First Louisiana, now Illinois

Looks like Illinois is following in “time step” with Louisiana. Similar to what already exists in Louisiana, Illinois will be inaugurating a tax credit starting in July for “pre-Broadway and long-run shows” that premiere there. Sounds like our friendly neighbor just up to the North may start getting a little less friendly …

‘In Toronto-vs-Chicago theatre war, tax credits are the new ammo’

The Road for ‘Smash?’

The highly publicized and anticipated new NBC television series, SMASH debuts on Feb 6th. If it is a success, there has been discussion that the musical within the show may actually get produced on Broadway. And if it’s a hit on Broadway, could SMASH possibly hit the Road? Crossing my fingers that SMASH is indeed a success, as this small screen to White Way adaptation route could be a new paradigm that entices more people to get interested and get hooked on live theatre.

Here are some recent features and reviews related to the series:

BOSTON GLOBE

BUSINESSWEEK

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES

CHICAGO TRIBUNE

GATHER

GAWKER

HARTFORD COURANT

HOLLYWOOD REPORTER (Review)

HUFFINGTON POST (Review)

LOS ANGELES TIMES

NEW YORK MAGAZINE

NEW YORK MAGAZINE (feature on Megan Hilty)

NY1

REUTERS

THEATERMANIA

TORONTO STAR

WALL STREET JOURNAL

WALL STREET JOURNAL (Review)

WNYC

The Road to Key West

Broadway Across America Theatrical Conference 2012 Key West, FL

I just arrived back from Broadway Across America’s biennial theatre industry conference. This conference has been around for many years and is where all the top industry professionals involved in producing and presenting from around North America and other continents converge in a warm and inviting setting in chilly January to see what hot projects Broadway Across America has cooking, as well as other producers.

The BAA conference is always jam-packed with lively and informative panels with top people in the field. A major theme this year related to technology and how emerging programs and platforms are beginning to support the theatre industry’s foray into dynamic pricing, and also how mobile and tablet devices will most definitely be key in driving more sales and excitement around shows.

Also at the conference were entertaining glimpses of several productions that are currently in development or on the boards, and which you will likely see on Broadway, and potentially on the Road sometime in the next several years. These creative presentations included highlights from GHOST, HANDS ON A HARDBODY, FLASHDANCE, LEAP OF FAITH and ONCE, among others.

Despite the still shaky economy, the mood at the conference was bright and the outlook for the industry extremely positive. There was a great deal of excitement about the creative presentations and a warm sense of community amongst the attendees throughout the magical 3-day gathering. I was reminded once again of how fortunate I am to be in such a special field that is unlike any other.

China: Broadway’s newest competition?

This is more coverage related to my previous posts about the burgeoning musical theatre industry in China. Interesting declaration at the end of the article…

‘So Far Off Broadway It’s in China’

Not sure this is in any way connected to China’s interest in importing and creating Broadway-style musicals, but it seems telling, at least to me, that there happen to be TWO prominent shows currently being produced in New York that have Chinese/American communications at the heart of their themes in David Henry Hwang’s CHINGLISH and Zayd Dohrn’s OUTSIDE PEOPLE.

Could all this be an indicator pointing to the Arts as a viable road leading towards improved diplomacy and mutual understanding between the U.S. and China?

Happy New Year! – Fall 2011 Round-up

It may be a new year, but we’re only at about the halfway mark of the 11-12 touring season. Want to see what critics have been saying about the various 11-12 tours so far? Just check out these links below…

WICKED – Pittsburgh

SHREK – Yakima

MEMPHIS – Memphis

MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET – Cleveland

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST – Toronto

FIDDLER ON THE ROOF – Regina

THE ADDAMS FAMILY – Palm Beach

YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN – El Paso

BILLY ELLIOT – Philadelphia

ROCK OF AGES – Akron

LES MISERABLES – Minneapolis

LA CAGE AUX FOLLES – Chicago

MAMMA MIA! – Columbus

AMERICAN IDIOT – Toronto

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST – Calgary

Seasonal shows on The Road for the holidays

If you’re looking to get even more into the holiday spirit and see one or more seasonal musicals during what remains of the holiday season, some of these tours are still on The Road through early next year. Here are a few reviews and features…

Musical of ‘A Christmas Story’ tours America

West Michigan can count on a ‘White Christmas’

‘Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas’ review

GrooveLily – Striking 12

Broadway’s $huffle off to Buffalo

Check out this informative article from yesterday’s New York Times regarding the Buffalo market and its relationship with Broadway shows where local presenters discuss their thought process when programming their Broadway series at Shea’s Performing Arts Center. A number of other major presenters from around the country also add their two cents …

“Broadway Hits Gold in Buffalo”

The Road begins in Louisiana?

In previous posts I’ve discussed how theatre has the potential to boost local economies. You can read about that here and here.

These articles below back during the Summer and into the Fall talked about how Louisiana totally gets that idea and is doing what it can via tax credits to entice Broadway tours to premiere in New Orleans, as THE ADDAMS FAMILY did at the beginning of this season…

GoodNola.com (6/24/11)

Louisiana Live (8/2/11)

NOLA.com (8/14/11)

Picayune Item (8/19/11)

NOLA.com (9/20/11)

WWLTV.com (Review – 9/24/11)

Mandarin “Mamma Mia” – Part 2

Two posts ago I discussed how Western-style shows have been trying their luck in the East. I specfically brought up MAMMA MIA, which is currently running in China and has been translated into Mandarin. Below is a link to the latest feature covering this event and includes differing opinions about whether translating this global mega-hit into the local vernacular was the right move …

CHINA DAILY

And here’s another recent article that explains a bit more about how the Chinese hope to bridge the gap between Western and Eastern styles, and ultimately produce original musicals of their own to export across the world …

FINANCIAL TIMES

Is it all about Dynamics?

Little by little, Presenters are beginning to adopt “dynamic pricing.” Dynamic pricing allows ticket prices to be fluid based on supply and demand. These days, most theaters still have set ticket prices. If you hypothetically buy an orchestra ticket today for MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET in Pittsburgh, and your friend goes up to the box office during the engagement and buys the seat next to yours the day after the show receives some great press that causes increased demand, the price she pays for her ticket will still be the same as what you paid. In the dynamic pricing scenario, if the great press causes an increase in good word of mouth and a hot demand for tickets, your friend would have to pay more for that same ticket.

And you would have gotten a bargain.

The main challenge with regard to dynamic pricing, though, as I understand it, is getting a handle on the Gross Potential. With fixed ticket prices, you can easily calculate a GP, but with dynamic pricing, since prices could go up or down, and you don’t know if sales will be slack or robust, it seems impossible to accurately determine the maximum gross that can be achieved on an engagement.

Here is a Los Angeles Times article from a few months ago that talks about dynamic pricing and how presenters are considering it more and more to encourage people to buy tickets early, and as a potential tool to build their subscription bases.