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THEATRE

Broadway’s Record Box Office In 2025 Still Doesn’t Keep Up With Costs

“It’s just so difficult for (producers) to get their money back. These shows are now upwards of $25 million. Ten years ago, you could have a musical on Broadway that was probably in the $13 million range." - CNN

A Theatre Tries To Answer The Perennial Question

Not ‘To be or not to be,’ but, obviously at this time of year, “Is Die Hard a Christmas movie?” - NPR

Wait, The Right-Wing Is Using ‘Theatre Kid’ As An Insult?

This feels very, let’s say, sixth-grade. One actor: “‘Theater kid’ being the bullied party is a tale as old as time. … We’ve always been the outsiders, the weirdos. It’s a quick cultural shorthand to treat us as the underdog.” - The New York Times

Chicago’s NPR Station Created A ‘Theatre Club’ For Younger Audience Members, And Advertised It On TikTok

The first club meetup included “an exclusive Theater Club post-show talkback with artists who worked on the show, and a drink ticket that can be used at the Chopin bar so folks can hang out after the talkback and chat theatre with likeminded folks.” - American Theatre

Dallas Theater Center Has A New Artistic Director

Jaime Castañeda, a freelance director who has worked extensively with the top regional companies in California and with New York’s Atlantic Theater Company, will assume his role next July. He succeeds interim artistic director and resident director Jonathan Norton as well as former artistic director Kevin Moriarty, now DTC’s executive director. - KERA (Dallas)

While Many Regional American Theatres Struggle, Some Are Thriving

For a struggling industry, these two theaters — and a handful of others — are models of success: They are producing a healthy menu of shows, drawing large audiences, running budget surpluses and raising money for capital projects. But they are definitely in the minority. - The New York Times

For Such A Big Broadway Hit, “Harry Potter” Isn’t Making Its Investors Much Money

Even eight years after opening, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is outselling every other current show on Broadway. The lead producers are making millions in royalties, but investors, after earning back their initial investments, have gotten a return of only 6% (11% with a New York state tax credit). - Broadway Journal

How They Put Paddington Bear On A Stage And Made All London Swoon

One could say that they just put an actor in a bear suit, but it really isn’t that simple. There’s some real theatrical magic at work. - The New York Times

Study: Australian Theatre Pay Lags

Drawing on data from 92 Australian performing arts organisations with annual turnovers of between $250,000 and $4 million, the survey charts the persistently lagging salaries of small-to-medium arts company employees – even in roles that enjoyed healthy increases over the past two years. - ArtsHub

Critics’ Consensus: This Year’s Best Shows On Broadway

“Liberation” was the only clear-cut consensus choice among the professional critics, as you’ll see below. - New York Theatre

Off-Broadway Parody “Titanique” Gets A Surprise Broadway Transfer

A Céline Dion jukebox musical dressed up as a spoof of James Cameron’s blockbuster movie retold from the pop diva’s point of view, Titanique ran for three years Off-Broadway and has since been staged on four continents. The show can head to Broadway thanks to the early closing of The Queen of Versailles. - Variety

How Some Regional Theatres Are Surviving

One way is by, let’s say, not being intense with their audiences. “My first covenant is with the audience, and I care about what they think. … People don’t want to spend money on a show they don’t think they’re going to like.” - The New York Times

Tom Hanks Literally Wrote His Own Script This Time

“I embarked on this endeavor, partly fueled by a desire to bring to life onstage a sense of lives caught between the certainties of the past and the unknowable future. I wanted theatergoers to ponder the possibilities of each present moment.” - The New York Times

Broadway Had Its Second-Highest Attendance In History Last Season

More than 14.7 million seats were filled in 2024-25, according to the latest audience-demographics report from The Broadway League.  Among other findings is that, yet again, the average ticket-buyer is a 41-year-old, college-educated woman whose household income is over $275K a year. - Deadline

Broadway Attendance From New York’s Suburbs Is Lowest In 30 Years

“According to data released ... on Wednesday, less than 13% of admissions in (2024-25) came from the surrounding New York suburbs, which was the lowest percentage on Broadway in 30 years. The demographic, which once made up 20% of the audience, has been trending down over the past few years.” - The Hollywood Reporter

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