Industry Pro

Regionally, a few new leaders in high profile positions across the country - including Nicole A. Watson at Playwrights Center, Megwyn Sanders-Andrews at at Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, and Geneé Coreno at WAM. In the UK, a new union agreement for Equity and the ITC, and in Toronto, a tale of haves and have nots in the recovery.

This week, the NEA announced $32 million in grants to institutions across the country, and while these grants are going to be vitally important to the groups that received them, it is just a drop in the bucket to the economic impact that arts organizations have on their local communities.

January is often a rough month in the theater industry - there are fewer shows running, audiences are reluctant to venture out into the winter weather, there is typically a slate of Broadway closings, and companies are taking stock of their financial situation following the closure of (typically) popular holiday productions.

Cara Joy David explores the concerning trend that suburban audiences are less willing to travel into the city center to see shows due to a perceived increase in crime in the city, leaving audiences feeling less safe getting in and out of shows. In the UK, funding cuts force theatres to innovate in ways to stave off closure and grow their audience.

Cara Joy David looks at the stage door experience at the musicals currently running on Broadway, we check in with various insiders hopes for Broadway in 2024, and we look at Dallas and Denver - where the recovery has taken different paths. Across the pond, the National Theatre Wales deals with a complete funding cut from their arts council.

A few exciting data points to close out the year - the first being that Broadway audiences this past season were younger and more diverse than in seasons past. This is a bright spot in a season that saw a bumpy box office. A new study from SMU DataArts also looked at the amount of funding that went out to arts organizations during the pandemic.

The transformation continues to be global - after US based writers and actors won concessions from the film industry, stage performers in Australia are looking to increase their own pay. In response to funding changes at the government level, the English National Opera is moving out of London and heading to Manchester.

Cara Joy David dives into the eligibility decision surrounding Gutenberg!, and some good news on the regional front - success in one of the emergency fundraising campaigns at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley. Not only were they able to save their season, but exceeded their goal in a way that makes future planning possible and the full staff has been retained.

This week in the newsletter, we’ve got a look at how high schools can win a chance to be the first to produce Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Cara Joy David takes us through the recent ruling in the Hal Luftig Company bankruptcy, and the Wall Street Journal takes a look at how some regional theatres are thriving in a challenging environment.

As we prepare for the parade (and we’ve got your guide on the Broadway performances below), we also get some good news out of the UK where Panto producers report that ticket sales are trending strongly in the right direction for the holiday tradition.

The funding models are changing - we’ve known this for more or less the whole time the industry has been re-emerging from the pandemic, and the struggles of regional theatres large and small as temporary government funding tied to the pandemic came to an end - but how are theatres in England doing one year after the reshuffle of national arts?

More data out last week about the impact of the arts on the economies of the cities and small towns that many regional theatres call home - and the results show that theatre not only contributes to the cultural life of a community, but is contributing significantly to the economic life of many small towns.

Some of our more significant stories this week come from across the pond: the first being that a new survey indicates that the vast majority of women working in theatre don’t feel like they are seeing an increase in opportunities. While the data comes from the UK, I think we would find a lot of anecdotal agreement in the US industry as well.

With the National Theatre announcing experimenting with an earlier evening curtain time, Cara Joy David explores whether a similar experiment will be making its way to Broadway. New leadership at the Raven Theatre in Chicago, and New Rep in Boston has announced that they will be closing their doors after 40 years.

From the start of this newsletter in the pandemic, we’ve been covering the evolution of the performing arts industry, and the articles we’ve compiled this week underscore that evolution in a big way. The first of those articles being the very question on if the nonprofit model is still working for arts organizations anymore.

This week, we’re looking at a few different crises facing theatres across the globe - from Pittsburgh, a story on staff turnover causing many organizations to raise wages, causing a new kind of financial strain. Data from Colleen Dilenschnieder suggests that many patrons of arts organizations might not realize that the organization is a non-profit.

In Minnesota, the Hennepin Theatre Trust recently reported a more than $115 million impact to the local economy, directly tied to their Broadway touring season. We’ve also got a story about the way in which some regional theatres have been able to rebound this past season, and are looking to capitalize on that momentum.

The Writers Strike is (likely) coming to an end - with a tentative agreement, Hollywood has taken a major step toward getting back to work. In New York, major changes to the leadership landscape are pending as both Carole Rothman and André Bishop announced that they will be departing posts at Second Stage and Lincoln Center Theater, respectively.

Pulitzer Prize eligibility has expanded, now including permanent residents and long-term U.S. artists, a significant shift outlined in The Guardian. In the regional theater landscape, celebrated playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney takes the helm as Artistic Director of the Geffen Playhouse.

This week, we invite you to nominate your favorite shows for the 2023 BroadwayWorld Regional Awards—as nominations open today and voting will begin later this fall. Cara Joy David takes us into the bankruptcy proceedings at Bay Area Children’s Theatre, and we look at what the secret sauce might be that is helping Santa Cruz Shakespeare thrive.

We explore the evolving landscape of the theater world, from the challenges theaters face in retaining subscribers to the crucial role of touring physical therapists in supporting theater professionals on the road. We also dive into recent legal dramas within the industry and discuss the changing dynamics of off-Loop theater in Chicago.

As theater professionals often compare the two systems, we uncover striking similarities amid their struggles. From dwindling public funding and corporate sponsorship decline to artistic leaders leaving and a shrinking arts journalism landscape, both sides of the Atlantic are grappling with a crisis that transcends national boundaries.

In this issue, we explore the efforts being made to sustain theater scenes in various cities, the evolution of Chicago's theater landscape, and the exciting announcement of a new Broadway musical adaptation. We also take a look at strategies to keep the curtain from falling on Seattle's theater scene.

In this issue, we uncover the varying success of Connecticut theaters, where Broadway hits thrive while mid-level shows struggle with ticket sales. We also look at multiple ideas on how to save the American theater - including a look at innovative approaches to funding in a piece by Cara Joy David.

This week, we’re pleased to introduce the new BroadwayWorld Marketing Hub - a comprehensive platform designed to maximize event visibility. Also, we look at the financial challenges faced by Lighthouse Immersive, creators of 'Immersive Van Gogh,' as they file for bankruptcy protection.