Studio 54 gets $8.3M and the Kennedy Center names Rick Canny artistic director
Elizabeth Williamson takes the helm at A.C.T., Chicago’s Cadillac Palace and Nederlander turn 100, and Andrew Lloyd Webber receives the Freedom of the City of London.
Industry News - October 12, 2026
This week's news keeps returning to two questions: who is running the institution, and what is it standing on? Money is going into physical space at every scale, from a New York City Council commitment to Studio 54 to a record state grant for a 99-seat playhouse and an outright venue purchase in Los Angeles. Organizations are locking in their homes. Leadership is turning over at the same time, with new executive and artistic directors at national, regional and education-focused organizations, so the people shaping those institutions' direction are changing too. Underneath both is a quieter thread about access: who gets to make work, who gets to see it, and what happens when the support behind them is cut or expanded. There are also a few milestone celebrations that show how long these houses and the artists behind them endure.
Industry Trends
BroadwayWorld's My Shows Adds Android, New Challenges, Cast Tracking & More
BroadwayWorld is rolling out the biggest update yet to My Shows, its platform for logging, rating, and reviewing the theatre you see. Starting today, My Shows is fully built into the BroadwayWorld app for Android, joining the iOS app and the web - and all three pick up two new features designed for the way theatregoers actually keep score: Challenges and cast tracking by role. (Read more)
Jay Gerlach Named Executive Director of the Educational Theatre Association
The Educational Theatre Association (EdTA) Board of Directors has announced the appointment of Jay Gerlach as Executive Director. Gerlach, who has served as Interim Executive Director since March. (Read more)
Broadway/New York
New York City Council Gives Roundabout Theatre Company $8.3 Million to Renovate Studio 54
The New York City Council presented Roundabout Theatre Company with $8,359,000 to help preserve and renovate Studio 54. (Read more)
Victoria Clark to Receive Sarah Siddons Society Award
Two-time Tony winner Victoria Clark will be honored by the Sarah Siddons Society for her outstanding achievements in theatre, including roles in Kimberly Akimbo and The Light in the Piazza. (Read more)
Regional
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Cadillac Palace and James M. Nederlander Theatres to Celebrate 100th Anniversary
Broadway In Chicago 's Cadillac Palace and James M. Nederlander Theatres are turning 100! The festivities will kick off with a birthday celebration at the Cadillac Palace Theatre. (Read more)
A.C.T. Names Elizabeth Williamson as New Artistic Director
American Conservatory Theater announced the appointment of OBIE Award-winning director Elizabeth Williamson as its new artistic director. Williamson, who previously led Geva Theatre in Rochester, has worked on Broadway productions including THE INHERITANCE, SOME LIKE IT HOT, and ANASTASIA. (Read more)
Kennedy Center Names Rick Canny Artistic Director
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has named Rick Canny as its artistic director. (Read more)
24th Street Theatre Completes $3M Venue Purchase in Los Angeles
The Los Angeles theater company finalized the purchase of its 1928 carriage house home and two adjacent properties, securing the organization's future as it approaches its 30th anniversary. (Read more)
Sierra Madre Playhouse Receives $2.5M State Grant for Accessibility and Facility Upgrades
The 99-seat Sierra Madre Playhouse received a record $2.5 million from California for accessibility improvements, HVAC and plumbing modernization, and lobby renovations to the century-old performing arts center. (Read more)
International
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Andrew Lloyd Webber Receives Freedom of the City of London
Andrew Lloyd Webber, composer of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, CATS, and EVITA, received the Freedom of the City of London at Guildhall in recognition of his outstanding contributions to musical theatre and the arts. (Read more)
Second Hand Dance Director Warns of the Effects of Cut Access to Work Funds
Second Hand Dance is raising concerns about cuts to Access to Work funding after its Co-Director and Artistic Director Rosie Heafford received a 76% reduction in support for 2026/27. (Read more)
Shaw Festival to Expand Positive Aging Programming With Fall Sessions
The Shaw Festival will launch participatory arts, movement and nature programs for older adults, including its inaugural CARE Summit exploring creativity and aging at the new Burton Centre for Lifelong Creativity in Niagara-on-the-Lake. (Read more)
Missed Our Last Newsletters?
Oracle's $10M Brings Nashville Symphony Back; NLRB Targets Casa Bonita
Oracle's $10M brings Nashville Symphony back, the NLRB files a complaint over Equity bargaining at Casa Bonita, the Kennedy Center Honors head to an arena, and leadership moves at Lookingglass, Sarasota Opera and more. (Read more)
Cleveland Orchestra strike ends in three days; Loew's Paradise set to reopen
Cleveland Orchestra musicians settle, the Loew's Paradise returns as a 4,000-seat Bronx venue, NYC gives away 70,000 Met Opera tickets, and Equity wins a five-day rehearsal week in Scotland. Read the full roundup. (Read more)
Drunk Shakespeare sues Amazon; two orchestras settle
Drunk Shakespeare's producers sue Amazon, NYC Ballet and SF Opera reach orchestra deals, AKA names a global CEO, and NYPL lands a record $60M gift. Plus leadership moves at Soulpepper and the Florida Theatre, and remembering Duncan Sheik. (Read more)
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