"If you live and die at the box office, as does Broadway, you are not rewarded for indulgence or self-involvement. More importantly, you often are better able to reach non-elites. Broadway attracts more lower-middle class theatergoers than many pretentious nonprofit institutions; it pulls more young people to shows like “Mean Girls” and “To Kill a Mockingbird,” and it is...
"Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group, which emerged from Chapter 15 protection after a sale in November, announced on Wednesday that it is restarting four of its unique offerings, including O and Mystère. Most Cirque du Soleil shows have been dark in the U.S. since March 15, 2020." - Deadline
“The answer is not more diverse critics because what the fuck does that mean? More diverse critics and then they go where? More diverse critics writing for £25 an article. Is that going to change anything?” - The Stage
The 90-odd people who worked, some for decades, as waiters, bartenders, dishwashers and the like were told last fall that their furloughs were officially layoffs. But now Second City has a new owner and is making plans to reopen — and those workers find out that, rather than getting a chance at their old jobs, all catering at the...
Says Ken-Matt Martin, who was named artistic director last month after having been Robert Falls's number-two at the Goodman, "If I figured out how to get Black people to come to a theater in Des Moines," — he founded the Pyramid Theatre Company, which present the work of Black artists in Iowa's capital — "I can probably figure out...
The problem that companies like ACT had been having, said Randy Taradash, was that they weren’t just having to juggle new technology, but also new tech partners whose business models didn’t necessarily fit the way nonprofit regional theatres function. The difference with the National Theatre Network, he noted, is that it’s not a tech company or ticket seller coming...
We found that attending these plays increased empathy for people depicted in them and changed people’s political attitudes about a variety of issues related to the show, such as income inequality. Additionally, seeing theatre changed behavior. After attending these plays, people donated more to charity — whether or not these charities were related to the show. - Psychology Today
Lacking in visionary leaders? Absolutely not. They're just blocked from the table by their status as a young person, or as a queer person, or as an artist of color. - Theatre Mania
The key seems to have been Rudin's high-profile, high-stakes production of The Music Man, set to start previews in December. While some of the key people involved in the revival reportedly showed "apathy" about the allegations of Rudin's appalling office behavior, the two stars did not: Hugh Jackman told others he was "very concerned" but did not give an...
The COVID lockdown hit Britain just days before this production was to open and put the company's entire operations on hold; the show was set to start again last autumn when a second lockdown had to be imposed. Now, by heaven, they're doing it, at least for broadcast on BBC Four. "What's curious is that, if you were looking...
Ironically, bringing audiences back may be the issue. "While this year looks fairly stable, a greater threat may still lie ahead. The emergency infusions of cash that kept so many companies afloat — as well as savings from furloughs and shifting artistic output online — will trickle away once they start staging shows again for live audiences, which could...
Not great: "Broadway producers I spoke to told me that Rudin seems to be sincere about stepping away from the day-to-day running of his megahits, The Book of Mormon and To Kill a Mockingbird, but no one seems to think he’ll be relinquishing his financial stakes. When Broadway resumes, so will his revenue streams." What can Broadway, and Hollywood, do? - Los Angeles...
There's no audience; there's no one in the building, but Newark Symphony Hall is busy. There's a new "career accelerator and business incubator" in the making. "Musicians, singers, dancers, actors, spoken word artists, directors and theater technical staff are eligible for the program," and some of the proposals will result in virtual shows. In pandemic times, it could be...
Rudin emailed the Washington Post on Saturday to issue an apology for years of causing pain to colleagues (and employees). He also wrote that he would be "taking steps that I should have taken years ago to address this behavior." But specifics remain unclear; "Rudin declined to elaborate on the statement, or on what exactly retreating from 'active participation'...
James C. Nicola, the artistic director of New York Theater Workshop, announced on Friday that he will step down in June 2022. At that point, he will have spent 34 years — nearly half his life — at the off-Broadway theater, which spawned the once-in-a-lifetime hit musical “Rent” and grew under his leadership into a steady home for provocative...
