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Settlement in SHN Carole Shorenstein Hays lawsuit

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Settlement in SHN Carole Shorenstein Hays lawsuit

MarkBearSF Profile Photo
MarkBearSF
#1Settlement in SHN Carole Shorenstein Hays lawsuit
Posted: 8/19/19 at 4:33pm

Well, it's settled. Carole Shorenstein Hays gets control of her Curran programming and has separated from SHN, which will continue to program the Orpheum and Golden Gate theatres.

Carole will be free to bring in whatever she wishes in the future. In the immediate future, Harry Potter will move into the Curran for the sit-down production, as a partnership between ATG and Curran/CSH. (So it looks like the hands-off decree from the last injunction will no longer be in effect, and ATG will have to deal with Carole.)

According to a email sent by SHN this morning, "We will soon introduce a new name for the company that replaces SHN"  (My guess is "Broadway Direct" which I think is Nederlander's brand for their touring houses)

https://sfist.com/2019/08/19/hoorah-curran-theater-will-continue-to-be-run-by-carole-shorenstein-hays-following-settlement-with-shn

Updated On: 8/19/19 at 04:33 PM

Kitsune Profile Photo
Kitsune
#2Settlement in SHN Carole Shorenstein Hays lawsuit
Posted: 8/19/19 at 4:41pm

Not sure what to think of Hays herself given all the back and forth, but I'm glad that the Curran's programming is no longer restricted. Given it's a *theater*, it's absurd to think that they wouldn't be allowed to bring in touring productions from Broadway under the old agreement.

I also think the Curran is a better fit for touring productions of intimate shows, e.g. The Band's Visit.

RagzJr
#3Settlement in SHN Carole Shorenstein Hays lawsuit
Posted: 8/19/19 at 5:10pm

I actually used to work for SHN in the main office and would, on occasion, have to sit in for her assistant when she was out of the office.  She is... shall we say... fascinating from afar, more than just a little unnerving in person.  (I'm understating here.)  That said, I've actually not been keeping up with what's been happening at SHN and will now have to dig back and catch back up.  

MarkBearSF Profile Photo
MarkBearSF
#4Settlement in SHN Carole Shorenstein Hays lawsuit
Posted: 8/19/19 at 6:15pm

RagzJr said: "I actually used to work for SHN in the main office and would, on occasion, have to sit in for her assistant when she was out of the office. She is... shall we say... fascinating from afar, more than just a little unnerving in person. (I'm understating here.) That said, I've actually not been keeping up with what's been happening at SHN and will now have to dig back and catch back up."

Here's an article about the prior injunction https://datebook.sfchronicle.com/theater/bay-area-debut-of-harry-potter-uncertain-after-court-ruling-in-dispute-between-shn-and-the-curran?fbclid=IwAR0i5tF22GQomCLRtfeogmfZIDY14Qvuc6G-kQ03r3DHFjNmN-bhoSgyw

And the actual court decision, which has not-to-be-missed examples of Carole's off-the-wall testimony in the addendum starting on page 53 https://courts.delaware.gov/Opinions/Download.aspx?id=291370&fbclid=IwAR3vgowBQY6whQPPu_IKJZaaomgrCuCv2ZwX5ptf7F2zHMKKNxeQm07Iuks

 

 

GiantsInTheSky2 Profile Photo
GiantsInTheSky2
#5Settlement in SHN Carole Shorenstein Hays lawsuit
Posted: 8/19/19 at 9:34pm

“Q. You told me you met with your counsel to prepare for the deposition.
A. Sure.
Q. How many times?
A. Well, see, I think of time as a continuum. So I think I met with them from the beginning to the end. And the beginning was the start, and then there was the rehearsal, and then there was the preview, and now it’s what I think of as the performance. So, in my mind, I’m answering what you’re asking. If you could be more specific. Do you want hours?
Q. Yes.
A. Oh, I don’t wear a watch. So I know the sun coming up in the morning and the moon coming up at night.”

Oh, my god. This needs to become a play. Someone call Faye Dunaway.


I am big. It’s the REVIVALS that got small.
Updated On: 8/19/19 at 09:34 PM

devonian.t Profile Photo
devonian.t
#6Settlement in SHN Carole Shorenstein Hays lawsuit
Posted: 8/20/19 at 7:28am

I think she's fantastic!

morosco Profile Photo
morosco
#7Settlement in SHN Carole Shorenstein Hays lawsuit
Posted: 8/20/19 at 10:15am

I read her entire testimony. Is she really this eccentric or was she deploying some kind of courtroom strategy to stall the proceedings? Give 'em the old flim-flam flummox?

Call_me_jorge Profile Photo
Call_me_jorge
#8Settlement in SHN Carole Shorenstein Hays lawsuit
Posted: 8/20/19 at 11:00am

Carole is woman that knows what she wants and I love that about her.

joevitus Profile Photo
joevitus
#9Settlement in SHN Carole Shorenstein Hays lawsuit
Posted: 8/20/19 at 12:34pm

GiantsInTheSky2 said: "“Q. You told me you met with your counsel to prepare for the deposition.
A. Sure.
Q. How many times?
A. Well, see, I think of time as a continuum. So I think I met with them from the beginning to the end. And the beginning was the start, and then there was the rehearsal, and then there was the preview, and now it’s what I think of as the performance. So, in my mind, I’m answering what you’re asking. If you could be more specific. Do you want hours?
Q. Yes.
A. Oh, I don’t wear a watch. So I know the sun coming up in the morning and the moon coming up at night.”

Oh, my god. This needs to become a play. Someone call FayeDunaway.
"

Yeah it does. And please not Faye!

 

bwayboy22 Profile Photo
bwayboy22
#10Settlement in SHN Carole Shorenstein Hays lawsuit
Posted: 8/21/19 at 12:50am

In reading her testimony and all I can think of is Marianne Williamson.

bear88
#11Settlement in SHN Carole Shorenstein Hays lawsuit
Posted: 8/22/19 at 1:35am

This seems like the best outcome for SF Bay Area residents like me, although the impact won't show right away because of Harry Potter taking over the Curran for the next few years.

Carole Shorenstein Hays seems like a different sort of person, but she's done a nice job on the Curran, which is easily the best of the three theaters that house touring Broadway shows (and as Kitsune mentions, the one most appropriate for intimate shows). 

The prospect of actual competition, without Hays needing to violate her agreement with SHN to bring in a show like Dear Evan Hansen to afford the riskier fare and out-of-town previews she seems to prefer, is a very good thing. Let 'em battle it out. 

The questions: Can Hays run a theater that doesn't bleed money without Dear Evan Hansen or Harry Potter? What will the relationship be with Ambassador Theatre Group going forward? The inability of the Curran to promote itself effectively leaves plenty of reason for doubt - although that's been good for my ability to see interesting shows in good seats at bargain prices.

For SHN, how will the total freedom to run its own operation change things? Will the theaters become even more commercial or take a few risks?

MarkBearSF Profile Photo
MarkBearSF
#12Settlement in SHN Carole Shorenstein Hays lawsuit
Posted: 8/22/19 at 2:37am

Good analysis, Bear88, and I agree with you.

I suspect post-SHN, they will program exactly like they have in the past two years (Since CSH has not been involved). Heavily toward the popular hits. Which is actually OK for me, by and large. Most important is that SF continues as a first-tier city with the first national equity tours, hopefully with 4 week seasons.

I would hope that SF continues to get the more interesting tours like Falsettos, and the initial runs with original stars like Lena Hall in Hedwig and Idina in As/If. Whether that's through post-SHN or CSH, I'll see it. It's also important to me that the beautiful Curran be in use. (I don't resent HP. I enjoyed it in NY and wish it well in SF. However, I DO hope that it doesn't last more than 3 years. I want to return to that theatre!)

The original arrangement seemed untenable (even without "interesting" personalities like CSH) so I'm glad it's resolved. I also think I've seen all of the CSH productions since reopening (plus a couple of installments of Taylor Mac backstage) and have really enjoyed and mostly been challenged by them. I hope to see such things again.

 

Updated On: 8/22/19 at 02:37 AM

bear88
#13Settlement in SHN Carole Shorenstein Hays lawsuit
Posted: 8/22/19 at 3:42am

It's certainly possible that a renamed SHN would be more likely to bring in popular shows that usually run in nearby cities (Wicked, which is playing in San Jose this week, for example). But I'm just guessing. They are more likely to program as they have been doing, when first-tier Broadway tours are on their West Coast swing along with longtime favorites to fill out the season. The only benefit for SHN of Harry Potter occupying the Curran for a long while is that it will basically have a monopoly on Broadway tours anyway. (I would, for example, think the Hadestown tour would be a better fit for the Curran, but the Curran will presumably still be occupied.) The Hays-less SHN can even get a tryout or two that otherwise would play at the Curran or Berkeley Rep if they're a little daring. 

The Curran is Hays' baby, so I assume (in total ignorance; I don't know the arrangement and could be wrong) that Ambassador Theatre Group will be there to run Harry Potter and nothing more. The Curran has had trouble filling out a season and drawing a crowd, with the obvious exception of Dear Evan Hansen and partial one of Fun Home. The big question: What happens when Harry Potter leaves? Will the Curran be a strong competitor for the most popular touring shows, as it was for DEH (which, as a smaller show, made more sense in the Curran anyway)? A Curran season that has some popular Broadway touring productions along with out-of-town tryouts and experimental fare would make more financial sense while appealing to me. But Hays has yet to prove she can program and market effectively despite having the nicer theater in the better neighborhood. Basically, she has provided a service to a cheapskate like me to see shows from Bright Star to Head Over Heels to The Jungle for rush ticket prices and excellent seats (unlike SHN, which has taken to putting rush ticket buyers in the mezzanine). 

I can imagine the new SHN dominating the scene and getting most of the popular hits, leaving Hays, post-Potter, in a weaker position than before (when she was collecting SHN profits). But I can also imagine a better-managed Curran putting together a strong season that mixes the popular and the daring more effectively than before, and stealing even more touring shows that fit better in a Broadway-sized house.

But it's going to be a few years before we find out, I guess.