Industry Pro Newsletter: Drama Desk winners announced & Jeff Awards halt non-Equity Adjudication
The National Theatre’s new 12-venue touring initiative, Australia’s $1.1B arts budget, and key leadership shifts in Dallas and London.
In New York, awards season rolls on: Schmigadoon! and Ragtime led the 70th Annual Drama Desk Awards, Dorian Award nominations have been announced, and John Lithgow is slated for a lifetime achievement honor. Chicago’s Jeff Awards have halted non-Equity adjudication to overhaul policies following community backlash, while the UK’s National Theatre is launching a 12-venue partnership to rescue a collapsing regional touring network. We round out the news with a wave of key executive appointments in Massachusetts, Dallas, and London, a breakdown of Australia’s complex new $1.1 billion arts budget, and the return of BroadwayWorld's My Show’s Curtain Call for the 2025-2026 season.
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Industry Trends
My Show's Curtain Call Returns for the 2025/2026 Broadway Season
BroadwayWorld's popular My Shows Curtain Call feature is back for the 2025/2026 Broadway season, allowing users to recap every show they attended over the course of the year. The personalized feature, part of the BroadwayWorld My Shows platform, lets theatergoers review their season highlights including shows attended, reviews written, badges earned, and ratings submitted. Users can share their custom Curtain Call results on social media using personalized graphics.
Broadway/New York
70th Annual Drama Desk Awards Winners
The 70th Annual Drama Desk Awards were held May 17 at Town Hall in New York City, with Schmigadoon! taking home Outstanding Musical and The Balusters winning Outstanding Play. Ragtime received the most wins of any single production, with five, including Outstanding Musical Revival, while Death of a Salesman won Outstanding Play Revival. The ceremony, hosted by Titaníque's Marla Mindelle, marked the Awards' first return to Town Hall since the 2020 Broadway shutdown, and the 2026 William Wolf Award was presented to Richard Maltby Jr. and David Shire.
John Lithgow to Receive 13th Annual John Willis Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre
The Theatre World Awards Board of Directors has named John Lithgow as the winner of the 13th Annual John Willis Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre. The award will be presented at the 80th Annual Theatre World Awards Ceremony on June 2 at the Longacre Theatre, which is celebrating the milestone anniversary with the introduction of a new retro Theatre World Award statue. Lithgow has appeared on Broadway twenty-five times and has earned two Tony Awards, six Emmy Awards, two Golden Globes, and four SAG Awards over his distinguished career.
Schmigadoon! and The Lost Boys Lead 2026 Dorian Award Nominations
GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics announced nominations for the 4th annual Dorian Theater Awards, with Schmigadoon! earning nine nominations and The Lost Boys close behind with eight. Schmigadoon! received bids including Outstanding Broadway Musical and Outstanding LGBTQ Broadway Production, with show creator Cinco Paul nominated in two new categories: Outstanding Original Score and Outstanding Book of a Broadway Musical. Winners of the 2026 Dorian Theater Awards will be announced on Monday, June 1, 2026.
Regional
Shakespeare & Company Names Molly Merrihew Executive Director
Shakespeare & Company's Board of Directors has appointed Molly Merrihew as the organization's new Executive Director, taking the helm just as the Lenox, Massachusetts company approaches its 50th anniversary. Merrihew, former managing director of WAM Theatre, joins Artistic Director Allyn Burrows and brings more than 15 years of experience in nonprofit theater.
David Lomelí Appointed General Director and CEO of The Dallas Opera
David Lomelí has been appointed as The Dallas Opera's next Kern Wildenthal General Director and CEO, effective June 1, 2026. Lomelí returns to TDO after serving as Chief Artistic Officer and Chief Artistic Advisor at the Santa Fe Opera for five years, as well as Casting Director and Head of International Partnerships and Strategy at the Bayerische Staatsoper, and previously held progressively senior artistic roles at TDO for over a decade, including founding director of the Hart Institute for Women Conductors. He succeeds Ian Derrer, who has served in the role for eight years and is leaving to become General Director of the Canadian Opera Company in Toronto.
Jeff Awards Pauses All Non-Equity Adjudication Following Industry Backlash
Chicago's Joseph Jefferson Awards announced it will pause all awards consideration of Non-Equity productions opening on or after June 1, 2026, citing the need for additional time to review its policies and procedures following weeks of community feedback. The announcement follows ongoing fallout from the March 23, 2026 Non-Equity ceremony, where Invictus Theatre Artistic Director Charles Askenaizer was named Best Director despite being the subject of an ongoing independent investigation into allegations of emotional abuse and harassment — allegations he has denied. In the weeks following the ceremony, at least 15 Chicago theater companies publicly cut ties with the Jeff Awards, two committee members resigned, and several companies stopped inviting Jeff reviewers to their productions.
International
The National Theatre Launches Touring Partnership With 12 Theatres
The National Theatre has announced National Theatre Nationwide, a new landmark partnership with 12 leading theatres in all nine regions of England dedicated to ensuring parity of access to art and culture. The first production to tour under the scheme will be The Rise and Fall of Little Voice by Jim Cartwright, directed by Deputy Artistic Director Robert Hastie, running at The National Theatre from December 2, 2026 to January 23, 2027 before embarking on a national tour. The initiative is supported by Arts Council England and responds to a sharp decline in touring, with recent research showing the number of plays touring England has fallen by 64% since 2019.
Lyric Hammersmith Theatre Names Matthew Turbett as New Executive Director
Lyric Hammersmith Theatre has announced the appointment of Matthew Turbett as its new Executive Director and Joint CEO, with Turbett joining the organisation in August 2026, taking over from Amy Belson, who is leaving to become CEO of Luton Cultural Trust. He joins the Lyric from ATG Entertainment, where he served as General Manager at both the Savoy Theatre and The Phoenix Theatre, and previously worked with English Touring Opera and held roles across London's fringe theatre scene, including at the Bunker Theatre. Turbett will serve as Joint CEO alongside Artistic Director Rachel O'Riordan.
Limelight: Australian Government Unveils $1.1 Billion for the Arts in 2026-2027 Budget
The Australian Government has unveiled a $1.1 billion arts and culture package in the 2026–27 Federal Budget, headlined by increased funding for Creative Australia, targeted support for national collecting institutions, and new investment in cultural infrastructure projects across the country. Creative Australia will receive a $14.7 million increase in base appropriations, rising from $311.8 million to $326.5 million, with funding tied to bodies including Music Australia, Writing Australia, First Nations Arts, and Creative Workplaces. At the same time, several institutions face tightened staffing levels, with average staff at the National Film and Sound Archive expected to fall from 256 to 226 and at the National Museum of Australia from 257 to 216.
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May 11, 2026 - IATSE Takes on the Kennedy Center — and Touring Theatre's Crisis in the UK Deepens
This week's theater news spans awards season milestones, legal disputes, labor tensions, and the business challenges facing the art form on both sides of the Atlantic. The 2026 Tony nominations are in — with Schmigadoon! and The Lost Boys leading the pack — and the Theatre World Awards have named their honorees, including Ayo Edebiri and Luke Evans. Voting is also now open for BroadwayWorld's own Theater Fans' Choice Awards. On a more turbulent note, a fire at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre has shuttered The Book of Mormon through at least May 17, a second lawsuit has been filed against the producers of Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club, and IATSE is accusing the Kennedy Center of using its upcoming temporary closure as cover to permanently eliminate union jobs. Regionally, The Naples Players have secured a multi-year grant to expand paid apprenticeships for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. And internationally, The Stage examines whether the UK touring sector — where the number of touring plays has fallen 64% since 2019 — can find a path forward through its mounting financial and structural pressures.
May 4, 2026 - Are 8 PM Curtains Hurting Broadway? Plus: Your 2026 Tony Nominations Guide
As New York prepares for the 2026 Tony Award nominations and honors the recent Lucille Lortel winners, producers are facing tough questions about whether traditional 8 PM curtain times are driving audiences away. The business landscape is shifting heavily behind the scenes, marked by the merger of licensing giants BMG and Concord, looming strike ballots in the West End, and the Kennedy Center's controversial two-year shutdown. Despite these logistical and financial challenges—including a devastating embezzlement case at a Pennsylvania community theatre—there is plenty of positive momentum to report, from the rapid financial recoupment of the Suffs national tour to new initiatives supporting theater education and large-scale playwriting.
April 27, 2026 - New Artistic Directors, A New Union Contract & A New 3,000-Seat Venue
This week's news spans leadership changes, labor milestones, and the ongoing push to make live performance more accessible. On Broadway, Tony Awards season heats up with the Outer Critics Circle nominations offering early insight into the June 7 race, while Rockefeller Center confirms its role as the official red carpet and events hub for the 79th Annual ceremony. Off-Broadway, Vineyard Theatre ratified its first IATSE collective bargaining agreement, covering backstage and overhire crew. Regional theaters see new artistic leadership at both Black Ensemble Theater in Chicago and Renaissance Theaterworks in Milwaukee, while Swift Creek Mill Theatre in Virginia announces a pause in operations citing a 25-percent post-pandemic drop in ticket sales. On the industry and international fronts, American Dream mall in New Jersey prepares to open a 3,000-seat performing arts center ahead of the FIFA World Cup, UK theater organizations call for ticket resale price cap legislation ahead of the King's Speech, and the Royal Academy of Dance receives a two-year grant to fund bursaries for trainee dance teachers.
BroadwayWorld Resources
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