TRU to Present 'Is The Broadway Musical Doomed? Yet Again?'

A dependable haven for artists in isolation, Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) is celebrating its fifth year of non-stop weekly Community Gatherings, having offered to date over 250 conversations and unlimited camaraderie since April 17, 2020. TRU hosts these Community Gatherings every Friday at 5pm ET via Zoom, originally presented to explore the creation of art and theater in the time of COVID-19, and now to ensure that these crucial conversations continue going forward.

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11/7 - Is the Broadway Musical Doomed? Yet Again?

In the room: Peter Filichia, Broadway Radio correspondent, writer and historian of the American musical theater; Cody Lassen, Tony-nominated producer(How I Learned To Drive, A Commercial Jingle for Regina Comet, Indecent, Spring Awakening revival) and live entertainment consultant; Ben West, musical theater artist and historian, and the author of The Musical Theatre Report. Two recent articles in the New York Times bemoaned the hopeless economics of commercial theater, and pretty much tolled the death knell for the Broadway musical. Statistics do seem dire with a recent parade of 20 million dollar blockbusters gone bust and closing at 100% loss, and audience attendance is still not at pre-shutdown levels. The truth is, theater itself has been viewed as a "fabulous invalid" since George Kauffman's flop comedy coined the term in its title. In 1938. In an article in his Musical Theatre Report, guest Ben West cites three articles expressing concern about the future of theater by critics in various decades of the 20th century. So here we are again, and currently with union strikes looming ominously. How has the musical managed to survive despite the predictions? Do we need a new model for producing, and what might that look like? And why is this unique form of theater so important? Click here to register and receive the zoom link.