Industry Pro Newsletter: Broadway Shows Feel Tourism Dip + NEXT ON STAGE Returns

New polling shows strong opposition to the proposed Times Square casino, as major theatres light up marquees with “NO Casino” messages during final hearings.

By: Alex Freeman Sep. 15, 2025

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As the fall season kicks off, the theater world is abuzz with new beginnings, major milestones, and mounting tensions in New York’s cultural core. This week’s newsletter spotlights fresh opportunities for emerging performers with the launch of NEXT ON STAGE Season 6, while Broadway braces for shifting trends amid a tourism slowdown. From a packed fall lineup of new shows to community opposition against a proposed Times Square casino, the stakes are high both on and off stage. We also check in on honors for key industry figures, regional recognition with the BroadwayWorld Awards, and vital funding for theater abroad.

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Employment Opportunity

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Industry Trends

Submissions Open For BroadwayWorld’s NEXT ON STAGE Season 6

Submissions for NEXT ON STAGE Season 6, a competition for US-based high school (ages 14‑18, graduating 2025‑2028) and college students (ages 18‑23, graduating 2025‑2029) are now open. Videos (solo, about one minute, audition/self‑tape style, horizontal, against flat background) must be submitted by October 20, 2025. Sponsors include AMDA, Atlantic Acting School, 54 Below, and Music Theatre International.

Broadway/New York

Summer on Broadway: How the Tourism Dip Impacted Long-Running Shows

A July study projects about 2 million fewer international tourists to New York this year compared to the previous year. International visitors have historically made up roughly 21% of Broadway ticket buyers. Analysed over the summer (Memorial Day to Labor Day), many long‑running Broadway musicals saw year‑over‑year drops in box office grosses: The Lion King down 7%, Moulin Rouge! down about 11.1%, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child down about 11.2%, Hadestown down 13.3%, Chicago down about 21.4%. Some productions saw gains: Wicked rose 8%, Hamilton about 9.6%.

2025 BroadwayWorld Fall Preview

Get set for the first part of the 2025-2026 Broadway season with BroadwayWorld’s look at the 8 plays and 5 musicals slated to open between now and the end of the year.

LaChanze-Patricia-Delgado-Justin-Peck-More-Will-Be-Honored-at-Made-in-NY-Awards-20250908">LaChanze, Patricia Delgado & Justin Peck & More Will Be Honored at Made in NY Awards

The first “Made in NY Awards Ceremony for Theatre and Live Performance” will be held at Gracie Mansion on September 15, 2025. Honorees include LaChanze (actor, producer, co‑founder/president of Black Theatre United), Susan Feldman (founder & artistic director of St. Ann’s Warehouse), Ken Sunshine (PR executive & founding co‑chair of the NYC Theatre and Live Performance Industry Council), and choreographers Patricia Delgado & Justin Peck, recognized for Buena Vista Social Club on Broadway.

Poll Shows Majority of Midtown Voters Are Against the Times Square Casino

A poll by Tulchin Research, commissioned by the No Times Square Casino Coalition, finds that 67% of registered voters living in Midtown or the West Side oppose a proposed Times Square casino; only 24% support it. Fifty percent of those surveyed are “strongly opposed,” compared to just 6% “strongly supportive.” Seniors and women show particularly strong opposition (74% of voters aged 55+ and 73% of women oppose the proposal). Major concerns include traffic congestion, increased crime, and a decrease in quality of life should the casino be built.

Photos: Broadway Marquees Light Up with ‘NO Crime, NO Chaos, NO Casino’

On the day of the final hearing for the proposed Times Square casino, marquees at Broadway theatres including the Majestic, Palace, Samuel J. Friedman, and the St. James displayed messages such as “NO Crime, NO Chaos, NO Casino” and “No Times Square Casino.” The lighting event urges theatergoers and the public to contact their local elected officials to oppose the casino proposal.

Regional

Nominations Open For The 2025 BroadwayWorld Regional Awards Worldwide

Nominations are now open for the 2025 BroadwayWorld Regional Awards Worldwide; the public may submit nominations through October 31, 2025. Eligible productions are those whose first performance occurred between October 1, 2024 and September 30, 2025. After the nomination window closes, BroadwayWorld’s editors will review nominations for eligibility and accuracy, then open voting from early November through December 31, 2025. Winners will be announced in January 2026.

International

Punchline-Gloucester: Everyman Theatre to benefit from £122,000 council grant

The Everyman Theatre in Cheltenham will receive a grant of £122,000 from the council in its upcoming budget. The funding is intended to help with repair and refurbishment costs at the theatre. The grant reflects ongoing local government support for cultural institutions in the region.

Missed our last few newsletters?

September 8, 2025 - Mission Critical for Arts Criticism

Before we dive into this week’s stories, a quick update on some audience data from BroadwayWorld. We recently asked our audience a few different questions in our regular newsletter - the first, asking how many live events they attend in a month. With options of 0-1, 2-3, 4-5, and 5+, our audience reported that they fall nearly evenly across the spectrum - indicating that the BroadwayWorld audience is an excellent cross-section of the casual theatergoer and the highly committed fan. Further backing that data up is a question we are currently deploying in our newsletter asking if readers are currently subscribed to a full season at a regional theater for the 2025-2026 season. Early data from that question shows a nearly even split - 50.5% reporting they are subscribed, and 49.5% reporting they are not subscribed. If you’re interested in reaching both casual theatergoers and diehard fans, subscribers and single ticket buyers - then get in touch with your BroadwayWorld advertising sales rep today.

September 2, 2025 - 4,000 Broadway Recordings Head to the Classroom

This week's newsletter explores the delicate balance between preserving theatre's past and navigating its present challenges and triumphs. We highlight two major archival initiatives from the Wait in the Wings foundation and the New York Public Library, both aimed at making theatrical history more accessible than ever. This theme of legacy is also present in stories of history being made, as Harry Potter and the Cursed Child prepares to break a significant Broadway record, and of history at risk, with a historic California theatre facing potential demolition. We'll also cover the immediate business of the stage, from a high-profile lawsuit and regional leadership changes to concerns that public transit cuts could hinder the industry's ongoing recovery.

August 25, 2025 - Kennedy Center Cuts Staff; Chicago Theatres Fight for Tax Credit

This week, theaters are dealing with critical financial and leadership decisions across the board. We're covering the ongoing fight for a state tax credit in Chicago, staff cuts at the Kennedy Center, and leadership changes at both Trinity Rep and Opera Australia. In New York, the debate over the proposed Times Square casino continues. Alongside these challenges, we're also seeing positive steps for the industry's future, including the launch of a new national arts accessibility hub and the date being set for the 2026 Jimmy Awards.

BroadwayWorld Resources

BroadwayWorld Stage Mag - A Fully Interactive Show Program

The digital solution to your show program needs - want to see what's possible? Check out the Stage Mag's for A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder and for The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!)! Then start building your own at stagemag.broadwayworld.com.

Add Your Show to our Regional Events Calendar

As audiences get set to return to in-person performances, and as your company works to market your own return to the stage, make sure you've got your upcoming shows in our regional events calendars. Listings are free of charge, with boosting options available. Get your show listed now

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This week, we look at the record-setting viewership of the 2025 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and renewed efforts in New York and abroad to redefine cultural priorities. Across Broadway, we probe shifting economic pressures on creatives through a new interview with Andrew Lloyd Webber. Meanwhile, with the announcement of a new arts and culture transition committee by Zohran Mamdani, incoming leadership may reimagine the city’s cultural agenda. On a regional level, we follow the pioneering costume exhibition by Cleo Parker Robinson Dance at Denver International Airport — a celebration of decades of creative work — and internationally, we cover a new report revealing post-pandemic shifts across UK theatres, as well as the opening night of Paddington: The Musical in London’s West End.

Industry Pro Newsletter: Broadway Wins Big at the Clio Awards, UK Looks to Ban Resellers

From award-winning Broadway marketing campaigns and fresh digital viewing options for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade to updates on tax credits and Tony eligibility, the industry continues to adapt on multiple fronts. Regional and national stories examine how institutions are navigating political scrutiny and how artists across the country are sustaining their work amid financial pressures. Internationally, major regulatory changes in the U.K. signal further shifts in how audiences access live performance.

Industry Pro Newsletter: Leigh Silverman New President of SDCF, UK’s National Youth Theatre Expands Access Initiative

Poudre High School Theatre demonstrates how Stage Mag can be used by organizations of all shapes and sizes to build a fully interactive show program. In New York, the Performing Arts Library prepares a major Martha Graham exhibition, and Leigh Silverman steps into her new role as President of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation. Regionally, IN Series appoints its first Executive Director and Dallas restores funding to Dallas Black Dance Theatre. Abroad, the National Youth Theatre expands its Assemble programme with a significant new grant.

Industry Pro Newsletter: Leadership Changes in Opera Large and Small

This week’s roundup highlights major leadership changes, funding shifts, and renewed investment in the performing arts. OPERA America has named Michael J. Bobbitt as its next President & CEO, while Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS announced $1.5 million in emergency food grants nationwide. In New York, The Joyce Theater Foundation received a landmark $15 million gift, and Broadway productions prepare to take the stage at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Regionally, Chicago’s cultural department faces a proposed budget reduction, Theatre Washington released a new industry impact report, and Houston Grand Opera appointed James Gaffigan as its next Music Director. Meanwhile, in the UK, opera and arts education take center stage with efforts to broaden access and strengthen creative learning.

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