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)
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
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
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
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
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
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
“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
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
“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
The beloved outdoor theater will replace all 11,000-odd seats and make structural improvements to protect against flooding, which caused serious damage after a torrential 2022 rainstorm. - St. Louis Public Radio
“The legendary festival, known for experimental and boundary-pushing theater, previously offered year-round programming before the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020. In recent years, it has seen record-breaking audience growth, prompting producing director Nell Bang-Jensen to expand beyond the month of September.” - The Philadelphia Inquirer (MSN)
“Nussbaum, a highly respected culture writer who received a Pulitzer Prize for her television criticism, has been a member of the New Yorker writing staff since 2011. She takes over the position from Helen Shaw, who has left The New Yorker after being appointed chief theatre critic at The New York Times.” - Playbill
These writers create an environment in which characters can enter or exit the main storyline as if from a magic door. Audiences are cognizant of this portal, but they are encouraged to forget its existence when the drama ramps up, thereby allowing them to have their cake and eat it too. - Los Angeles Times
