Industry Pro Newsletter: IATSE Takes on the Kennedy Center — and Touring Theatre's Crisis in the UK Deepens
Plus: the Naples Players land a grant for inclusive workforce apprenticeships and all the week's awards season news.
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.
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Director of Production - Seattle Children's Theatre
The Director of Production is responsible for the comprehensive production execution of SCT's artistic vision, set by the Artistic Director. This role reports to the Artistic Director and supervises a Production Manager, Technical Director and a staff of eighteen Artisans. This role leads all production related activities at SCT including but not limited to; design and rehearsal phase, running of shows, building of productions, sending SCT’s physical productions out, receiving touring productions, as well as partnering closely with the Artistic Director on commissions and workshops.
Industry Trends
Voting Now Open for the 2026 Theater Fans' Choice Awards
BroadwayWorld has announced that voting is now open for the 2026 Theater Fans' Choice Awards, which honor the best of New York theater as decided by the public at large. Now in its 23rd year, the awards feature an all-star lineup of nominees across categories that reflect popular critical awards as well as fan-favorite categories including Best Tour, Best Ensemble, and Best Off-Broadway show. Voting is open through June 3rd.
AI is Already on Broadway — Just Not Where You're Looking
According to Marc Jablonski, Vice President of Business Strategy at AKA NYC, AI has already become part of Broadway's business infrastructure — in marketing strategy, forecasting, ticketing recommendations, and audience discovery — though it largely hasn't announced itself. While AI is widely used internally to stress-test media strategies and summarize campaign performance, it is not being used to generate Broadway advertising assets, as audiences can quickly detect AI-generated content in a medium built on authenticity. Broadway has also largely avoided the high-profile AI controversies seen in film, TV, and music, owing to its strong unions and the irreplaceable need for live human performers.
Broadway/New York
Breaking Down the 2026 Tony Awards Nominations
The 79th Annual Tony Awards, to be held June 7, 2026, saw 129 nominations go out across 26 categories, with Schmigadoon! and The Lost Boys leading the pack with 12 nominations each, followed closely by Ragtime (11), Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman (9), Cats: The Jellicle Ball (9), and Richard O'Brien's The Rocky Horror Show (9). June Squibb made Tony history as the oldest nominee ever at age 96, and Danny Burstein became the most Tony-nominated male actor in history with his ninth career nomination. Notably, several shows received no nominations at all, including Beaches, Mamma Mia!, The Queen of Versailles, and five plays: Call Me Izzy, Jeff Ross: Take a Banana For the Ride, Proof, All Out: Comedy About Ambition, and Art.
2026 Theatre World Award Honorees Revealed: Luke Evans, Ayo Edebiri, and More
The honorees for the 80th Annual Theatre World Awards — the oldest awards given for outstanding Broadway and Off-Broadway debut performances, first presented in 1945 — have been revealed, with 12 recipients including Luke Evans (The Rocky Horror Show), Ayo Edebiri (Proof), Lesley Manville (Oedipus), Adrien Brody (The Fear of 13), Sam Tutty (Two Strangers), and others. Rachael Stirling will receive the 17th Annual Dorothy Loudon Award for Excellence in the Theater for her performance in Giant, while the recipient of the 13th Annual John Willis Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre will be announced at a later date. The ceremony will be held Tuesday, June 2, 2026 at 2 p.m. at The Longacre Theatre.
NYC Department of Buildings Issues Full Vacate Order at Eugene O'Neill Theatre Following Fire
The New York City Department of Buildings issued a Full Vacate Order at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre — home to The Book of Mormon — following a three-alarm fire on May 4, 2026. DOB inspectors found heavy fire damage to the spotlight room and the building's roof, with damage also spreading to an adjacent hotel at 224 West 49th Street, affecting multiple rooms on the fifth floor. One firefighter was injured in the response, and the cause of the fire remains under investigation. ATG Entertainment and The Book of Mormon have canceled performances through Sunday, May 17, with ticket holders notified for exchanges or refunds; the production has not yet announced a timeline for resumption.
CABARET AT THE KIT KAT CLUB Investor Files Second Lawsuit Against Producers
Atlanta-based entertainment lawyer James Walker, an investor in Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club, has filed a second lawsuit against several of the show's producers, six months after his initial complaint alleging that he had not received any profit distributions despite a $50,000 investment in the production. Walker had also previously claimed that certain producers concealed revenue and diverted profits into undisclosed transactions, claims the producers moved to dismiss before an amended complaint was filed. The Tony Award-winning production closed on September 21, 2025, after 18 preview performances and 592 regular performances at the August Wilson Theatre.
Regional
Naples Players To Receive Grant For Inclusive Workforce Apprenticeship
The Naples Players has received a multi-year grant from the Golisano Foundation to support the expansion of its Inclusive Workforce & Apprenticeship Pathways Program, a workforce development initiative designed to create meaningful employment opportunities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). The initiative provides structured, paid apprenticeships embedded within The Naples Players' daily operations, including front-of-house services, scenic construction, costuming, concessions, administration, and theatre operations. Over the next three years, the organization plans to serve at least 30 individuals through paid apprenticeships, targeting young adults ages 18–30 from Collier County and surrounding Southwest Florida communities.
IATSE Says Kennedy Center Violating Its Contract, Using Temporary Closure to Cut Jobs
The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) is condemning management of The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, alleging the Center is violating its union contract by laying off workers without meeting its legal obligation to bargain over the impact of a temporary closure. During bargaining, the Kennedy Center confirmed it has laid off or terminated all workers in its Instant Charge and Group Sales and Subscription departments — effective April 27 — more than two months before the temporary closure begins, and confirmed it will not replace the work. IATSE has filed unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board, with International President Matthew D. Loeb stating, "The Kennedy Center appears to be using a temporary closure as cover to permanently eliminate union jobs."
International
The Stage: Can Touring Theatre Fix Its Broken Business Model?
The Stage's long read by Theo Bosanquet examines the crisis facing touring theatre in the UK, where the number of touring plays has dropped 64% since 2019, with shrinking programmes, rising costs, and venue closures all contributing to mounting pressure across the sector. Touring theatre is described as facing a crisis on multiple fronts, with reduced audiences, crumbling infrastructure, and squeezed budgets making it "almost untenable," according to sector leaders — though creatives tell Bosanquet they are not giving up without a fight.
Missed our last few newsletters?
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.
April 20, 2026 - The UK Is Investing in Theatre — Is It Enough?
From Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater suspending operations and Central Works announcing its closure after 36 years, to Duluth Playhouse navigating a leadership transition, regional companies across the U.S. are grappling with the pressures of rising costs and uncertain funding. Across the Atlantic, the UK theatre sector is meeting similar headwinds head-on, with the government distributing £127.8 million to 130 cultural organizations, Stagetext securing funds to expand captioning access nationwide, and SOLT and UK Theatre sounding the alarm over strains on the touring ecosystem.
BroadwayWorld Resources
BroadwayWorld Stage Mag - A Fully Interactive Show Program
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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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