Industry Pro

In both the US and the UK government funding decisions have shifted the way that many companies are able to go about their business - in England, the massive shift in Arts Council England funding has left many major stages looking to fill huge gaps in their books.

Audiences are buying tickets closer to the actual show date - but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re making the decision to see the show late. In a post-COVID era, audiences are more attuned to the fact that things can shift, and so in an effort to protect themselves from navigating a cancellation, they’re waiting to purchase their tickets.

With more frequency, we are starting to see alliances of theaters come together across different regions to create a stronger entity. And that isn’t a surprising development. Given the rising costs within the industry, collaboration continues to be one of the best ways to keep those costs down.

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A new labor agreement in the UK, multiple high profile departures, and the end of the streaming truce between AEA and SAG-AFTRA are the highlights of this week’s Industry Pro newsletter, which indicates an industry that is in the midst of roaring back and finding its footing.

how are things going regionally? This week, Cara Joy David takes a look at what bumpy waters might be ahead for these large regional companies. Additionally, stories of troubling trends on who is leaving the field - women of color, directors in the UK - and theaters adjusting their leadership models as they step into an unknown future.

Early reports indicate that last week was a good one for Box Offices, and here’s a reminder that you can get up to date gross information on BroadwayWorld when the League releases their data. With the year coming to a close last week, Cara Joy David offers her thoughts on a few of the lessons learned from 2022.

As the year draws to a close, Cara Joy David offers us a preview of some of the decisions facing the Administration Committee of the Tony Awards. We’ve also got good news out of Washington, as the NEA received increased funding in the most recent budget passed by Congress and a look at the uncertain future of Victory Gardens Theater.

Amid continued economic uncertainty, a wave of closing notices have hit Broadway - but why aren’t audiences coming? In London, in response to the rising cost of living, the government has announced a plan for the cultural equivalent of a food bank - providing free tickets to cultural institutions for those that are struggling to make ends meet.

New research from IMPACTS highlights the importance of mission in soliciting both donations and membership renewals, the Met works to recover from a cyber attack, and as Cara Joy David reports, Roundabout will be dark on Broadway this Spring.

Nothing has been more exciting than our announcement last week of our 20th Anniversary Celebration set to take place on May 21, 2023 at Sony Hall in the theatre district. The event will be hosted by none other than BroadwayWorld’s Richard Ridge and Tony Award-Winning Broadway Legend Chita Rivera.

With many theatres getting into the swing of things with their holiday offerings, the end of 2022 is now in sight for many companies. The last few years have seen seismic shifts in how the industry operates, andCara Joy David brings us a great piece about how some companies are keeping streaming open as a way to maintain access for audiences.

As many theatres get into the swing of their holiday shows and end of year giving campaigns, some good signs for the New York theater industry as tourism continues to rebound from the pandemic. While things still aren’t back to the record setting year of 2019, the city is anticipating ending the year at about 85% of those levels.

In the US, programs designed to help businesses and producers make it through the pandemic have been winding down or coming to an end over the last fiscal year - but audiences and funding aren’t yet back to their pre-pandemic levels, leaving leaders in a tough position to figure out how to get their institutions back on firm financial footing.

Ask anyone working in arts administration right now, and they’ll tell you that the challenges they are facing are numerous and unprecedented. For many regional theaters, audiences are slow to return - but is that individual ticket buyers or season subscribers? Are they concerned about COVID or is it something else?

For many working in the entertainment industry, it can often feel like we’re living in a different economy than everyone else - the hours maintained have long been different from the rest of the working world, the day to day tasks, the workplace cultures. This week, different stories about how broader economic trends are showing up in the arts.

AEA featured prominently in industry news last week - voicing support for a casino project in Times Square, as the subject of a defamation suit from producer Garth Drabinsky, and their efforts to organize the dancers at Star Garden. All as the industry continues to work towards a new normal, while facing tremendous challenges on all fronts.

Questions of access continue to be discussed after an incident at Hadestown last week, ultimately highlighting that there is a deep need for more education around the topic for everyone involved. In the UK, educational access for school children is becoming more challenging than ever before with cuts to funding for those trips.

As theatres work to return to the new normal, we continue to find new ways in which the industry needs to find improvements on the way that they treat those that are creating the art - we have arrived at the “rubber meets the road” moment for every theatre that issued statements about their ideals in the past few years.

Settlement was the word of the week on Broadway, with both the Rudin/SpotCo suit and JPP/Wagner Johnson lawsuits finding resolution through settlement - the latter is the subject of a new regular feature for this newsletter from our Industry Editor Cara Joy David.

Stories of transformation highlight the newsletter this week - with two different stories below - one looking at the evolution of Broadway, the other how Regional Theatres are transforming. Both are asking questions in light of racial justice protests that have occured over the past few years, alongside a powerful moment for the labor movement.

With the announced closing of Broadway’s longest running show, questions have risen about tourism (the numbers in New York actually look much stronger than a hot take on Phantom might suggest), about the resiliency of brands (also highlighted by what the future might hold for Second City), and what gets audiences excited to come out to the theater.

Last week, the Board of Directors at Victory Gardens opted to terminate their full staff and change the fundamental direction of the institution. This is the latest development in a sweeping labor reset taking place across the industry.

Theatre companies across the globe continue to grapple with some of the earliest questions posed upon reopening: what to do about masks? As more mixed policies come into play, we continue to see that there are segments of the audience that won’t come with masks, and segments that won’t come without, putting producers in a difficult position.

As summer comes to a close, many regional theaters are preparing to get their new seasons started - for many, this season still carries with it a lot of risk - some of the shows in their season are still shows they had intended to do at some point during the pandemic, and segments of the audience are still hesitant to return to their seats.