Industry Pro Newsletter: Kennedy Center Ruling, Broadway's Record Season & New York's $150M Tax Credit Boost
Plus: LEAP launches, Opera Australia posts a dramatic financial turnaround, and Stage One opens UK producer placements.
On the legal and legislative front, a federal judge ordered the removal of President Trump's name from the Kennedy Center and temporarily blocked its planned closure, while New York State added $150 million to its theatrical production tax credit program. Broadway closed out its 2025–2026 season with a new all-time box office record of $1.91 billion, and the Broadway League and Actors' Equity announced a new audition initiative called LEAP. Leadership transitions dominate the regional news, with changes at the Wilma Theater, Playhouse on Park, Ballet West, and Gloucester Stage Company. Rounding out the week: a Broadway-themed fan convention is headed to Las Vegas, Opera Australia reported a major financial turnaround in its 2025 annual report, and Stage One opened applications for its UK producer placement scheme.
SUBSCRIBE NOW - Want this newsletter delivered to your inbox every Monday? Make sure and subscribe using the form at the top or bottom of this page to join the Industry Pro mailing list.
Employment Opportunity
Theatre Artistic Director - Artistree Community Arts Center
The Artistic Director role is a full-time position at our South Pomfret, VT campus, reporting to our Executive Director. The role is typically Monday through Friday during business hours, with some weekend and evening activities as required. The salary range for this position will be $60,000 to $65,000 per year, based on experience.
Industry Trends
Judge Orders Trump's Name to be Removed From the Kennedy Center
A federal judge has ordered The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to remove President Trump's name from the building and all official branding. Judge Christopher R. Cooper of the Federal District Court in Washington ruled that only Congress — which established and named the institution — has the authority to change it. The judge also temporarily blocked the venue's planned two-year closure for renovations, ruling that board members lacked sufficient information to make that decision at their March 16 meeting.
A SALUTE TO BROADWAY Fan Convention to Launch in Las Vegas
Creation Entertainment is launching A Salute to Broadway, a Broadway-themed fan convention, at The Westin Lake Las Vegas Resort on June 27–28, 2026. The event will feature Tony Award winners, panels, a cosplay competition, Broadway trivia, and evening sing-alongs hosted by the legendary Marie's Crisis piano bar. Saturday night's headline concert features Lea Salonga, Andrew Rannells, Ana Gasteyer, Skylar Astin, Ali Stroker, Alex Newell, and more, accompanied by an 11-piece orchestra.
Broadway/New York
Broadway Set Another Box Office Record in 2025-2026, Crossing $1.91 Billion
The Broadway League announced that the 2025–2026 season set a new all-time gross record of $1,910,903,835, surpassing the prior season by 0.96 percent. The season welcomed 14,577,322 people across 13,416 performances, with an average ticket price of $131.09 and houses running at 90.8 percent capacity. Play attendance notably rose from 2,875,162 to 3,316,722, while musical attendance declined slightly; the season opened 35 new productions comprising 12 musicals, 21 plays, and two specials.
New York State Budget Adds $150 Million to NYC Theatrical Production Tax Credit
The newly enacted New York State Fiscal Year 2027 Budget includes a $150 million increase to the New York City Musical and Theatrical Production Tax Credit, bringing the state's total commitment to the program to $550 million. Empire State Development confirmed that the online application portal will reopen within a week, with a June 30, 2026 deadline for productions that opened on or after December 1, 2025. Shows including Every Brilliant Thing (starring Daniel Radcliffe) and Giant (starring John Lithgow), which began performances during the funding gap, are now retroactively eligible to apply.
The Broadway League and Actors' Equity Association Create New Audition Initiative
Actors' Equity Association and The Broadway League have launched the League-Equity Audition Program (LEAP), a new pilot initiative designed to connect Equity performers with writers, directors, choreographers, and casting professionals outside of the traditional, production-specific audition process. Unlike standard auditions, LEAP is not tied to casting any particular show, but instead aims to build relationships between performers and creative teams developing new work. The first LEAP auditions will take place at Equity's New York Audition Center on June 29 and 30, with one day dedicated to dancing and the other to singing and monologues.
Regional
The Philadelphia Inquirer: Wilma Theater Ends Its Three-Leader Experiment; Lindsay Smiling Is Named Sole Artistic Director
Philadelphia's Wilma Theater has ended its shared co-artistic director model, naming Lindsay Smiling as its sole Artistic Director after three years of tri-leadership. Smiling, 49, an actor and director with a long association with the Wilma dating back to 2003, will lead the company going forward; his fellow co-artistic directors Yury Urnov and Morgan Green are departing, with Urnov taking on the title of Wilma Resident Director and Green returning to New York. Managing Director Leigh Goldenberg will continue to oversee the administrative side of the organization.
Playhouse on Park Names Sasha Brätt Co-Artistic Director in Leadership Transition
West Hartford, Connecticut's Playhouse Theatre Group has announced that co-founder and Co-Artistic Director Sean Harris will transition to the role of Artistic Advisor after 17 seasons, with local director Sasha Brätt named as Co-Artistic Director alongside co-founder Darlene Zoller. Brätt brings more than 20 years of experience in directing, teaching, and new work development, and previously served eight years as Playhouse on Park's Director of New Works, where he launched the "Playwrights on Park" reading series. The transition takes effect ahead of the company's 18th season.
Ballet West Artistic Director Adam Sklute to Retire After 20-Year Tenure
Ballet West has announced that Artistic Director Adam Sklute will retire at the conclusion of the 2026–27 season, marking the end of the longest artistic directorship in the company's history — surpassing even that of founder Willam F. Christensen. Sklute joined the Salt Lake City company in 2007 and will remain in the city following his retirement. An international search for his successor will be led by Michael M. Kaiser, Chairman of the DeVos Institute of Arts and Nonprofit Management, with the upcoming season serving as a celebration of Sklute's two decades at the helm.
Gloucester Stage Company Appoints Brooke Smith As Managing Director
Gloucester Stage Company has named Brooke Smith as its new Managing Director, effective April 16, 2026, joining Producing Artistic Director Rebecca Bradshaw in leading the Massachusetts company into its 47th season. Smith brings a background in theatre operations, finance, and producing spanning Broadway, regional theatre, and entrepreneurial ventures. Her appointment comes as Gloucester Stage prepares a 2026 season of four productions, including the world premiere of Dalloway: First Love by Lindsay Joelle and Moon Man Walk by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright James Ijames.
International
Limelight Arts: Opera Australia Reports Dramatic Financial Turnaround
Opera Australia's 2025 Annual Report reveals a dramatic financial recovery, with the company's operating deficit narrowing from $10.6 million in 2024 to just $271,776 in 2025; after accounting for investment gains and Capital Fund contributions, the organization achieved a near break-even result. Box office revenue surged from $50.7 million to $65.3 million — a 29 percent increase — driven largely by the Australian premiere of Hadestown, which drew more than 186,000 patrons across Sydney and Melbourne. The company staged 457 performances across 25 productions in 2025, attracting a total audience of 574,809 people, with cash reserves rising from $4 million to more than $12 million.
Stage One to Launch 2026/27 Producer Placement Scheme With Leading UK Theatre Companies
Stage One has announced the host organizations for its 2026/27 Producer Placement Scheme, with applications now open for paid year-long placements at leading London commercial offices and regional UK theatres. Partners include Sonia Friedman Productions, Francesca Moody Productions, Rodeo Productions, the Royal Court, Pitlochry Festival Theatre, Citizens Theatre Glasgow, Mercury Theatre Colchester, and Sheffield Theatres. Since 2006, Stage One has facilitated over 100 paid placements in West End producing offices and more than 40 in regional theatres since the Regional Placement Scheme launched in 2013.
Missed our last few newsletters?
May 26, 2026 - Doomsday for the American Theater? Not in Milwaukee
This week's theater news reflects a field in flux. On the business side, ATG Entertainment is reportedly being prepared for a possible sale by its private equity owner, while Pittsburgh Public Theater terminated its staff ahead of its merger with Pittsburgh CLO — two stories that speak to the consolidation and financial pressures reshaping the industry. Against that backdrop, Milwaukee Repertory Theater stands out as a striking counterexample: the company has nearly doubled its operating budget since 2020, opened a landmark $80 million theater complex, and is expanding its season to 13 productions, fueled by a philosophy of investing in artists and audiences rather than contracting. Across the Atlantic, the UK government announced a temporary VAT cut on children's and family theater tickets this summer, even as a new report revealed West End ticket prices have fallen below 2019 levels in real terms. On the awards front, American Players Theatre in Spring Green, Wisconsin was named the recipient of the 2026 Regional Theatre Tony Award — the first Wisconsin theater to receive the honor — and the Broadway League announced its 2026 League Award recipients. With the Tony Awards just weeks away, all four Best Musical nominees and all three Best Musical Revival nominees have been confirmed to perform at the June 7 ceremony at Radio City Music Hall.
May 18, 2026 - Drama Desk winners announced & Jeff Awards halt non-Equity Adjudication
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.
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.
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
Want this newsletter in your inbox every week? Subscribe here.
Want more information about marketing options with BroadwayWorld? Request a media kit here and a member of our sales and marketing team will reach out promptly.
Videos
