Industry Pro

Looking back on 2020 illuminates the many paths that are opening for the industry in 2021.

As we find ourselves in the midst of the holiday calendar, a normally busy time for producing organizations across the world feels very different this year.

The vaccine news continues to be promising, and every day a new understanding of the timeline to a return to “normal” comes out - as you’ll see below, Dr. Anthony Fauci thinks that normal could be as early as Late Summer/Early Fall, and that would be a situation where audiences aren’t required to be masked or socially distanced.

Happy Thanksgiving week to our readers in the United States! With continued news about the development of an effective vaccine and the conversation turning to how the vaccine will be deployed globally, the light continues to grow brighter at the end of the tunnel for this intermission. This week, however, we have some stories that demonstrate the extensive amount of damage that has occurred to companies across the globe, and how even if the industry is starting to see a path forward in the future, for some individual companies there are dark days ahead. There are also stories of bright spots: summer arts festivals in Australia have been planning (and re-planning, and planning again) for how to get themselves up and running in a safe fashion, Las Vegas continues to bet big on live entertainment, and AEA and SAG-AFTRA have finally reached an agreement on streaming theatre. All this, plus a new digital service from BroadwayWorld, below!

Though last week wasn't all good news as more theatres announced delays in their reopening plan, or in the case of the Rockettes the official cancellation of the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular, there were some bright spots in the industry this week - Barrington Stage and Berkshire Theatre Group returned to the stage with Equity approved productions, and we learned that a third may be on its way to the West Coast.

Though last week wasn't all good news as more theatres announced delays in their reopening plan, or in the case of the Rockettes the official cancellation of the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular, there were some bright spots in the industry this week - Barrington Stage and Berkshire Theatre Group returned to the stage with Equity approved productions, and we learned that a third may be on its way to the West Coast.