Cara Joy David News

Top stories: Lea Michele joins Ragtime benefit, MJ finds a new Michael Jackson, complete casting for The Cottage, and more!

Dance news, lawsuits, and J.J. Abrams is coming to the stage all featured in this week's newsletter, along with a surprisingly strong report on the state of the creative economy in California. If California is any indication, there is reason for hope even as the bounceback is slower in other parts of the country as we re-emerge from the pandemic.

A24 is entering the live theatre realm - the revered production and distribution company has acquired the Cherry Lane Theater. We’ve long seen media companies make their way toward Broadway, but A24 entering the off-Broadway space comes after Audible successfully did so a few seasons ago.

The growing threat of antisemitism in our culture spilled onto Broadway last week as a group of neo-Nazi’s protested outside preview performances of Parade. Cara Joy David dives into that, and how it fits into the wider cultural conversation and what we should be doing in our day to day lives to further combat this alarming growth of antisemitism.

Happy first preview to Parade, which begins previews on Broadway tonight! Top stories include photos from the National Tour of 1776, and more!

Earlier this month, the Box Office of the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Kimmel Center became tied up in a cyber attack - not unlike the attack that tied up the Met’s box office for weeks - offering everyone a reminder that cyber security vulnerabilities should be examined by institutions of all shapes and sizes.

Recent reporting from the UK has many, anecdotally at least, convinced that post-pandemic shutdown audiences are significantly worse behaved than they were before the pandemic. While we don’t have hard data to back up that claim, the stories in the linked article below about the audience behavior are certainly eyebrow raising.

Top stories include casting for Miscast23, including Josh Groban, Annaleigh Ashford, LaChanze, André De Shields, and more! Plus, Chlöe Bailey, Olivia Colman, Woody Harrelson, and Tosin Cole will star in the film adaptation of Girl From the North Country. 

In both the US and the UK government funding decisions have shifted the way that many companies are able to go about their business - in England, the massive shift in Arts Council England funding has left many major stages looking to fill huge gaps in their books.

Top stories include casting for Parade on Broadway, Bonnie & Clyde in London, and more! Plus, check out the winners of some of the top BroadwayWorld awards!

Audiences are buying tickets closer to the actual show date - but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re making the decision to see the show late. In a post-COVID era, audiences are more attuned to the fact that things can shift, and so in an effort to protect themselves from navigating a cancellation, they’re waiting to purchase their tickets.

With more frequency, we are starting to see alliances of theaters come together across different regions to create a stronger entity. And that isn’t a surprising development. Given the rising costs within the industry, collaboration continues to be one of the best ways to keep those costs down.

A new labor agreement in the UK, multiple high profile departures, and the end of the streaming truce between AEA and SAG-AFTRA are the highlights of this week’s Industry Pro newsletter, which indicates an industry that is in the midst of roaring back and finding its footing.

how are things going regionally? This week, Cara Joy David takes a look at what bumpy waters might be ahead for these large regional companies. Additionally, stories of troubling trends on who is leaving the field - women of color, directors in the UK - and theaters adjusting their leadership models as they step into an unknown future.

Early reports indicate that last week was a good one for Box Offices, and here’s a reminder that you can get up to date gross information on BroadwayWorld when the League releases their data. With the year coming to a close last week, Cara Joy David offers her thoughts on a few of the lessons learned from 2022.

Top stories include an update on Tony rulings for the 2023 awards! Plus, Alex Brightman will be out of Beetlejuice after suffering a concussion.

As the year draws to a close, Cara Joy David offers us a preview of some of the decisions facing the Administration Committee of the Tony Awards. We’ve also got good news out of Washington, as the NEA received increased funding in the most recent budget passed by Congress and a look at the uncertain future of Victory Gardens Theater.

Top stories include: Almost Famous sets its closing date for next month, the national tour of 1776 will launch in February in Philadelphia, and more!

Amid continued economic uncertainty, a wave of closing notices have hit Broadway - but why aren’t audiences coming? In London, in response to the rising cost of living, the government has announced a plan for the cultural equivalent of a food bank - providing free tickets to cultural institutions for those that are struggling to make ends meet.

Top stories include coverage from opening nights of Some Like It Hot and Merrily We Roll Along! Plus, Night at the Museum musical had its first workshop, and more!