Industry Theatre Newsroom Page 66

Teaching online is here to stay, according to results from one of the largest surveys of singing teachers to date. The National Association of Teachers of Singing surveyed more than 1,500 industry professionals regarding their experience and the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the singing industry.

As New York City's recovery continues and tourists begin their return, the city's tourism industry will be coming together next 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 visitors to NYC since 1982. More than 20 local institutions ranging from BIDs to tourism entities to the Brooklyn Nets have signed on as sponsors.

The Dramatists Guild of America has announced that the recipient of the 2021 Lifetime Achievement Award is Adrienne Kennedy. The award will be presented at the Guild’s annual awards ceremony at a later date.  

The last year and a half has had a lot of members of the theatre industry questioning what was meant by business as usual - and many of those questions have a lot of merit. While theatres have spent much of the pandemic trying to survive, they’ve also been spending time trying to not only answer those questions, but find the best path forward.

Learn more about the lineup which includes All Things Considered, It Was Probably the Most Productive Meeting The Escondido Unified School District PTA Ever Had by A.J. Ditty, DOGS OF SOCIETY by Julia Grogan, By Grace, Pt. 2 by Agyeiwaa Asante, Grieved by Jahquale Mazyck, pearl apple penguin by Aisling Towl, and Kitchen Design by Suzanne Willett.

Theatre Communications Group has announced new trustees and an updated list of officers for its board of directors. Members of TCG’s board serve up to three two-year terms. Board officers serve terms of one-year, renewable, and concurrent with the fiscal year of July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022.

Following an open call for submissions, The Shubert Organization’s Artistic Circle has announced the first five producers chosen to participate in its Core Program.

Despite recent headlines about the delta variant of COVID-19, more regions are preparing to move ahead with reopening plans. While this will certainly bring about some hesitation from audience members, most survey data indicates that with the proper safety plan, audiences are motivated to come and see the show.

After their theater jobs were cancelled due to the industry shutdown, husband and wife team Dotto & Malafronte moved upstate to quarantine with family. From there, a labor of love was formed.

As a continuation of the company's recurring series with Google which started all the way back in March 2020, Mike Lorenc, Head of Industry - Ticketing & Live Events at Google, will join in again to discuss findings from a recent Google study measuring the virus' impact on consumer behavior.

 Deluxe and JMS Group announced today that they have entered into exclusive discussions to finalize the acquisition by Deluxe of Europe based Éclair Theatrical Services (ETS), a provider of cinema services including mastering and electronic delivery to content production studios and distributors controlled by JMS.

Sean Cercone, President and CEO of Broadway Licensing, a full-service theatrical licensing partner specializing in the development, production and worldwide distribution of new and established theatrical properties, announced today that they have hired Kent Nicholson as Director of Acquisitions and Colleen McCormack as Director of Amateur Play Licensing. Tralen Doler has been named Vice President of Partnerships and Brand Engagement.

Recent signings include Robert O'Hara and four of his new plays, ZOMBIE: THE AMERICAN, BARBECUE, ANTEBELLUM and MANKIND,  Ken Levine (M*A*S*H, Cheers, Frasier, The Simpsons) with AMERICA'S SEXIEST COUPLE and ON THE FARCE DAY OF CHRISTMAS,  and Stan Zimmerman (Golden Girls, Gilmore Girls, Roseanne, The Brady Bunch Movies) with YES, VIRGINIA and RIGHT BEFORE I GO.

Drew and Dane Productions has announced that it is moving forward to lead the production of Rain and Zoe Save the World, written by Crystal Skillman with original music by Bobby Cronin.

Audience Rewards has announced the launch of a new Spin & Win Game to celebrate the return of Broadway. Available now through August 22 for Audience Rewards members new and old, the game will offer an unprecedented 100 million points (equivalent to 10,000 Broadway show tickets), redeemable for free tickets, merchandise and VIP experiences.

With Pass Over moving into their space, another big step was taken on the Road to Reopening for Broadway in particular - along with the announcement of safety plans and procedures from the League and Unions.

Gaddas & Clark will initially produce small, power-packed productions based on classic books, finding new ways to tell these well-known stories with fresh interpretations and unexpected  twists. They are already collaborating with industry-leading figures to develop this work.  

Get an all-access FREE pass to over 100+ live, interactive performances each month by the brightest stars of Broadway, opera, and the world's leading stages through Open Arts. Connect directly with artists and audience members through a wide range of daily programming, including music, dance, visual arts and children's programs.

The Wallace Foundation today announced a five-year, $53 million initiative focusing on arts organizations of color*, and invited eligible arts organizations to apply. At the same time, Wallace invited researchers to respond to a request for proposals for the first of several studies associated wtih the initiative. All submissions are due August 13, 2021.

Today, the Performing Artist Tax Parity Act was reintroduced in the U.S. House of Representatives.

This bill would correct an unintended consequence of the 2017 Tax Cut and Jobs Act which led to tax increases for many performing artists who could no longer deduct the cost of their ordinary and necessary unreimbursed business expenses. 

The Black Theatre Network (BTN) kicks off its 35th annual conference today, Wednesday, July 28, 2021, with a series of programs that include a keynote address by Tony Award winner Ruben Santiago-Hudson.

The Dramatists Guild of America will host a conversation on Writing and Producing in Spanish: Re-Shaping the American Theatre on Thursday, July 29 from 6pm – 7:30pm EDT. This Zoom Webinar is free and open to all who are interested in participating in the conversation. 

It was announced today that Maestra Music, Musicians United for Social Equity (MUSE) and Artists Striving to End Poverty (ASTEP), three prominent social impact organizations within the theater industry, have joined forces to launch Get To Work, a new website now live.

Last week, AEA announced that they were opening up membership to anyone who had worked professionally in the American theatre, more productions in the UK were forced to cancel performances, and Steppenwolf announced new leadership.