Musicals | The Producer's Perspective

Stuck somewhere for another 30 Days? (Who isn’t?) Try this.

Even though some areas of the country are loosening their restrictions a touch, it looks like we’re all still gonna be stuck inside for the next 30 days.

Sigh.

I know, I know, believe me.

And while it’s important to feel all the feelings that we’re ALL feeling about not being allowed to live like we used to live . . .

It’s also important to do what Stephen Schwartz said on my very second livestream:

“We can look at this as an opportunity – that we’ve been given a gift of time we might not ordinarily have.”

At the beginning of every month, we always send out a tweet about our 30 Day Script Challenge, the free program we created to help TheaterMakers get those great ideas out of your head and on to a page (because only then can they get on a stage).

But never before has this Challenge seemed more timely.

Because while things won’t be back to “normal” in 30 days, this gift of time is running out. So if you said to yourself, “I’m going to take advantage of this time and finally write that thing I’ve always wanted to write,” but still haven’t written it . . . sign up for the challenge. It’s free. And what’s the worst thing that could happen . . . you still don’t write it? You end up exactly where you are now?

Now, ask yourself . . . what’s the best thing that could happen? Seriously. What could happen when you finish the script?

The answer?

Anything.

So go for it. It’s free. It’s fun. And it works. Our 30 Day Script Challenge has produced more scripts than we can count from past participants.

The next 30 Day Script Challenge starts in just 3 days, on June 1st, so sign up today. And just think – by July 1st, you’ll have a completed first draft.

Take the Challenge here.

(Oh – we recently surveyed past participants on how to improve The Challenge – and we got some fantastic suggestions from “check-ins,” coaching, “what do I do when it’s done” action steps and more – so I hired Eric Webb, added some tech features, and more to create an “Ultimate” version which you can see here.)

May 30, 2020 Writing, Future, Home, Shows, Plays, Producing, Musicals No comments yet

It’s an Altar Boyz Reunion . . . with the Original Cast, Creatives and More!

Now we’re REALLY gettin’ the band back together!

The original band that is . . . the band that started it all . . . the Altar Boyz!!!

Altar Boyz was the first musical I produced and was both one of the most thrilling and scariest things I’ve ever done (because honestly, I didn’t know what the @#$% I was doing half the time).

It turned out ok, though, running for 5 years Off-Broadway, spawning a couple of tours and umpteen productions around the world (if you’ve ever been to my office, you’ve seen the poster from the Korean production).

And the reason it turned out so awesomely was the incredible group of people who made that show with me.

So I decided to get them all together on my Livestream on TUESDAY, JUNE 9th to give them a big virtual kiss-on-the-mouth because I’ve missed them so much and to relive some fantastic memories (The Altar Van, anyone? The “album signing” when the limo didn’t show up? And the dressing room antics that are not fit for print OR for the livestream – that means you, Joberg!)

Here’s who will be there:

Gary Adler and Michael Patrick Walker, Composers & Lyricists
Kevin Del Aguila, Bookwriter
Marc Kessler, Co-Conceiver
Robyn Goodman, Producer
Stafford Arima, Director
Christopher Gattelli, Choreographer
Lynne Shankel, Music Director & Co-Orchestrator

And that original cast, who have made quite the name for themselves:

Scott Porter, Matthew
Tyler Maynard, Mark
Andy Karl, Luke
Ryan Duncan, Juan
David Josefsberg, Abraham
Kevin Kern (“Wonder-study” #1)
Daniel Torres (“Wonder-study” #2)

And maybe a few surprise guests as well!

So if you’re an Altarholic, tune in on June 9th, to The Producer’s Perspective LIVE!, to hear all about how the show was developed (including rehearsals in my apartment) and much more. And the boyz will even take some questions!

Oh, and the more you donate to The Actors Fund the juicier the stories get.

And maybe, just MAYBE, we’ll hear a classic Altar Boyz tune . . . and maybe even a NEW ONE!!!

Click here to get a reminder for the Altar Boyz reunion on Tuesday, June 9th at 8pm EDT / 7pm CDT / 6pm MDT / 5pm PDT.

And if you need an Altar fix now, listen to the cast recording: on Spotify, on Amazon, and on Apple Music.

See you and The Boyz on the livestream on June 9th at 8pm EDT!

TONIGHT ON THE LIVESTREAM: I’m sitting down with Broadway Choreographer Kelly Devine at 8pm EDT. You can now watch on my Facebook page or Twitter, on Broadway Podcast Network’s Youtube channel, or Broadway On Demand.

May 28, 2020 Producing, Musicals, Things To See, Shows, Acting, On The Blog, Off Broadway, Trending No comments yet

BROADWAY’S RECOVERY PART I: What Will It Look Like?

Since the pandemic began, Economists have been obsessing about how quickly the economy is going to bounce back after this sucker is over (or . . . over “enough.”)

Will we have a “V” shaped recovery? Or a “U” shaped? Or my favorite . . . a Nike Swoosh shape?

Since the pandemic began, Broadway Producers (including the one composing this hypothesis right now) have been obsessing about how quickly Broadway is going to bounce back.

My prediction . . .

Broadway is going to bounce back . . . and fast.

What’s unique about our industry is that it doesn’t follow any of the typical shapes of recovery because we went from 100 mph to zero in NO seconds flat. We were grossing $30 million a week on Broadway alone . . . and then we were zero dollars the next week. We slammed into a COVID-19 wall.

Even restaurants have take-out options. Bands that can’t give concerts can sell albums. Broadway shows? We got nothing. (Hint for next time – and there will be a next time, as I’ll talk about next week – all shows should be captured for potential streaming opportunities.)

So if I had to give our recovery a shape, I guess it would look something like this . . .

(FYI, I spent about an hour trying to figure out what to call that shape. I tried everything from “Deformed Bucket Recovery” to “The Fishing Hook Recovery” . . . what would you call it?)

You can see that we had that immediate wall-smacking drop off on 3/12 . . . and of course, an immediate and completely 90% vertical BLAST OFF when(ever) our curtains go back up.

Now, the more interesting part . . . what happens AFTER that straight-into-the-sky return. Well, you’ll see that I’m not predicting we’re going to start grossing $30mm a week like we were when we shut down. For one, there will probably be fewer shows, which means less of a gross potential, never mind fewer tourists to see those shows. (PS – That diagram above is definitely NOT to scale)

So we’re going to start off earning less than when we were.

How much less?

That depends on what I call The Three Ts:

Testing
Treatment
TIME (How many weeks/months do we have from knowing when we can come back to the actual day we come back.)

Nevertheless, I do believe we will see a quick upward trajectory after we return. (The stock market is having that sort of bounce – and believe it or not, we do tend to follow the dow’s chart, as I showed here.)

But my belief in a quick Broadway bounce back is not some hunch. I have THREE reasons why I think we’re in store for a quick recovery.

What are they?

I’ll tell you tomorrow in PART II!

– – – – –

(Can’t wait to read PART II? Want it now? I already wrote it. Click here to get it to emailed to you NOW.)

Tonight on the Livestream: I’m sitting down with Lynn Ahrens (Lyricist of Once On This Island, Ragtime, Anastasia) at 8pm EDT. You can now watch on my Facebook page, Twitter, Broadway Podcast Network’s Youtube channel, or Broadway On Demand.

May 26, 2020 Musicals, Broadway, Business, Economics, Future, Marketing, Plays, Producing, Off Broadway 2 comments

THIS WEEK ON THE LIVESTREAM: Lynn Ahrens, Kelly Devine, Adrian Bryan-Brown and more!

We had a week of big laughs on last week’s Livestream, and not just because I can’t seem to get through an episode without screwing something up. 🙂

If you missed any of the industry experts we had on the show, or just want to see my ‘live bloopers’, here are a few replays from last week to catch up on!

Mara Isaacs talked about her company Theater For One and how it’s perfect for Social Distancing for theatre.
Jamil Jude shared his insight to how regional theaters will bounce back stronger than ever.
Michael Greif talked about his relationship with writers Pasek & Paul and Jonathan Larson and how the piece develops when you have great collaborators.
The Daddy Long Legs Reunion brought together the entire team for the first in nearly five years and we chatted about fond memories, how the show came together, and what important prop is living in Megan and Adam’s apartment.
Des McAnuff shared his insight on

You can see all of the 50+ episodes here.

AND HERE IS WHO IS ON THE LIVE STREAM THIS WEEK:

Tuesday, May 26th – Lynn Ahrens (Composer – Ragtime, Once On This Island, Anastasia)

Wednesday, May 27th – Lisa Kron (Playwright/Bookwriter – Fun Home) with Special Guests Daddy-Daughter YouTube Singing Sensations Mat and Savanna Shaw.

Thursday, May 28th – Kelly Devine (Choreographer – Diana, Come From Away, Rocky)

Friday, May 29th – Adrian Bryan-Brown (President – Boneau/Bryan-Brown: Broadway Theatre Public Relations).

We are going LIVE every night at 8pm EDT (7pm CDT/ 6pm MDT/ 5pm PDT). Follow me on Facebook to get notified as soon as we hit the “GO LIVE” button.

Don’t have Facebook? You can also watch the livestream on Broadway Podcast Network’s Youtube channel.

To see who’s coming up next, visit www.TheProducersPerspective.com/LIVE.

May 25, 2020 Shows, Broadway, Broadway Stars, Directing, Business, Advice from Experts, Musicals, Writing, Things To See, Plays, Producing, Acting, On The Blog, Off Broadway No comments yet

Forget Broadway shows, what about Broadway readings, workshops, and more?

Over the last several months (!), the #1 question for the professionals working on Broadway and the avid fans of the best spectator art on the planet has been . . . “When can we see a show in a theater again?”

But there is another important question to be asked and it isn’t about what will be on Broadway when the lights go back on . . . rather what might fill Broadway theaters in the months and years after!

The best business people I know don’t focus only on what’s happening today . . . but they think about what is going to happen tomorrow. That’s their job. This is why stocks of companies that are losing millions of dollars can have exceptionally high values, because investors are betting on what WILL happen, not what is going to happen.

That’s why a company or industry’s health isn’t only measured on what product is being “produced” today (whether that’s diapers, drugs, or Broadway musicals), but what new product(s) are in the pipeline.

Broadway has had a pipeline so full over the last few years that it has been clogged with product. I heard a rumor that before this whole corona-bologna happened, there were more than 30 (!) plays and musicals looking for a theater on Broadway this spring alone!

Will there be the same log jam now? Will more theaters be available?

And if there are . . . my question is . . . will there be new plays and musicals ready to fill them?

See, Broadway shows aren’t the only things that are shut down. So are readings, workshops, labs, and all the development work that goes into the creation of a new piece of theater. I had four musicals that were set to debut in the next 18 months in February. I still have four musicals set to debut . . . but they’ve all been pushed back. Not only because we can’t produce theater right now . . . but also because we can’t develop theater.

So the question so many Producers have been asking is . . . where will readings and workshops fit in the phased-reopening of New York City?

I keep thinking that a rehearsal of a reasonably sized musical would be similar to a medium-sized office reopening. So will we be able to come back when mid-sized companies do? Then again, there’s often singing involved in our readings. And also . . . what if we wanted to bring in an audience? That seems like a no-no. I guess we could socially distance a reading. Or work with smaller cast sizes (just work with principals, etc.).

Zoom readings and online development work can only go so far in a medium like the theater. So while we certainly can’t commence this work tomorrow, I’m hoping that development can find a safe way to come back before our productions do.

Otherwise, we might have an empty pipeline . . . which would mean empty theaters.

– – – – –

Want to hear about what’s in our pipeline? Click here to learn about the shows we’re developing.

P.S. And if you’re looking to hear directly from people in our industry share what they’re doing to keep creating during this time, tune into my Facebook page every night at 8pm EDT. Tonight, I’m going LIVE with Tony Award-winning Director, Des McAnuff (Jersey Boys, Ain’t Too Proud).