Shut down until June 7 — Page 10

Well... the touring engagements for Wicked in Canada are officially cancelled this summer from July through September. Le sigh.

Jordan Levinson said: "KKeller6 said: "Having fewer shows per week for some productions in the early stages of reopening wouldn't shock me. The salary structure will definitely be less than 100%, and if shows are losing money doing 8 shows, they may lose less doing, say, 6, for a few weeks. There's almost no question there will be givebacks across the board at the beginning. And if they attempt to open before a vaccine, it could be dicey. Just a thought I had. Obviously there are dozens and dozens of scenarios that are possible."

I think a handful of one-man shows and intimate concerts with megastarswould work very well for a relaunch of Broadway, following the success of shows likeSpringsteen on Broadway. Small orchestras and "casts,"barebonessets, and a possible- though unlikely- cash influx. It's a start, to say the least."

Small shows will definitely move to the front of the line. Megastars not so much. Whatever things look like at the relaunch, there will be severe restrictions on capacity. That is why small, cheap shows will make sense, and high paid performers won't. Likewise, fewer performances per week make no sense at all: with lower capacity, the incentive would be to max out the number of performances. In the appropriate situation, maybe even a deal to ADD performances.

There is a lot of muddled thinking in this thread.

I'm unsure why less than 8 shows a week "makes no sense at all"? When Broadway does return, there is a good chance houses won't be full. Some shows may actually lose money on performances. I mean, less patrons means less money coming in, right? That seems to make sense. Now, I would not be shocked if there is a lot of creativity on the producer's part during the return. What if the company got paid per show other than the standard "8 shows a week"? This seems like a real possibility to me because the crowds may be VERY sparse at the beginning. And the choice will be, either take a cut in pay, or close shows. As a crew member, if I'm going to take a cut in pay-which we were already advised will almost certainly happen-a better compromise would be do less shows. 8 shows just might not all be necessary for months. Maybe 6 shows a week. They may even stagger some shows so it's not a madhouse on, say, 45th st. on a Saturday night. Can't be much social distancing if every theatre is loading up people at 7:30. It's a madhouse before and after the show. Just trying to think creatively here. Interesting why it's seemed as not making any sense, when that's exactly what I would negotiate for the cast and crew if a salary cut was "inevitable". As far as adding shows go, a 9th show, and more, is paid at a premium. I can't see a cut in pay AND additional shows working. But, I wouldn't put anything past them.

Updated On: 4/25/20 at 12:35 AM

HogansHero said:
Small shows will definitely move to the front of the line. Megastars not so much. Whatever things look like at the relaunch, there will be severe restrictions on capacity. That is why small, cheap shows will make sense, and high paid performers won't. Likewise, fewer performances per week make no sense at all: with lower capacity, the incentive would be to max out the number of performances. In the appropriate situation, maybe even a deal to ADD performances.

There is a lot of muddled thinking in this thread."

let’s say a producer decided that post lockdown a one man production of city of angels was do able under the public health guidelines. Just one person on a bare stage playing every part with only a piano accompaniment. You have the option of jake gyllenhaal or a little known but talented stage actor.

You will still need to attract ticket buyers. When your product is stripped down from what the target buyers are used to ( less orchestra and tech crew for instance) then having another selling point like a famous actor might be just a requirement to get enough butts in the seats.

Updated On: 4/25/20 at 05:42 AM

Between the need for social distancing and the fact that an enormous number of people are unemployed or facing some sort of reduced income, this is a very difficult position for theatre. As Hogan correctly points out, a Broadway production cannot just only sell a fraction of its house. It’s not a viable financial strategy, unless they drastically increase the price of the available tickets... which isn’t viable either, due to the depressed economy.

The executive director of AEA mentioned an idea in which Broadway productions become a hybrid of in-person and streaming tickets- a number of limited in-person seating, and the rest of the tickets are for a stream of the performance, which would in theory make up for some of the lost revenue. I don’t really know how viable that would be either, but we’re going to be seeing a lot of hitherto unseen proposals and solutions like that.

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You also have to look at protecting cast members, crews and the front of the house staffs. Many are in positions of being in tight quarters with one another.

I'm just looking at the beginning of things. I'm assuming tourism, and the level of people in NYC wiling to go to a Broadway show will be a lot less, wouldn't you agree? So, for a few months, to help attract patrons, you can certainly remove some seats, or not sell them to make them feel more comfortable. I don't see why this is such negatively viewed for a period of time. Hamilton nets about $2million per week. More, on many occasions. So, removing seats, or selling less than 100% of the seats can still return a profit. Playing less shows per week than 8 can also still return a profit. The Music Man can probably be played under similar circumstances. (Wicked as well, and probably a few other shows.) Although, I'm not saying they will gross more than Hamilton. But, I do believe shows will have to be creative in the beginning to attract audiences. Lower ticket prices, less sold seats in cramped houses, and staggered showtimes may be a few things that help. We have to think outside the box here until things pick up. For a show like Come From Away that grosses and nets less than these huge shows, different ideas may prove to be difficult for them. But, do they want to remain shuttered while other shows are playing? If not, shows like that as well, may have to lose some money, or try and break even for a few months. Even if their model is not great for awhile.

Another good Deadline interview from yesterday.



https://deadline.com/2020/04/reopening-broadway-actors-equity-mary-mccoll-interview-safety-consultant-david-michaels-1202916028/?fbclid=IwAR0RnbQTGGXORLNfaa6OHGgqute3GOzW0djyBMlh0YqaKW0VlJrqrJonGEk

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We all miss this...but when I see all these people it makes me really think...hmmmm, wow that's a lot of people squeezed so closely together!

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It would be so cool to have VR live streaming, but it might take years for the tech to actually catch up (if the tech actually takes off)

Patti LuPone said on WWHL Monday night that she doesn't expect Broadway to be back until "Next year"

Addendum said: "Patti LuPone said on WWHL Monday night that she doesn't expect Broadway to be back until "Next year" "

Well, maybe next year.