The geopolitical landscape shifted in a major way over the weekend, with Russia invading Ukraine in an unprovoked attack on their sovereignty. The resulting conflict has caused many arts organizations, including New York’s Metropolitan Opera, to cut ties with artists and organizations that are connected to Russian President Vladimir Putin, while also expressing unwavering support for the people of Ukraine. Moments like these not only put the work we are doing in the cultural industry in perspective, but shine a light on how important it is to speak truth to power in our art, as well as to bring beauty into a world that far too often has a lot of ugliness in it. Beyond the conflict in Eastern Europe, in the last few days, a lot of municipalities have announced major changes to their COVID policies, and we are also covering how the arts organizations in those areas are, or aren’t, adjusting their own policies.
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Mr. Saturday Night climbs to the top of the leaderboard after its marquee went up at the Nederlander Theatre. Meanwhile, Plaza Suite finally began performances on Broadway. For Colored Girls climbs the leaderboard after announcing $20.22 tickets.
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Independent Contractor? Or Employee? NLRB Re-Examines the Question - With a pending union election at the Atlanta Opera, the National Labor Review Board is using the opportunity to re-examine who should be classified as an independent contractor, and who should be classified as an employee. The implications are widespread for many performing arts institutions. Read more…
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As Governments lift Mandates, Front of House Teams Bear the Brunt of Pushback - With many venues, regional organizations, and unions requiring universal masking - despite many local governments lifting their own mandates - that leaves the work of enforcing these policies to the front of house workers, without the luxury of governmental requirements to fall back on as an excuse for members of the public who refuse to put on a mask. Read more…
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League of Chicago Theatres Announces Mask and Vaccine Requirements to Continue - Last week, the League of Chicago Theatres announced that their member organizations would still require masks and proof of vaccination for all audience members for the foreseeable future. Read more…
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Most DC Theatres Plan to Keep Their Audiences Masked - As Washington, DC joins both Virginia and Maryland in lifting their mask and vaccination requirements, DC Metro Theater Arts offers a roundup of what DC Metro theatre companies are planning in regards to their own mask and vaccination policies for their audiences. Read more...
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Long Wharf Theater Will Become Itinerant - In a surprising move, the team at Long Wharf Theater has made the decision to not renew their lease on the waterfront property that has been the theater’s home for 57 years. For the foreseeable future, the company will not seek one single performance location, instead performing in different locations throughout the New Haven area. Read more…
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Austin Playhouse Adds Associate Artistic Directors - In an expansion of their leadership team, the Austin Playhouse announced Ben Wolfe and Sarah Fleming Walker as Associate Artistic Directors of the company. They are joined by Sarah Chong Harmer who will become Education and Community Engagement Programs Manager. Read more…
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Director of Moscow’s State Theater Resigns in Protest of Invasion - Elena Kovalskaya resigned from her position as the Director of Moscow's Vsevolod Meyerhold State Theater and Cultural Center in protest of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Despite guidance from the Russian Department of Culture that any criticism of the invasion would be considered an act of treason, Kovalskaya wrote in a Facebook post, “It's impossible to work for a murderer and collect a salary from him.” Read more…
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UK Culture Minister Shakes Up the Funding Model - Culture Minister Nadine Dorries announced a major change to the way governmental grants will be given to arts organizations, with a focus on organizations outside of London. The plan is to encourage groups within London to expand their operations to serve the wider UK population. Read more…
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No Congestion Charge in London Means Big Win for West End - London Mayor Sadiq Kahn announced a change to the congestion charge that previously added a surcharge for theatergoers driving into London to catch a show. Now, they’ll be able to enter free of charge after 6pm. The move is being hailed as a major victory for West End shows. Read more…
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February 21 - Associates Get a Union, Gulfshore Playhouse Joins LORT - Congratulations to Gulfshore Playhouse on becoming the 77th member of the League of Resident Theatre's - a story we have under the regional section of this week's newsletter. We also have the story of Hollywood retaining their return to work protocols to keep their sets as safe as possible, even as several states and municipalities roll back their own mandates. And, with the SDC being recognized as the Union representing Associate Directors and Choreographers on Broadway, this all adds up to having been a great week for workers across the theatre industry. While we start to see operations returning to a broader sense of "normal" it is good to see that some of the work that was spoken about during the pandemic is coming true as that normalcy returns. Read more…
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February 14 - Dramatic Publishing Wins Arbitration, Regional Jimmy Awards Competitions Announced - It's Valentine's Day - and to celebrate, check out our list of the most romantic Broadway love songs of all time according to Broadway stars, along with some other fun and games on our social channels. Across the industry last week, two trends have begun to emerge more fully: the first being we continue to have more data on just how bleak things were for the industry over the past two years. The second is that more companies are ready to emerge from that darkness stronger than ever - with new spaces ready to open and new seasons being announced. While much of the last two years have been filled with programs designed to bridge the gap between pre and post pandemic, it feels more like the current bridges are now landing on the mainland, and not another island in the midst of an uncertain landscape. Read more…
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February 7 - Shelly Lowe Confirmed as NEH Chair, Broadway Data Shows Reopening Did Not Go As Planned - While the data from the late fall and early winter show that Broadway's reopening didn't go as planned, and the usual January closing announcements were an emotional blow after the Omicron related surge, the slate of opening dates announced on Broadway for early to mid-April (to make the Tony eligibility cutoff), have many in the industry starting to feel optimistic that this time a corner has truly been turned. Add on that many states are continuing to scale back various restrictions, and the wider workplace is beginning to treat COVID as something endemic, as opposed to a pandemic. While this will bring with it a new set of challenges, and other industry concerns require a rethinking of what was once business as usual, the work of getting to the new normal may be starting to come with fewer external jolts to the system. Read more…
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