Industry Theatre Newsroom Page 31

May 3, 2023 will mark the 29th annual celebration of the Herb Alpert Award in the Arts (HAAIA) which will be presented to eleven risk-taking, mid-career artists – experimenters - who are challenging and transforming art, their respective disciplines, and society.

 The Hermitage Artist Retreat has announced a new partnership with the Tony Award-winning Roundabout Theatre Company, the nation's largest not-for-profit theater with a celebrated history of producing iconic works for nearly 60 years.

MFA programs in performing arts face challenges in adapting. Tony eligibility decisions and Drama League nominations revealed. 2023 Tony Awards Live Pre-Show to be streamed for free on Pluto TV. Easter Bonnet Competition raises over $3.6 million for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Read on for more.

Moderators Doug Reside (Billy Rose Theater Division of New York Public Library for the Performing Arts) and Elliott Masie (MASIE Productions & Broadway Hackathon) will host both a briefing on the current AI technologies and their potential impacts on all aspects of theater.

The Dramatists Legal Defense Fund (DLDF) has announced the recipients of 2023 Defender Awards. By refusing to succumb to the banning of books and drag performances, both recipients are leaders in the fight against censorship and the repression of free speech that has overtaken parts of the country.

The Entertainment Community Fund, formerly The Actors Fund, the national human services organization supporting the needs of those working in the entertainment and performing arts industry, today released the results of a new survey assessing the needs of the entertainment community three years after a national shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic that left tens of thousands of workers in the entertainment industry unemployed and uninsured.

Walking Path Entertainment, LLC will present two private industry readings (by invitation only) of A Brief Crack of Light, a play written by William Semans and Roy M. Close.

Barbara St. Clair, CEO of Creative Pinellas has announced that she will retire at the end of this year. She has led Pinellas County’s non-profit Local Arts Agency (LAA) since 2016.

Bloomberg Philanthropies announced that all cities in Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. can apply for $25,000 USD Asphalt Art Initiative grants to help improve street safety, activate public spaces, and engage community residents.

Robert Patrick, aka Robert Patrick O'Connor, writer of poems, lyrics, short stories, novels, and a pioneering playwright known for his contributions to Off-Off Broadway and the Caffe Cino has passed away at the age of 85. He died in his sleep at his home in Los Angeles on April 23, 2023 (407 years to the day after Shakespeare's death). 

BroadwayHD has appointed McLean Mills as new Director of Content and Production.

The Performing Artist Tax Parity Act reintroduced provides tax relief for artists. AMC partners with Black Theatre Coalition to support diversity. Broadway struggles with ticket resellers, but official ticket sellers like Telecharge, Ticketmaster, and Broadway Direct help customers find direct box office tickets.

Curtis Productions will present private industry readings of “FINAL DAY? The Musical” with book, music & lyrics by Danny Curtis and music direction by Richard Danley. 

Dubbed THEatre ACCELERATOR: The Heroine's Journey in XR, Apples and Oranges Arts applies their signature use of new technology to help writers develop and distribute new musicals that forefront female identifying characters.

Raúl Esparza, who will soon be starring as Fagin in the New York City Center Encores! production of Lionel Bart's Oliver!, will be the focus of an exclusive Drama Desk interview/audience Q&A program on Tuesday, May 9 from 5:30 to 7:00pm.

Representatives Vern Buchanan (R-FL) and Judy Chu (D-CA) reintroduced the bipartisan Performing Artist Tax Parity Act (PATPA).

URBAN Photo Awards 2023 presents the CREATIVE category for single photos, dedicated to images that challenge perceptions and push the boundaries of traditional photography, inviting the viewer to see the city in new and unexpected ways.

Micaela Diamond has signed with CAA. Diamond is managed by Lisa Loosemore at Viking Entertainment. Her publicists are Molly Barnett and Chelsea Nachman at Grapevine PR.

Thompson Turner Productions, the venerable Broadway and touring general management and producing office, becomes TT Partners, effective April 19. Co-Founder David Turner is joined by general managers Rebecca Habel and Adam Miller as partners in the new entity. 

Winner of the 2022 Tenor Viñas competition, rising star Soprano Gemma Summerfield joins the roster of Promethean Artists for general management. Ms. Summerfield will be represented by Artist Manager Callan Coughlan for operatic, orchestral, and recital engagements throughout the world.

The annual Hermitage Greenfield Prize (HGP) Dinner on Sunday, April 16th honored dancer-choreographer Lorenzo 'Rennie' Harris and visual artist Sandy Rodriguez. This was the culmination of a weekend-long celebration of events, hosted by the Hermitage Artist Retreat (Andy Sandberg, Artistic Director and CEO) in partnership with the Greenfield Foundation.

Susan V. Booth, artistic director of the Goodman Theatre, Chicago, IL is the 2023 recipient of the Margo Jones Award.

The board of The Bret Adams and Paul Reisch Foundation will honor lyricist/composer Sheilah Rae at a private reception on April 20, 2023 at The Players Club, 16 Gramercy Park South.

The Drama League has announced the fourteen exceptional stage directors receiving the fellowships, assistantships, and residencies of the 2023 Drama League Directors Project.

Actors' Equity Association and the Broadway League have come to an agreement on touring contracts. In addition, President Biden appointed a number of high-profile artists to the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities. Furthermore, a recent ruling on Tony eligibility has raised questions about Tony nominators and nonbinary performers.