Alex Freeman
Industry Pro Newsletter: New Foundation Offering Major Grants, STEM vs STEAM in Arts Ed
July 5, 2022
One thing we know for sure: the BroadwayWorld audience remains dedicated to seeing multiple shows per year, even if they’re making that final decision and purchasing a ticket much closer to the date of the show than in the past.
Industry Pro Newsletter: Masking on Broadway Will No Longer Be Mandatory - But Is That What Audiences Want?
June 27, 2022
The Broadway League announced that masks would be optional starting July 1 for most Broadway productions. Broadway fans don’t appear happy with the change, with 12% of respondents to a recent BroadwayWorld survey indicating that with masks being optional, they’re no longer planning to attend a Broadway show in July.
Industry Pro Newsletter: New Executive Leadership Announced for Many Theatres
June 21, 2022
Coming out of the pandemic, there were a ton of Artistic and Executive Leadership positions open at institutions across the country, and as those roles have been filled, that has opened up other jobs - causing the leadership jobs carousel to keep on spinning.
Industry Pro Newsletter: Audience Intentions Look Good into 2023, Molly Smith Retires, and San Diego Rep Suspends Operations
June 13, 2022
Waking up the morning after the Tony Awards is a day that often has many feeling inspired to go out and make art - to pursue their dreams and their passions. And as we look at the broader theatre industry in today’s newsletter, there are a lot of trends that should be viewed as highly encouraging.
Industry Pro Newsletter: Tax Credits in Maryland, A Unionization Effort in DC
June 6, 2022
The Tony Awards are on Sunday, and that feels really normal. Anyone who has walked through Times Square in the past week or so would also attest that the crush of tourists is also starting to feel normal. Box Offices across the country are starting to normalize, though I don’t know anyone wants to go so far as to call them normal quite yet.
Industry Pro Newsletter: Is a Subscription Model the Correct Model for an Arts Organization?
May 31, 2022
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.
Industry Pro Newsletter: Mask Mandate Extensions, Are Tourist's Returning?
May 23, 2022
As awards season continues forward, there is a strong sense of normalcy within the industry - however, the announcement last week from both the Broadway League and at least one regional arts organization that mask mandates will continue into the summer is a strong reminder that we aren’t yet back to normal.
Industry Pro Newsletter: Box Office Realities Show Recovery Slow Across the Country
May 16, 2022
While governmental support over the past few years has helped companies stay afloat, with rising costs and additional pandemic related support no longer an option, the realities are starting to settle in.
Industry Pro Newsletter: AEA Takes on Touring, Tony Nominations Announced
May 10, 2022
Tony Awards season is officially underway! With the announcement yesterday of the nominations, BroadwayWorld will be bringing you continuous coverage, stories, and exclusive interviews leading up to the big night in June.
Industry Pro Newsletter: Lortel Winners Announced, Drama Desk Nominations Delayed
May 2, 2022
At the top of our Industry Trends section this week, we have a story about honey from the bees at the Vienna State Opera. Paired with our other story about implementing digital ticketing at venues, we can see this as two ways that companies can go about reducing the environmental harm that comes from producing large-scale live events.
Industry Pro Newsletter: Tony Awards Calendar Shifts, A Brooklyn Theater Tries a Netflix Model
April 25, 2022
The rising costs of production are putting a squeeze on many theatres - from Long Wharf to the Edinburgh fringe. While some of these costs are inflation related and are sure to come back down in the long term, it does leave the question of what theatres and producers can do as they try and recover from the past two years of challenges.
Industry Pro Newsletter: AEA files with NLRB on Behalf of Waitress Tour, Vaccine Checks to End on Broadway
April 18, 2022
While all Broadway theatres will still require strict audience masking through at least the end of May, many will stop checking audience members vaccination status on April 30th. Regionally, news about new businesses and new performance spaces for companies, and on Broadway, Disney Theatrical brings a new wrinkle to ticketing.
Industry Pro Newsletter: Olivier Awards Last Night in London, Broadway's April Gets More Chaotic
April 11, 2022
Broadway companies announcing cancellations and temporary layoffs as they deal with a new COVID surge within the theatre industry. What this will ultimately mean as we approach the Tony eligibility cutoff date remains to be seen, but there is a tension in the air as many shows work hard to get open and protect their stars from catching the virus.
Industry Pro Newsletter: 'Keep the Requirements' say DC Theatregoers, April's Top Ten off-Broadway Shows
April 4, 2022
Survey data suggest that theatregoers want to see mitigation measures - such as vaccination requirements and masked audiences - remain in place for the foreseeable future. This survey data specifically comes from DC, but the Broadway League is also taking notice and mulling their own plan whether or not to extend these requirements past April 30th.
Industry Pro Newsletter: The Lost Generation of Theatre-Makers, Broadway League Reports Individual Grosses
March 28, 2022
Last week, we got two different sets of data that started to make a case for the current state of the cultural economy - a report from the NEA laying out just how bad things got in the depths of 2020 (and hinting at some initial recovery in 2021) - and the first time The Broadway League reported individual show grosses since Broadway reopened.
Industry Pro Newsletter: Nicole Rosky New Editor-in-Chief of BroadwayWorld, New Data on Pandemic Recovery
March 21, 2022
New data points show that the theatre industry is once again at an inflection point - first, data backs up the anecdotal sense that the recovery from the pandemic shutdown has been uneven across the globe, and across different regions within countries. With pandemic response being handled on a local level, this uneven recovery is not surprising.
Industry Pro Newsletter: Tony Awards Have a Date, New DEI Report from AEA
March 14, 2022
The announcement of the Tony Awards and the return of the BC/EFA Red Bucket campaign brought a huge sense of normalcy back to the theatre industry last week - unfortunately this week, we were also reminded how far the industry has to go in establishing the new normal with the release of Actors Equity Association’s latest Diversity and Inclusion report.
Industry Pro Newsletter: Kelvin Dinkins, Jr New Executive Director at ART, Barbara Gaines to Retire from CST
March 7, 2022
With many of the pandemic restrictions being lifted in New York City this week, that the Broadway COVID safety team will celebrate their 2,000th performance on Broadway Tuesday night highlights the new phase of normalcy that the industry has entered.
Industry Pro Newsletter: NLRB examines the Independent Contractor Question
February 28, 2022
The geopolitical landscape shifted in a major way over the weekend, with Russia invading Ukraine in an unprovoked attack on their sovereignty. The resulting conflict has caused many arts organizations, including the Met Opera, to cut ties with artists and organizations that are connected to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Industry Pro Newsletter: Associates Get a Union, Gulfshore Playhouse Joins LORT
February 21, 2022
Congratulations to Gulfshore Playhouse on becoming the 77th member of the League of Resident Theatre’s - a story we have under the regional section of this week’s newsletter. We also have the story of Hollywood retaining their return to work protocols to keep their sets as safe as possible, even as several states and municipalities roll back their own mandates.
July 5, 2022
One thing we know for sure: the BroadwayWorld audience remains dedicated to seeing multiple shows per year, even if they’re making that final decision and purchasing a ticket much closer to the date of the show than in the past.
Industry Pro Newsletter: Masking on Broadway Will No Longer Be Mandatory - But Is That What Audiences Want?
June 27, 2022
The Broadway League announced that masks would be optional starting July 1 for most Broadway productions. Broadway fans don’t appear happy with the change, with 12% of respondents to a recent BroadwayWorld survey indicating that with masks being optional, they’re no longer planning to attend a Broadway show in July.
Industry Pro Newsletter: New Executive Leadership Announced for Many Theatres
June 21, 2022
Coming out of the pandemic, there were a ton of Artistic and Executive Leadership positions open at institutions across the country, and as those roles have been filled, that has opened up other jobs - causing the leadership jobs carousel to keep on spinning.
Industry Pro Newsletter: Audience Intentions Look Good into 2023, Molly Smith Retires, and San Diego Rep Suspends Operations
June 13, 2022
Waking up the morning after the Tony Awards is a day that often has many feeling inspired to go out and make art - to pursue their dreams and their passions. And as we look at the broader theatre industry in today’s newsletter, there are a lot of trends that should be viewed as highly encouraging.
Industry Pro Newsletter: Tax Credits in Maryland, A Unionization Effort in DC
June 6, 2022
The Tony Awards are on Sunday, and that feels really normal. Anyone who has walked through Times Square in the past week or so would also attest that the crush of tourists is also starting to feel normal. Box Offices across the country are starting to normalize, though I don’t know anyone wants to go so far as to call them normal quite yet.
Industry Pro Newsletter: Is a Subscription Model the Correct Model for an Arts Organization?
May 31, 2022
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.
Industry Pro Newsletter: Mask Mandate Extensions, Are Tourist's Returning?
May 23, 2022
As awards season continues forward, there is a strong sense of normalcy within the industry - however, the announcement last week from both the Broadway League and at least one regional arts organization that mask mandates will continue into the summer is a strong reminder that we aren’t yet back to normal.
Industry Pro Newsletter: Box Office Realities Show Recovery Slow Across the Country
May 16, 2022
While governmental support over the past few years has helped companies stay afloat, with rising costs and additional pandemic related support no longer an option, the realities are starting to settle in.
Industry Pro Newsletter: AEA Takes on Touring, Tony Nominations Announced
May 10, 2022
Tony Awards season is officially underway! With the announcement yesterday of the nominations, BroadwayWorld will be bringing you continuous coverage, stories, and exclusive interviews leading up to the big night in June.
Industry Pro Newsletter: Lortel Winners Announced, Drama Desk Nominations Delayed
May 2, 2022
At the top of our Industry Trends section this week, we have a story about honey from the bees at the Vienna State Opera. Paired with our other story about implementing digital ticketing at venues, we can see this as two ways that companies can go about reducing the environmental harm that comes from producing large-scale live events.
Industry Pro Newsletter: Tony Awards Calendar Shifts, A Brooklyn Theater Tries a Netflix Model
April 25, 2022
The rising costs of production are putting a squeeze on many theatres - from Long Wharf to the Edinburgh fringe. While some of these costs are inflation related and are sure to come back down in the long term, it does leave the question of what theatres and producers can do as they try and recover from the past two years of challenges.
Industry Pro Newsletter: AEA files with NLRB on Behalf of Waitress Tour, Vaccine Checks to End on Broadway
April 18, 2022
While all Broadway theatres will still require strict audience masking through at least the end of May, many will stop checking audience members vaccination status on April 30th. Regionally, news about new businesses and new performance spaces for companies, and on Broadway, Disney Theatrical brings a new wrinkle to ticketing.
Industry Pro Newsletter: Olivier Awards Last Night in London, Broadway's April Gets More Chaotic
April 11, 2022
Broadway companies announcing cancellations and temporary layoffs as they deal with a new COVID surge within the theatre industry. What this will ultimately mean as we approach the Tony eligibility cutoff date remains to be seen, but there is a tension in the air as many shows work hard to get open and protect their stars from catching the virus.
Industry Pro Newsletter: 'Keep the Requirements' say DC Theatregoers, April's Top Ten off-Broadway Shows
April 4, 2022
Survey data suggest that theatregoers want to see mitigation measures - such as vaccination requirements and masked audiences - remain in place for the foreseeable future. This survey data specifically comes from DC, but the Broadway League is also taking notice and mulling their own plan whether or not to extend these requirements past April 30th.
Industry Pro Newsletter: The Lost Generation of Theatre-Makers, Broadway League Reports Individual Grosses
March 28, 2022
Last week, we got two different sets of data that started to make a case for the current state of the cultural economy - a report from the NEA laying out just how bad things got in the depths of 2020 (and hinting at some initial recovery in 2021) - and the first time The Broadway League reported individual show grosses since Broadway reopened.
Industry Pro Newsletter: Nicole Rosky New Editor-in-Chief of BroadwayWorld, New Data on Pandemic Recovery
March 21, 2022
New data points show that the theatre industry is once again at an inflection point - first, data backs up the anecdotal sense that the recovery from the pandemic shutdown has been uneven across the globe, and across different regions within countries. With pandemic response being handled on a local level, this uneven recovery is not surprising.
Industry Pro Newsletter: Tony Awards Have a Date, New DEI Report from AEA
March 14, 2022
The announcement of the Tony Awards and the return of the BC/EFA Red Bucket campaign brought a huge sense of normalcy back to the theatre industry last week - unfortunately this week, we were also reminded how far the industry has to go in establishing the new normal with the release of Actors Equity Association’s latest Diversity and Inclusion report.
Industry Pro Newsletter: Kelvin Dinkins, Jr New Executive Director at ART, Barbara Gaines to Retire from CST
March 7, 2022
With many of the pandemic restrictions being lifted in New York City this week, that the Broadway COVID safety team will celebrate their 2,000th performance on Broadway Tuesday night highlights the new phase of normalcy that the industry has entered.
Industry Pro Newsletter: NLRB examines the Independent Contractor Question
February 28, 2022
The geopolitical landscape shifted in a major way over the weekend, with Russia invading Ukraine in an unprovoked attack on their sovereignty. The resulting conflict has caused many arts organizations, including the Met Opera, to cut ties with artists and organizations that are connected to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Industry Pro Newsletter: Associates Get a Union, Gulfshore Playhouse Joins LORT
February 21, 2022
Congratulations to Gulfshore Playhouse on becoming the 77th member of the League of Resident Theatre’s - a story we have under the regional section of this week’s newsletter. We also have the story of Hollywood retaining their return to work protocols to keep their sets as safe as possible, even as several states and municipalities roll back their own mandates.
