Industry Theatre Newsroom Page 75

As we approach the one year anniversary of Broadway shutting down due to the pandemic, the questions of reopening are finally moving from the theoretical to the real. What are the procedures going to look like? In places where venues are allowed to operate at some (or full) capacity, how to do it safely, and will audiences actually return?

Robert Hartwell is a Broadway performer and Founder of The Broadway Collective. His Broadway credits include Hello, Dolly! starring Bette Midler, Motown The Musical, Cinderella, Nice Work If You Can Get It, and Memphis, as well as the National Tours of Dreamgirls and Motown The Musical.

Finding top theatre-related podcasts and insider theatre storytelling has never been easier. The Broadway Podcast Network is launching their new BPN app for iPhone and iPad today. The App is designed to bring BPN’s vast library of content to podcast listeners, in an easily discoverable way. 

Episode 36 of 4Wall Sunday Roundtable welcomes lighting programmers from Broadway, Film, TV, Concert Touring and Events. This week's discussion will include how the programmers got their start, their influences, their process, the variety of jobs they do, and what a day in the life looks like. 

Renowned international music conservatory Manhattan School of Music (MSM) announced today that esteemed educator, director, and arts ambassador Dr. Carleen Graham will join the Vocal Arts division as the School's inaugural Associate Dean and Director of Vocal Arts beginning on July 1, 2021.

Today Kristin talks to tax preparer, Anne Adamowsky. She joined Trudy C. Durant and Associates LLC in 2000. This office prepares a huge amount of Broadway and entertainment professional tax returns! 

The International Committee of The League of Professional Theatre Women presented its fourth iteration of the Gilder/Coigney International Theatre Award Program through a week-long virtual presentation in February honoring Hanane Hajj Ali of Lebanon.

Actors' Equity Association has released a statement after news reports that the attacks against Asian Americans that began to spike during the pandemic persisted over the course of 2020, reaching a 150% increase over the year before. 

Theater Resources Unlimited hosts weekly Community Gatherings every Friday at 4:30pm via Zoom, to explore the creation of art and theater in the time of COVID-19. Ask questions, bring answers, be part of a community - it's an opportunity to network with theater professionals and talk about keeping theater alive during these challenging times.

Laura Heywood and producer Susan Vargo (The SpongeBob Musical) have launched Applause Shop, an online marketplace designed to help theatre artists make ends meet, find joyful new homes for Broadway merchandise and memorabilia, and contribute to arts and social issues charities through financial support.

BSMS has announced the five stage managers that have been chosen to receive the first ever Charlie Blackwell Symposium Scholarships for BIPOC stage managers. Each recipient will receive a complimentary pass to the Broadway Stage Management Symposium as well as a personal meeting with the adjudicator who chose them.

The winners of the 2021 Richard Rodgers Awards for Musical Theater were announced today by the American Academy of Arts and Letters. The winners are: The Monster by Chelsea Marcantel, Michael Mahler, and Alan Schmuckler, Oratorio for Living Things by Heather Christian, and TL;DR: Thelma Louise; Dyke Remix by EllaRose Chary and Brandon James Gwinn.

The International Contemporary Ensemble continues its TUES@7 series with five events in March 2021: Ensemble Evolution Info Session on March 2; MATA's Radical Pairings, Part 1 on March 16; MATA's Radical Pairings, Part 2 on March 23; and 'Home' with Isabel Lepanto Gleicher, Nuiko Wadden, and Brittany J. Green on March 30.

Theater directors Sammi Cannold (Evita, New York City Center) and Rebecca Aparicio (Jack and the Beanstalk, A.R.T.), in partnership with The Broadway Podcast Network, are launching The Comeback Project, a conversation series to help theatermakers restart in the wake of the pandemic.

Script Share provides individuals without access to script conversations via other networks an opportunity to have an engaging, open session about their play with a theater professional. Script Share is a free opportunity for playwrights, who will be selected via a lottery, open today through March 14 (at 11:59 EST).

Women's History Month honors the accomplishments of women and great strides are being made but there are still less than 25% female CEOs and even fewer female founders in the media and tech industry.

A hopeful tone is starting to settle into the industry, even as some of the news and reports about the impact of the past year on local economies - and the creative economy as a whole - are bringing statistical information to what many of us have been feeling and experiencing the whole time.

The Dramatists Guild of America will welcome two new members to its Council, Ty Defoe and Rona Siddiqui. The Guild is governed by a board of directors (Council) elected from its membership. These writers, in various stages of their theatrical careers, meet monthly to decide policy for the Guild. 

Concord Theatricals has announced that it has released worldwide licensing rights to Ken Ludwig’s Dear Jack, Dear Louise to professional theatres. The two-hander will be available on the Samuel French imprint.

Beehive Dramaturgy Studio has announced the launch of a new partnership with a team of artist-organizers including Chris Myers (actor, An Octoroon), Stephanie Borgovan (visual artist), Sofia Goodman (researcher/printmaker), Naiyah Ambros (filmmaker), and Annie McFoxwell (actor) on a new programming series called Anticapitalism for Artists.

James Calleri, Erica Jensen, and Paul Davis announced today that Calleri Casting is being renamed Calleri Jensen Davis, to better reflect the equal partnership that has been central to their 14-time Artios Award-winning company’s success over these past 15 years.

Jane Abramson will join Michael Cassel Group, one of the world's leading theatre producers, as Head of Creative Development, the company's first appointment based in New York City.

Australia-based theatrical producing powerhouse Michael Cassel Group is expanding its global footprint into the United States with its first New York City-based hire. Jane Abramson will serve as the company’s new Head of Creative Development. Abramson will report to Head of Production Todd Lacy.

This week, we have a lot of stories about the path to reopening from the around the globe - from Australia where reopening has already occurred and they’ve got Broadway productions playing to big houses to a story from The New York Times about what it took to get a new musical up and running in Tokyo with a global creative team.

On February 27th, Master Teacher Richard Lawson will be joined by director Trey Haley. Twenty actors will be given the opportunity to have their self-tape auditions assessed and redirected by Mr. Lawson and Mr. Haley. Classes take place Saturday mornings at 10 AM PST via Zoom.