Industry Insight - by Cara Joy David

There has been a lot of press about the NYC Musical and Theatrical Production Tax Credit, but so much remains unclear. I continue to get regular questions about it, months after any major news hit. I can report now that Empire State Development (ESD), which administers the credit, is taking applications from shows with a first paid performance on or prior to December 1, well over a month after the previously reported deadline. This article will also cover a frequently asked question regarding nonprofit eligibility for the tax credit.

It is bad for the state if Broadway falters. Broadway will falter if investment dries up. It is as simple as that. (I’m not sure how the “backfill” idea is in keeping with the idea that the credit is designed to stimulate investment, as that investment will have already occurred, but I also see the argument that folks who decided to invest in shows opening later in the fall were expecting the credit, and they may not invest in the future if they feel they were shafted this go round.)

I’ve been writing about the lack of female representation in creative teams for at least 15 years. When I wrote a series on female playwrights a couple of years back, there was a sense that things were getting better. Indeed, when Julia Jordan handed off leadership of the Lillys in December 2023, she proudly reported that gender parity had been reached on off-Broadway stages dedicated to new plays. There was even talk of sunsetting the organization, which has been a driving force in the fight for gender parity.

Theater makers have a “show must go on” spirit. So it is no surprise that the vast majority of the over forty artistic leaders I spoke to in the last two weeks believed they would find a way to survive even without promised National Endowment for the Arts funding. But it won’t be easy.

I was raised on television. So, it is no surprise that my first exposure to Linda Lavin was Alice, the reruns of which ran on a local New York channel when I was little. But when I grew older, I realized that as good as Lavin was on television, she was really a creature of the stage. I have trouble believing Broadway has not yet dimmed the lights for this Tony-winning Theater Hall of Fame member.

Buyers of tickets to live performances sometimes feel like they should get their money back, but it’s usually when a star drops out, after seeing a show, or at least after the reviews come out. All In: Comedy About Love instead had several people requesting refunds when they simply heard more about it.

It’s a season of merriment and tourism, when Broadway producers hope to make enough extra money to compensate for the dark days of winter ahead. But just how much extra are Broadway stars working?

When the wild project launched its do-or-die capital campaign a couple of weeks back, an industry reeling from several hits to the off-off-Broadway community braced for another one. However, even though the downtown arts community had suffered several losses, the news that the non-profit needed to raise $1 million in only three months caught many by surprise.

Rumors of the death of off-off-Broadway have been greatly exaggerated. In fact, the Alliance of Resident Theatres/New York (the organizing entity, such that there is one, of off-off-Broadway companies) will tell you it has more members than it did twenty years ago. However, there is no doubt that things feel dire.

Over the years, I’ve heard several black actors complain about how their preferred hair plan was dismissed by producers. Now one is suing producer NETworks Presentations, 1776 Touring, and several of their employees, claiming that increasing tensions led to her being terminated after she expressed a desire to submit a written racism complaint.

Liz Kingsman’s One Woman Show arrived at off-Broadway’s Greenwich House Theater with what The New York Times’ Jason Zinoman called “enough buzz for an apiary.” The Olivier Award-nominated comedy had over twenty five-star reviews from overseas and the type of coverage that one only associates with the next big thing. But what is equally as remarkable is all of the lead producers have teams led by women, which is still a rarity even in 2023.

Kim Moore, who appeared in Hadestown under the name Kim Steele, has sued the Hadestown producing entity alleging several counts of race discrimination and retaliation under New York State, New York City and federal law. Essentially, the suit alleges that Moore was a respected employee, but was fired soon after complaining about racial discrimination.

In January 2001, Carrington Vilmont made his Broadway debut in The Phantom of the Opera. He has spent the majority of the years since in the company, appearing in the final company as the Auctioneer. As of last night, he had played 6066 performances in the musical. Today he woke up without it.

Remember Garth Drabinsky’s case against Actors’ Equity Association? It is now no more. Equity has won its motion to dismiss the complaint filed by Drabinsky.

This week, the New York City Council passed a new ticket transparency bill. The law was not opposed by any of the major ticket services--Ticketmaster, SeatGeek, etc.--but it was opposed by one major player in the city: The Broadway League. Just why the League was so opposed to the bill gets a little confusing.

Jujamcyn Theaters’ fight for Covid-related insurance coverage has suffered a mighty blow. A Court in the Southern District of New York, which is a federal court, decided against Jujamcyn in its lawsuit against Federal Insurance Company and trimmed Jujamcyn’s case against another insurer, Pacific Indemnity Company.

Broadway’s one-man A CHRISTMAS CAROL starring Jefferson Mays definitely managed magic. It is a rare show that leads even Broadway regulars to leave the theater going: “How did they do that?” BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD and some others have managed, but not many. This show did.

Other than a handful of playwrights 30 and under, all the playwrights spoken to for this piece believe their sex has impacted their careers in the theater. Women feel that they have trouble getting in the room and being taken seriously once there. But there is something more, a sense that when things get really bad -- beyond mansplaining bad -- there aren't many people to turn to in the theater.

In this, the second installment in our series on women playwrights, the playwrights speak about critical interpretation of their work and the lack of powerful female critics. Please read Part I here, which discusses the more general issues female playwrights face.

Stage dooring. Fans love it. Actors are split, and were even before the pandemic. And then the pandemic hit. When Broadway returned, stage dooring did not. It was seen as too big a risk. But when New York County had a low community level of COVID-19 transmission, it was back. Read more about stage dooring in the Industry Insight here!

In this three-part series, BroadwayWorld spoke to over 20 female playwrights who have been produced in major NY theaters about what life in the theater is really like for them -- and what can be done to make it better.

Dancer/choreographer/teacher Chet Walker - a Fosse dancer who later co-conceived FOSSE and choreographed the 2013 PIPPIN revival - died on October 21 from a glioblastoma tumor. Here, his legacy is honored by some of Broadway's most influential dancers and choreographers, including Sergio Trujillo, Andy Blankenbuehler and more.

Last week A SIGN OF THE TIMES -- was announced for a new developmental reading. The release stated the musical had “several script revisions” and the librettist was now Lindsey Hope Pearlman. Absent was any mention of well-known comedy writer Bruce Vilanch, the original librettist, who had been developing the show for almost a decade.

In August, when Actors’ Equity first announced it was seeking to represent adult dancers (aka strippers) at a California night club, many members expressed displeasure on social media.

It surprised the industry this week when playwright David Adjmi went public about his own tale of developing an Oscar Levant play with Sean Hayes – and not the one that will be seen on Broadway this spring. It has become a he said/they said battle, but BroadwayWorld has the most info in the war of words thus far, including emails between Adjmi and Hayes.