Industry Pro Newsletter: A SAG-AFTRA/AEA Agreement, the Long Road to Recovery, and Introducing Stage Mag from BroadwayWorld!

November 23, 2020 -

Happy Thanksgiving week to our readers in the United States! With continued news about the development of an effective vaccine and the conversation turning to how the vaccine will be deployed globally, the light continues to grow brighter at the end of the tunnel for this intermission. This week, however, we have some stories that demonstrate the extensive amount of damage that has occurred to companies across the globe, and how even if the industry is starting to see a path forward in the future, for some individual companies there are dark days ahead. There are also stories of bright spots: summer arts festivals in Australia have been planning (and re-planning, and planning again) for how to get themselves up and running in a safe fashion, Las Vegas continues to bet big on live entertainment, and AEA and SAG-AFTRA have finally reached an agreement on streaming theatre. All this, plus a new digital service from BroadwayWorld, below!

Introducing Stage Mag!

BroadwayWorld is excited to announce the launch of Stage Mag, a new service for easily creating modern, fully interactive show programs for all types of productions, from streaming to broadcast to in-person. It begins like a traditional show program with cover art, cast and creative team details, and then the sky's the limit.

To get started, visit https://stagemag.broadwayworld.com.

A Return to Live Entertainment: All Eyes on Vegas?

In terms of economies built around live events and the ability for large groups of people to gather in a single location, there are few places that rival Las Vegas. Therefore, when charting a path back for both live entertainment and tourism, it makes sense for all eyes to turn to Vegas and how Sin City charts their course forward.

NYC Tourism - A Long Road Ahead

New forecast models project that tourism will begin to rebound in mid-2021 - assuming the widespread implementation of a vaccine - but that New York City won't see tourism return to the record high numbers of 2019 until at least 2025.

How Australian Arts Festivals Are Prepping for Their Summer

As winter turns to summer in the southern hemisphere, Australian summer arts festivals are getting their plan together for how to move forward in a safe, socially distanced manner - even as case counts rise and fall to varying degrees across the country. With a vaccine on the horizon, how have these companies prepared?

Equity and SAG-AFTRA Reach an Agreement

Despite a few weeks of public fighting, the two Unions were able to reach an agreement that cedes jurisdiction to AEA for theatrical productions built for streaming through the end of 2021 - with some exceptions. The agreement hopefully opens up a path to more work weeks for union stage actors.

Will Seattle Arts institutions survive the pandemic?

The question is being asked in regions across the country - see the article about the question posed in Washington, DC right below this one - and while Seattle groups had long ago made the decision to delay their return until mid-2021, that doesn't make the planning and funding process any less shaky. Some conversations amongst leaders in the Seattle space involve adapting versions of the Works Progress Administration from the depression to get artists back to work.

Washington, DC - An Arts City on the Brink

"In fact, according to the city's 2019 Cultural Plan, the cultural economy supports more than 150,000 jobs across all eight wards. That's 20% of D.C.'s overall population of 705,000. In other words, this isn't some niche market whose disappearance will go unnoticed. Art is a $30 billion industry."

A Streaming National Tour?

This holiday season, a new trend is beginning to emerge - performing arts centers working with artists to offer holiday programming to their local audience of the same performance, with the performing arts center getting a share of the ticket revenue for the audience they bring. This has been a way artists and productions have maintained and built relationships with presenters, while offering presenters a chance to build a little revenue during the extended pause when many have been unable to present their own streaming content.

Fire at Jacob's Pillow

Last week brought word of a devastating fire on the Jacob's Pillow campus, destroying the Doris Duke Theatre. Outpourings of support have come from all corners of the globe for the renowned company, and a rescue fund was set up by their Berkshire's neighbor, Barrington Stage Company. If you're able, you can donate to that fund here. https://ci.ovationtix.com/34860/store/donations/35891

Are You Streaming Content?

Then we want it on our Streaming Calendar! The BroadwayWorld Streaming Calendar is the most in depth, comprehensive, and most-used streaming calendar on the web. It is the go-to resource for theatre audiences looking for a theatrical experience in their own living room. The best part? Listings are completely free of charge (with paid boosting options available). Add your streaming content today!

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