Playbill Pride No More?

[mitchern]

Posted: 6/30/25 at 2:03pm

I noticed no Playbill event or float this year... Was it a bust for them? 

[quizking101]

Posted: 6/30/25 at 3:47pm

My friend runs Playbill Pride. This year, by the time it came to plan the event, they were unable to procure enough corporate sponsorship to help fund their usual festival.

However, although it was very last-minute because of a generous donation of space (the Gershwin breezeway) from the landlords of WICKED, they were able to throw a small, block-party event for a few hours on Friday. A bunch of shows had tables and free giveaways, as well as raffles and games for some pretty good prizes. It was cute!

[SisterGeorge]

Posted: 6/30/25 at 7:58pm

quizking101 said: "My friend runs Playbill Pride. This year, by the time it came to plan the event, they were unable to procure enough corporate sponsorship to help fund their usual festival.

However, although it was very last-minute because of a generous donation of space (the Gershwin breezeway) from the landlords of WICKED, they were able to throw a small, block-party event for a few hours on Friday. A bunch of shows had tables and free giveaways, as well as raffles and games for some pretty good prizes. It was cute!"

Remember all those people who year after year foolishly complain about corporations hypocritically exploiting Pride events for their own marketing interests?

Even this summer when events were being drastically curtailed and canceled due to lack of financial support, here’s Cynthia Nixon on the subject: And I read in The Advocate that I think 14 corporate sponsors have dropped out of Pride this year…I just want to say bigger isn't always better, and that, for me, Pride the last few years has just gotten a little sanitized and corporatized. And I think we don't need these people coming in and trying to steal our glitter and our glory and our spotlight. At a time like this, we need it to be us and the people who really care about us and want to fight for us." 

I have always loved her as an actress, but what a naive, sheltered, and unhelpful thing to say.
 

 

 

[BorisTomashevsky]

Posted: 6/30/25 at 8:08pm

Companies are spending their budgets elsewhere. 

[TheatreFan4]

Posted: 6/30/25 at 11:26pm

SisterGeorge said: "quizking101 said: "My friend runs Playbill Pride. This year, by the time it came to plan the event, they were unable to procure enough corporate sponsorship to help fund their usual festival.

However, although it was very last-minute because of a generous donation of space (the Gershwin breezeway) from the landlords of WICKED, they were able to throw a small, block-party event for a few hours on Friday. A bunch of shows had tables and free giveaways, as well as raffles and games for some pretty good prizes. It was cute!"

Remember all those people who year after year foolishly complain about corporations hypocritically exploiting Pride events for their own marketing interests?

Even this summer when events were being drastically curtailed and canceled due to lack of financial support, here’s Cynthia Nixon on the subject:And I read inThe Advocatethat I think 14 corporate sponsors have dropped out of Pride this year…I just want to say bigger isn't always better, and that, for me, Pride the last few years has just gotten a little sanitized and corporatized. And I think we don't need these people coming in and trying to steal our glitter and our glory and our spotlight. At a time like this, we need it to be us and the people who really care about us and want to fight for us."

I have always loved her as an actress, but what a naive, sheltered, and unhelpful thing to say.
"

I think its more nuanced than that. See, corporate sponsorship happened because those companies felt it was advantageous to do at the time. For those 6-8 weeks for Pride, otherwise those same corporate sponsorship were donating to candidates and causes that harm the LGBT community the rest of the year. This was also something many people in the community were very vocal about when it happened year after year. The dial back of corporate sponsorship this year is because of the culture shift backward against the community with the election. What she is right about is that those sponsors never cared to actually fight or support the community, which is why they're not around to give out money this year. We are props to them and while that feeling does sting when you just see so little money being put up for Pride events this year it shouldn't be taken as though they suddenly don't care about the cause, its that they never did care about it. That's where your anger should be placed, not at Cynthia pointedly saying what is 100% true about why they did it to begin with.

[uncageg]

Posted: 6/30/25 at 11:31pm

TheatreFan4 said: "SisterGeorge said: "quizking101 said: "My friend runs Playbill Pride. This year, by the time it came to plan the event, they were unable to procure enough corporate sponsorship to help fund their usual festival.

However, although it was very last-minute because of a generous donation of space (the Gershwin breezeway) from the landlords of WICKED, they were able to throw a small, block-party event for a few hours on Friday. A bunch of shows had tables and free giveaways, as well as raffles and games for some pretty good prizes. It was cute!"

Remember all those people who year after year foolishly complain about corporations hypocritically exploiting Pride events for their own marketing interests?

Even this summer when events were being drastically curtailed and canceled due to lack of financial support, here’s Cynthia Nixon on the subject:And I read inThe Advocatethat I think 14 corporate sponsors have dropped out of Pride this year…I just want to say bigger isn't always better, and that, for me, Pride the last few years has just gotten a little sanitized and corporatized. And I think we don't need these people coming in and trying to steal our glitter and our glory and our spotlight. At a time like this, we need it to be us and the people who really care about us and want to fight for us."

I have always loved her as an actress, but what a naive, sheltered, and unhelpful thing to say.
"

I think its more nuanced than that. See, corporate sponsorship happened because those companies felt it was advantageous to do at the time. For those 6-8 weeks for Pride, otherwise those same corporate sponsorship were donating to candidates and causes that harm the LGBT community the rest of the year. This was also something many people in the community were very vocal about when it happened year after year. The dial back of corporate sponsorship this year is because of the culture shift backward against the community with the election. What she is right about is that those sponsors never cared to actually fight or support the community, which is why they're not around to give out money this year. We are props to them and while that feeling does sting when you just see so little money being put up for Pride events this year it shouldn't be taken as though they suddenly don't care about the cause, its that they never did care about it. That's where your anger should be placed, not at Cynthia pointedly saying what is 100% true about why they did it to begin with."

^^^ That part. Well said.

[ANewBrainn]

Posted: 7/1/25 at 2:28pm

It also felt in years past that corporations were more trying to make money off the queer community with rainbow capitalism (using the parade as a big ad) rather than actually caring about and supporting the community.  I think the corporatization of pride is one of the worst things about it and the dialing back this year can help us sort out the real allys from the virtue signaling ones.

[Kad]

Posted: 7/1/25 at 4:26pm

Yes- these corporations saw supporting LGBT causes as good business and good publicity. When it looked like it was no longer the case, they turned tail (and we saw this happening before this current administration even won the election). It was, and always had been, conditional support, but some people never realized it. 

Updated On: 7/1/25 at 04:26 PM

[SisterGeorge]

Posted: 7/1/25 at 7:34pm

One would have to be pretty naive not to have known that corporate support of Pride always was a massive marketing/propaganda initiative.  But increasing their visibility in our community allowed us to increase our visibility outside our community. It was a big win for them, but I also believe it was a big win for us. I don't know that we will be better off without their support, however hypocritical it might have been. 

Same thing with corporations supporting not-for-profit theaters. In general, there's no great corporate concern for the future of the arts and the survival of artists, they just want their logos in front of our eyeballs. I get resenting the blatant hypocrisy, and the minute the Trump administration announces a big beautiful bill that includes massive government  funding for the arts, I will personally start a campaign to get corporate America out of the theater sponsorship business.

[Matt Rogers]

Posted: 7/1/25 at 8:14pm

BorisTomashevsky said: "Companies are spendingtheir budgets elsewhere."

I’m sure this warms the cockles of your tiny little heart. 

[GiantsInTheSky2]

Posted: 7/2/25 at 2:03am

SisterGeorge said: “It was a big win for them, but I also believe it was a big win for us. I don't know that we will be better off without their support, however hypocritical it might have been.”

Except it wasn’t actual support, which is the point being missed. They slapped a rainbow on their logo for a few weeks to be heavily promoted in our spaces & get our money, and the second they have the chance to, they fold up their Pride flag and don’t acknowledge our existence. 

Nixon is right on the money. Sure, they made Pride festivals bigger, more booze, more swag. What exactly do they do to support or acknowledge us the rest of the year? Going off of memory, Skyy Vodka is the only corporation listed in The Advocate that championed for marriage equality and partnered with LGBTQ organizations & causes before, during, and after Pride, decades before others started doing it. The rest have simply jumped on the marketing bandwagon. 

We won’t be better or worse without them because their support wasn’t real and their impact on our community has been next to nothing outside of Pride festivities. It’s simply the first year of the tides changing, so people weren’t prepared for it. Next year will be different as we know where they stand now.