Industry Pro Newsletter: Kennedy Center Ruling, Broadway's Record Season & New York's $150M Tax Credit Boost
by Alex Freeman - Jun 1, 2026
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.
Review: MAMMA MIA! Brings ABBA’s Timeless Hits Back to Vancouver
by Alyson Eng - May 30, 2026
Some musicals fade with time, but more than 25 years after its London premiere, MAMMA MIA! seems determined to do the opposite. The musical continues to fill theatres around the world, introducing new audiences to the story while giving longtime fans another reason to revisit the songs they already know by heart. Few productions have maintained the kind of global appeal that MAMMA MIA! has enjoyed since its debut, and its latest stop at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Vancouver, BC this week offers another reminder of why.
Video: Watch Jake Bell, LORT and More Accept 2026 Special Tony Awards
by Chloe Rabinowitz - May 29, 2026
The Tony Awards Administration Committee presented the 2026 Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre to four outstanding contributors to the Broadway industry - 1/52 Project, Jake Bell, Kenn Lubin, and Loren Plotkin. Watch their acceptance speeches here!
Norm Lewis, Will Roland and More to Perform at 54 Below in June
by Chloe Rabinowitz - May 29, 2026
Next month, 54 BELOW, Broadway’s Supper Club & Private Event Destination, presents some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz, and beyond, including Grammy and Emmy winner Will Roland, Tony winner Norm Lewis and more.
Review: GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY at Wilbury Theatre Group
by Jay Pateakos - May 30, 2026
The Wilbury Theatre Group wrapped up it's 2025-2026 season with Conor McPherson's Tony-nominated stylistic musical 'Girl From The North Country'.
Set in an a Depression-era Duluth, Minnesota boarding house in 1934, McPherson weaves a tale of multiple families and people's lives converging together at the house, many of those lives within hours of reaching a life-altering turning point that will change their course forever.
In addition to wonderful prose that could very well be as pertinent today as then, McPherson intermingles reimagined Bob Dylan songs throughout the musical, not as a buffer between scenes but as a way to also tell the story through each character.
Two Iowa Students Named Triple Threats at IHSMTA Showcase
by Stephi Wild - May 29, 2026
Wrigley Mancha and Peyton Haacke earned Triple Threat Awards at the Iowa High School Musical Theater Awards Showcase, earning spots representing Iowa at the National High School Musical Theatre Awards in New York City.
ANTíKONI to Close Bag&Baggage and NPAN's Season in Hillsboro
by Stephi Wild - May 29, 2026
Bag&Baggage Productions and Native Performing Arts Network will co-present ANTíKONI, a Nez Perce reimagining of Sophocles' Antigone by Beth Piatote, directed by Jeanette Harrison, at the Vault Theater in Hillsboro.
Cheyenne Jackson to Return to 54 Below Next Spring
by Chloe Rabinowitz - May 28, 2026
Cheyenne Jackson will return to 54 Below with a brand new show! Jackson is a GRAMMY and Emmy-nominated actor, singer, and songwriter known for his versatile work across concert stages, Broadway, television, and film.