performances and events. Additionally, masking will be optional, while the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention highly advises using high-efficiency masks (KN95 or N95 masks) for indoor performance areas. Click here to read more...

BroadwayWorld Regional Awards Now Open for Nominations

The productions honored by the 2022 Regional Awards debuted between October 1, 2021, and September 30, 2022. The awards are reader nominated in categories set by our editors. The window for submissions closes on October 31. After the nomination period is over, the list will be checked by BroadwayWorld's editors for accuracy and eligibility. Following that, voting will start in early November and last until December 31. In January, the winners will be declared! Click here to read more...

International

As The Climate Changes, Outdoor Performances Are Threatened

As the climate changes, theatres that perform outdoor work are becoming less and less viable. Australian producers are having to deal with the consequences of high heat, strong storms, and wildfire smoke on their casts, crews, audiences, and financial bottom line as the climate grows more unpredictable. Click here to read more...

Michael Billington Remembers the Queen for How She Was Depicted on Stage

Simply put, a constitutional monarchy allows the playwright the opportunity to use their imagination, something Shaw once referred to as "a bulwark against dictatorship." However, the picture of Elizabeth II that has emerged as a fierce protector of the Commonwealth, a cunning businesswoman, and a character of quiet humor feels perfectly believable. Click here to read more...

Missed our last few newsletters?

September 6, 2022 - No Good Answer on Masks, New Funds for Upgrades in London

As we enter the unofficial start of the fall season, theatre companies across the globe continue to grapple with some of the earliest questions posed upon reopening: what to do about masks? As more mixed policies come into play, we continue to see that there are segments of the audience that won't come with masks, and segments that won't come without, putting producers in a difficult position. This layers into new numbers from theatre groups in the Berkshires that indicate their audiences were down across the board - and point to a newly emerging trend: late cancellations of tickets and no-shows resulting in more empty seats in the audience than anticipated. Click here to read more...

August 29, 2022 - 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. Click here to read more...

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...

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

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