Broadway: Adapting and Overcoming Post-COVID

On Wednesday, March 11, 2020, a Broadway usher tested positive for COVID-19. A day later, on March 12, 2020, one of New York’s most significant cultural institutions, and a symbol of the city itself, entered an indiscernibly long hiatus when The Broadway League, an organization representing Broadway theater owners and producers, announced that Broadway would be shutting down. What was initially meant to be a short break for Broadway’s 41 theatres quickly evolved to an extended one. Although the theatres intended to reopen in June 2020, this deadline was moved first to January 2021, and subsequently to May 2021. While the move was undoubtedly necessary for the health and safety of New Yorkers, tourists, and patrons it was a significant blow in many respects. One of Broadway’s greatest icons stated: “Broadway — I’m romanticizing, but that’s the heartbeat of the city, and to think that they’ve been forced into darkness is shocking.” This post was originally published on the Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal website on November 16, 2020. The original post can be accessed via the Archived Link button above

Determinants of Broadway Theatre Demand

This research identifies many reasons why a theatregoer may choose to attend one Broadway show over another and focuses on the role of familiarity on demand. In response to recent trends, specifically movies produced as stage musicals, this research estimates how classification as an adaptation affects grosses and capacity. Using data from The Broadway Theatre League and the Internet Broadway Database, the author completes an econometric analysis of the drivers of demand for different shows within the 2018-2019 Broadway season. When controlling for previously studied drivers of demand such as revivals and actor popularity, this analysis identifies significant and positive effects on play and musical grosses when a show is an adaptation based on a book, movie, or play. The positive marginal effect on grosses could provide justification for the popularity of adaptations on Broadway

Covid-19 & Broadway: A Comparative Analysis of the Shifting Marketing Strategies of Playbill and The Broadway League

On March 12th, 2020, all Broadway productions closed their theaters due to the declaration of the Covid-19 global pandemic. This shutdown led to companies in the Broadway industry transitioning to nontraditional marketing strategies. This paper will outline how the Covid-19 pandemic led to changes in strategic marketing decisions and compare the motivations of these decisions for two Broadway companies: Playbill and The Broadway League. Previous literature denotes changes to marketing strategies as a result of other historic events in theindustry, and current news sources provide industry insight into the campaign discussions.Primary research will be conducted through one-on-one structured interviews with employees of these companies directly involved in marketing strategy and implementation. This thesis aims to compare the marketing responses to Covid-19 of Playbill and The Broadway League and determine whose efforts were more impactful to the industry. The goal of this thesis is also to understand future marketing trends as the Covid-19 pandemic becomes more manageable and a “new normal” emerges. Based on the research and interviews conducted, one can infer that the changes in marketing from the pandemic will evolve marketing into a hybrid strategy, combining the newly established digital realm, with the former traditional marketing. Nevertheless, the pandemic is currently still impacting the world and constantly evolving, so discoveries will occur throughout this thesis, and the research will be updated to reflect this as much as possible

The Broadway Belt

This dissertation presents an analysis of the musical belt voice, especially the belt sound and its necessary vocal technique, and examines the unique actor’s personage of the elite female Broadway musical performer. Discourse about the status of the Broadway Belt as “star” and “diva,” as well as her public reception, strongly suggest a feminist perspective. Through belting out in feminist roles on stage and speaking out on related issues offstage, she contradicts gender preconceptions. A focused discussion on African-American belters and their roles sheds light on the intersectionality of racism and anti-feminism in Broadway musical theatre. Finally, the study presents a musical analysis of “Rose’s Turn” in Gypsy alongside a case study of the character Rose, one of the most influential roles for a Broadway Belt. This monograph advocates the creation of new musicals as star vehicles for Broadway belters — of any ethnicity and gender — as indispensable to guide Broadway musical theatre into its platinum age. Christin Bonin accomplished her 2020 Ph.D. in Theatre Studies, following an MA in Musicology. She has appeared on stage at the Bavarian State Opera and publishes method books as a certified voice teacher. Bonin continues to sing jazz, pop, and musical theatre

Flying Closer: The Intersection of Circus and Dance

Dancers entering the professional industry must consider whether to be a jack of all trades, able to perform any style and any skill, or a specialized performer who has achieved mastery of one specific technique. Because commercial dancers require a greater variety of skill sets, and jobs for commercial dancers such as cruise ships, backup dancing, and Broadway shows, are increasingly asking their dancers to perform aerial arts - and circus companies such as Cirque Du Soleil, and Circa are blending circus and dance, I am arguing that a dancer entering the commercial industry has to also consider the value of circus training

Methodology of the determination of the uncertainties by using the biometric device the broadway 3D

The biometric identification by face is among one of the most widely used methods of biometric identification. Due to it provides a faster and more accurate identification; it was implemented into area of security 3D face reader by Broadway manufacturer was used to measure. It is equipped with the 3D camera system, which uses the method of structured light scanning and saves the template into the 3D model of face. The obtained data were evaluated by software Turnstile Enrolment Application (TEA). The measurements were used 3D face reader the Broadway 3D. First, the person was scanned and stored in the database. Thereafter person has already been compared with the stored template in the database for each method. Finally, a measure of reliability was evaluated for the Broadway 3D face reader. © 2016 Author(s)

Edging Toward Stardom

Lindsey Alley leaves behind G-rated Disney for R-rated funny in her one-woman off-Broadway show

0851: Mabel (Petit) Walters Hazelett Collection, 1901-1969

This collection features music from various genres, including Americana, Broadway, Foxtrots, Ragtime, Orchestral, and Waltz. The music itself ranges from love ballads to political tunes, especially as it pertains to World War One, life abroad, and life in the South (and other Appalachian regions). Most of the sheet music features beautiful and stunning artwork on the cover, demonstrating the era the music was published. The Broadway, Theater, and Movies folder features songs performed by artists such as Judy Garland and Charles Ray, and also features songs such as Singin\u27 in the Rain and The Girl from Havana. The most noteworthy pieces are the Ziegfeld Follies and the Irving Berlin folders. The Ziegfeld Follies were theatrical revue shows on Broadway in New York City during the 1907 to 1931 era. Irving Berlin was a master of songwriting, as he wrote more than 1,500 songs, the musical scores for 20 Broadway shows, and 15 Hollywood films

Death of a Salesman

Death of a Salesman is a 1949 play written by American playwright Arthur Miller. It was the recipient of the 1949 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and Tony Award for Best Play. The play premiered on Broadway in February 1949, running for 742 performances, and has been revived on Broadway four times, winning three Tony Awards for Best Revival. It is widely considered to be one of the greatest plays of the 20th century.https://digitalcommons.otterbein.edu/production_1961-1962/1000/thumbnail.jp

Bringing Broadway Home: Organizing a Broadway Pit Orchestra in an Amateur Setting

In an ideal musical world, one would have access to all of the instruments, instrumentalists, and financial resources needed to fully reproduce a Broadway pit orchestra. However, in this age of expanding technology, live orchestras are replaced with pre-recorded music, synthesizers, and products like Virtual Orchestra. This paper analyzes amateur theaters’ options for recreating a Broadway pit orchestra without resorting to the aforementioned options, provides an application of this analysis, and briefly discusses the debate of Virtual Orchestra versus live musicians