Rian Durham News

Before the 2024 season begins, BroadwayWorld is taking a pause to reflect on this past year in theatre, surveying dozens of Broadway insiders, from producers to writers; marketing experts to press representatives. Find out what they had to say about 2023...

As we hit the unofficial start of summer, overall the trends are looking up for Broadway and the broader theatre industry. That isn’t to say there aren’t ongoing challenges: ever-shifting health and safety protocols, continued reports of toxic work environments that need to be sorted, and a major shift in how audiences are buying tickets.

Today, we talk to Senior Creative Group Director Stephanie Sciandra Smith who leads the agency's creative and content, helping to connect Broadway shows with their global fan bases for success on both Broadway and beyond. 

Next up - Rian Durham, Account Group Director and the strategic marketing lead for multiple Broadway shows that weathered the shutdown like WICKED, or launched shortly after re-opening like the highly anticipated revival of FUNNY GIRL. 

As theatres across the globe have started the journey back to normal operations, one thing has become abundantly clear: audience members aren’t buying tickets in the same way, or on the same cycle, that they were beforehand. As many producers have noted, audiences are buying tickets later and later in the cycle, with many ticket purchases coming within two weeks of the performance date. This shift means that producers and their marketing team must reconsider how and when they’re making their media buys. For this webinar, we were joined by Situation Interactive’s Rian Durham to discuss what producers should be considering, how Situation is dealing with the shift, and more!

As we once again find ourselves entering a winter of uncertainty, a few breakthrough infections and other illnesses have plagued major productions in multiple markets the past few weeks. While many continue to track the Omicron variant, a surge of Delta cases has made planning more complicated than most people hoped it would be.

Stephen Sondheim pushed the form to new heights, and in many ways gave us the modern musical that we know today. The theatre world is completely different because he was in it, and as we move forward without Sondheim, it will never be the same again.

Across the globe, COVID case counts are rising once again, but the potential impact on tourism - the next major move toward the full recovery of the entertainment industry - is yet to be seen. In the United States, most international travel restrictions have been lifted, and Broadway’s current numbers are strong and on the rise.

The holidays are starting to look more “normal” for Broadway and NYC - with restrictions on international tourists lifted, the return of the Broadway holiday schedule, and an uptick in grosses post-Halloween, things are starting to feel much more normal in New York - and regions beyond.

After a week of announcements here at BroadwayWorld (more on those below), it has also been a week of mostly good news throughout the theatre industry - tourism numbers continue to climb in major regional hubs and theatres continue to announce fuller season schedules for the coming year.

BroadwayWorld is pleased to announce the next Industry Pro webinar: The New Marketing Cycle with Rian Durham of Situation. Industry Pro webinars are designed to bring the industry together to learn about current best practices to continue charting a path forward during this unprecedented time.

The Off-Broadway production of The Long Shrift, written by Robert Boswell and directed by James Franco, opened last night at Rattlestick Playwrights Theater. The Long Shirt began previews on July 7th and will run through August 23rd. This play is James Franco's directing debut. BroadwayWorld was there for opening night and you can check out photo coverage below!