DIM ALL THE LIGHTS — Page 2

My thought is to just make it a monthly thing. Maybe dim the lights at the end of the month for all of the people we lose that month in the theatre community.

It doesn't really take much but the flip of a switch or two (I worked in two theaters where we dimmed the lights) to dim the lights. Most theaters now have the ability to program the video marquees. Maybe just put a list of names of the people we have lost on them while dimming. If there are big names included, they can display those names separately or even put their picture up. Just my opinion.

uncageg said: "My thought is to just make it a monthly thing. Maybe dim the lights at the end of the month for all of the people we lose that month in the theatre community.

It doesn't really take much but the flip of a switch or two (I worked in two theaters where we dimmed the lights) to dim the lights. Most theaters now have the ability to program the video marquees. Maybe just put a list of names of the people we have lost on them while dimming. If there are big names included, they can display those names separately or even put their picture up. Just my opinion."



You seem to be missing the point. Who decides whose names go on "the list"? Thousands of people have worked "on Broadway" (tens of thousands if you include those who have retired or switched careers). Does Mary the Broadway usher for 25 years make the list? Does Stan the box office worker make it? How about Artie the guy at the ad agency? Broadway is a large community.

Maggie Smith but not Ken Page? Weird.

Proposal:

Live cameras focused on every theater as they go black once a year during the "in memoriam" section of the Tonys. We take in the dimming/blackouts one by one as someone sings an appropriate song, and a ticker of every name from the previous season, from biggest to smallest, runs on the screen. Give the audience little tea-light candles so we can cut back to a sea of lights in the audience and a spot on the soloist as needed.

Thoughts?

Updated On: 10/9/24 at 06:59 PM

JSquared2 said: "uncageg said: "My thought is to just make it a monthly thing. Maybe dim the lights at the end of the month for all of the people we lose that month in the theatre community.

It doesn't really take much but the flip of a switch or two (I worked in two theaters where we dimmed the lights) to dim the lights. Most theaters now have the ability to program the video marquees. Maybe just put a list of names of the people we have lost on them while dimming. If there are big names included, they can display those names separately or even put their picture up. Just my opinion."



You seem to be missing the point. Who decides whose names go on "the list"? Thousands of people have worked"on Broadway" (tens of thousands if you include those who have retired or switched careers). Does Mary the Broadway usher for 25 years make the list? Does Stan the box office worker make it? How about Artie the guy at the ad agency? Broadway is a large community."



No, I am not missing the point. In my comment I said "all". It was a suggestion.

Broadway League Stepping Away From Light-Dimming Announcements



https://deadline.com/2024/11/broadway-light-dimming-tributes-1236166730/

Alex Kulak2 said: "I ask this question in all sincerity and good faith, in search of a genuine answer:

What would we lose if The Broadway League ceased to exist? What service or value do they provide to theatre artists or audiences? Because it seems like every time they're in the news, it's for cocking something up."

This is the key problem with how the League has positioned itself:

It has no value to theatre artists or audiences.

It is the trade association of producers, general managers, theatre owners, and road presenters, and it's the collective bargaining agent on behalf of those people. "Broadway League" is a very fancy name, but its former name "The League of American Theatres & Producers" is more apt. It makes money from member dues, so it must negotiate contracts that favor them and it must cater to them. If it did not control 50% of the Tony Awards, it would have no relevance beyond the group of (high powered) people that it serves.

Because the League represents theatre owners, the light-dimming announcement fell on it (because it's also the intermediary between the various owners). Simply from a PR perspective, it's smart to remove itself from that situation, even if it changes nothing.

Sure, the League has some public facing benefits beyond the Tonys (it runs IBDB, and educational things like Kids Night on Broadway, The Jimmy Awards, and Broadway Bridges) but its primary goal is to serve its dues-paying members.

Updated On: 11/4/24 at 09:35 PM