Industry Theatre Newsroom Page 65

The TheaterMakers Studio will present the fifth annual TheaterMakers Summit, on November 6 and 7, with a special bonus day on November 8. With Broadway reopening, the theme of this year's event is 'Places Please.' The 2021 TheaterMakers Summit will be held virtually for attendees and speakers.

The Shubert Organization received more than $82.3 million from a recent real estate deal. The Broadway theatre company recently agreed to sell two vacant lots on Eighth Avenue, as well as the air rights above the Imperial Theatre. The spaces were sold to real estate developer, Extell Development Company.

Live events continue to come back with protocols that, so far, don’t seem to be causing a widespread increase in cases. While the delta variant (and other variants of COVID-19) continues to cause uncertainty, it does appear that vaccine and mask mandates are holding steady as a safe approach to bringing audiences back in house.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has shared field guides, resources, and examples public health professionals, health communicators, teachers, and community organizations can use in their work to increase COVID-19 vaccination confidence and demand through the arts.

While theaters on Broadway and across the country were forced into darkness because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS supporters shined brightly, fueling $13,024,000 in grants to The Actors Fund and 424 other social services agencies across the country during fiscal year 2021, which ends September 30.

hese prestigious grants, given to promising female musical theater composers, are presented in partnership with New York Stage and Film. Past recipients of the Billie Burke Ziegfeld Award include the composers Masi Asare, Julianne Wick Davis, Anna K. Jacobs, Rona Sidiqqui and Shaina Taub.

National New Play Network will welcome Cara Mía Theatre (Dallas, TX), East West Players (Los Angeles, CA), St. Louis Black Rep (University City, MO), Teatro Luna West (Los Angeles, CA), Theater Alliance (Washington, D.C.), and Kenny Leon's True Colors Theatre Company (Atlanta, GA) as its newest Core Member Theaters.

Dramatists Guild Foundation (DGF) has announced this year's recipients of their annual Awards, honoring playwrights, composers, lyricists, and librettists who show promise in their writing to invest in the future of theater through their stories.

Musical Theatre Composer, Jerome Brooks, Jr. is one of 500 New York City-based artists to receive $5,000 through the City Artist Corps Grants program, presented by The New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA), with support from the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME) as well as Queens Theatre. 

The American Playwriting Foundation has announced that it has merged with Building for the Arts, the non-profit organization that programs and administers Theatre Row and Music and the Brain.

TCG Entertainment has announced the addition of Mike Stefiuk as Director of Booking for TCG Entertainment.  Mike’s addition to TCG continues the company’s growth as a leading producer in the live entertainment industry. 

Nathan Hirschaut, pioneering choreographer and director making avant-garde and intersectional art, is set to premiere his new collaborative performance The Cyborg Project held virtually and live at The 418 Project, September 17th, 18th, and 19th, 2021.

The Prince Fellowship, in association with Columbia University School of the Arts, announced that Osh Ghanimah has received The Prince Fellowship and Lawryn LaCroix has received the Prince/TTLP Fellowship, formerly known as The T. Fellowship. The late Broadway producer and director Harold Prince created the program to usher in the next generation of creative producers.

Congratulations to the companies of Hadestown and Waitress becoming the latest shows to open up on Broadway. If you haven't seen either André de Shields leading the Hadestown final dress audience in New York, New York or the Waitress casts post-bow tribute to Nick Cordero, make sure to check those out and get your tissues ready. Below, we've also got stories about a new gun law in Texas (and its impact on arts organizations), the impacts of long covid on performers, and new leadership models that are emerging for theatre companies.

As many teens return to classrooms for the first time since the pandemic, #ENOUGH: Plays to End Gun Violence is giving them a platform to explore the impact of gun violence on their lives and communities by writing 10-minute plays. Submissions are being accepted now through November 1 and the call is open to all writers across the U.S. in grades 6-12. 

Front Row Productions was established by award-winning producers Stephen Byrd and Alia Jones-Harvey to bring major works to Broadway and the West End featuring diverse casts, creative teams and management.

As New York City's recovery continues and visitors begin their return, the city's tourism industry came together last night, Monday, August 30th, for the 'NYC Tourism Is Back, Start Spreading Your News' cocktail reception. Popular tourist destination One World Observatory hosted the gathering along with City Guide, the region's largest in-market tourism magazine, which has been serving New Yorkers and visitors since 1982. More than 300 guests following all health and safety protocols came together while more than 30 local institutions ranging from BIDs to tourism entities to the Brooklyn Nets supported the event as sponsors.

As of the middle of July 2021, the crucial 2021/22 holiday Season was tracking well behind 2019/20 in ticket sales and revenues for most theatres in North America, according to a new study released today by international arts management consultants TRG Arts and UK arts data specialists Purple Seven.

Acclaimed producer of family entertainment, Rockefeller Productions, has announced that it will launch an in-house tour booking agency, The Rockefeller Booking Agency, led by industry veteran Josh Sherman.  

The return to Broadway videos have been rolling out over the past few weeks from various shows as they all get ready to welcome back audiences this fall - but the This is Broadway campaign from the League of Broadway Theatres is a beautiful love letter to the stage - and the League hopes it will encourage audiences to come back by reminding them of why they fell in love with the stage in the first place. With more Broadway shows set to welcome back audiences this week, we'll continue tracking developments of both audience and artists safety.

As New York City's recovery continues and visitors begin their return, the city's tourism industry will be coming together Monday, August 30th, for the 'NYC Tourism Is Back, Start Spreading Your News' cocktail reception. Popular tourist destination One World Observatory will be hosting the gathering along with City Guide, the nation's largest in-market tourism magazine, which has been serving New Yorkers and visitors since 1982. More than 30 local institutions ranging from BIDs to tourism entities to the Brooklyn Nets have signed on as sponsors.

The Dramatists Guild Legal Defense Fund has announced that the recipient of the 2021 Defender of the Year Award is Sharai Bohannon. The Defender Award is given in recognition of an individual, group, or organization’s efforts in support of free expression in the dramatic arts.

Many theatres feel that if they don’t press forward, then they’ll be sealing their own fate - that leaves many to be faced with seemingly impossible decisions: do we continue streaming and not bring anyone back in? Do we produce a hybrid season? Are our audiences ready to come back?

This is the unbelievably true story of the rise of the famous Catskills resort, Grossingers, through the efforts of that one-of-a-kind-woman, Jennie Grossinger. Laugh (alot), and cry, and cheer as Jennie and her family succeed, fail, and stun the world with their unprecedented and unrivaled success as premiere resort owners and the creators of The Borscht Belt.

Students will engage in musical theater training, stay active, learn vocals and choreography to upbeat Broadway Songs, benefit from one-on-one attention and solo opportunities, and experience ensemble-based instruction by professional NYC Teaching Artists while making connections with new friends.