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New Projects - Mass. Production Boom - Tony Awards Protocols - Industry Intel

By Abigail Hardin, June 07, 2022

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Happy June, UTD!

Last week I went to a Broadway show for the first time in a while and saw Second Stage's TAKE ME OUT. It was also my first time being required to use a Yondr pouch to store my phone for the duration of the show. Recently, despite the Yondr phone pouch, an audience member recorded and posted video of one of the show's nude scenes. The New York Times has an interesting piece on whether nude scenes will survive with cameras on every phone.

I was surprised to discover I didn't mind locking my phone away. What obviously seemed like an inconvenience had a few unexpected positives. At intermission one can normally observe a large part of the audience staring into their phone, scrolling through social, sending a text, or just generally killing time. Since everyone's phone was locked away I noticed more people conversing, smiling, and engaging with the people around them. It was a subtle shift, but it was refreshing nonetheless. At one point my friend and I wanted to look up who was in the original cast. We chuckled and moved on when realizing we couldn't immediately look up the answer without our phones. But maybe the most wonderful aspect of Yondr....not a single...phone...rang. For two and a half hours it was as if the cell phone in all of its glory didn't exist, and for me it was welcome.

Upcoming Events

Annie and I are excited to be back at Actors Connection next week. We are holding our popular SEEKING REPRESENTATION 101 next Monday 6/13 @ 3 PM ET. We will be taking your questions regarding seeking representation and any questions about how the Up-To-Date Actor can help you with your campaign. Hope to see you there!

Create a great week! ✌️

Production Boom in Massachusetts

Not to be outdone by industry strongholds in LA, NYC, and Atlanta, officials in Massachusetts have tee'd the state up to compete with other production hubs around the country with its own robust film and TV incentive program, dating back to its initial introduction in 2006. Since then, the state has played host to many an action-packed drama like KNIVES OUT, as well as smaller indie features like the Oscar-winner MANCHESTER BY THE SEA. These days, studios and streamers alike are finding a home in the Bay State, with productions from Marvel, Paramount+, and more setting up shop.

The economic output has been easily seen. Aside from the obvious benefits of production spending while shooting occurs, the residual effects of using recognizable areas on screen leads to an increase in film tourism, which officials with the state film office describe as "a happy benefit of productions." Production studios are also beefing up their presence to make room for more productions - Marina Stage, Boston's only dedicated soundstage - is currently booked through 2026, and owners are already in talks to expand the current space, as well as eyeing up locations to hopefully develop into new sound stages in the years ahead.

Awards Chatter

Attendees at Tony Awards this Sunday 6/12 @ 8 PM ET will not be required to wear a mask, however, they will have to return a negative PCR test prior. This is in contrast to the mask mandate that is still in effect for Broadway shows, but Radio City, the ceremony's traditional venue, is not a Broadway house and therefore is not governed by the same mandate. "As a significant portion of the orchestra are Tony Award nominees and either going to be on stage and/or performing, it felt necessary to do the same for all of those in the orchestra. Requirements to be on stage include the PCR testing and verification," Tony Award Productions revealed in a statement.

Earlier today student rush tickets to the Tonys were made available at the box office. Folks who showed up this morning with student ID in tow were able to purchase tickets for a cool $250 + $6 facility fee 😳 As ridiculously expensive as that is, to put this absurd number in perspective, full price tickets to the event range from $368 to $2484. And that's all I will say on the matter... 🤑💸

It seems like there is never a moment where there isn't Film & TV awards chatter. The Emmys are in two weeks so that is understandable, but despite the fact that the Oscars weren't that long ago you would think we would have a few months of a hiatus from Film awards chatter, but no. When one season ends the other is right behind!

Industry Intel

ELVIS director Baz Luhrmann recently spoke about the extensive background work that the film's production team took on in the months leading up to filming, and how important he felt it was for the film to capture the influence that growing up in a predominantly Black community had on the King of Rock 'n' Roll's music style. "[T]his is the thing about young people," Luhrmann said. "They absorb all kinds of things, especially someone with a big hole in their heart like Elvis, who had conditional love from his mother and was always searching and seeking and absorbing." The film is set for full release on June 24 🎶

Starting today, Variety's Virtual TV Fest will showcase some of the most exciting content from the last year, and will bring together writers, directors, and more to discuss the process that inspired them to create the content populating our streaming platforms each day. A main theme this year has been the reliance on history and true crime, with top picks like INVENTING ANNA, THE DROPOUT, and DOPESICK all being based on real events that the shows' creators felt had a story to be told. Stay tuned for a full round up from this week's Virtual TV Fest! 📺

The complicated world of streaming payouts received some new discord last week with longtime producer and media mogul Jeff Sagansky calling out the dichotomy of today's massive boom of content vs the relatively modest payout that actors and creators receive from said content, calling it a "brutally unfair" way of doing business. "I don't think there is a more rotten time to be a producer in terms of being paid fairly for the work you are doing," Sagansky said, calling out what he feels is a complete disconnect between what above-the-line talent is being paid for their work, and the global distribution that the work receives each day. The complex web of streaming continues to grow 🕸

Playwright Martin McDonagh is no stranger to uncanny twists and turns in his work, and that proclivity for unsuspecting outcomes and bemusing plot points is alive and well in his current Broadway production of HANGMEN. McDonagh spoke about his process of navigating his brand of unique storytelling, saying that the inspiration for his story came from his observations of the British justice system in the 1960s. Check out his full interview with Deadline to hear about his process!

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

The original Wonder Woman Lynda Carter took on some criticism on Twitter last week in a series of tweets detailing the role that the superhero has played in gaining visibility for the LGBTQIA+ community. After receiving a reply to her Pride Month posting saying that Wonder Woman was not created for the gay community, Carter fired back with a quick history lesson on how the character's writing makes it clear that she is indeed a bisexual superhero, saying that "if you want to argue that she is somehow not a queer or trans icon, then you're not paying attention."

A Black film critic with the Deadline team shared her experiences last week after being sent to the Cannes Film Festival and being subjected to what she described as a series of microaggressions, as well as a "culture of elitism and exclusion." Valerie Complex wrote about the overreaching security searches, credential checks, and overall lack of inclusion among the festival's staff and various attendees: "When you review a film, you want your focus to be on what is on the screen and nothing else. It was hard to dismiss the emotions of being singled out like this." Complex went on to note that it's time for Cannes - and the festival circuit at large - to recognize the lack of diversity that persists in the community, and to begin developing actionable steps to institute real change moving forward.

A new partnership between USC School of Cinematic Arts and INSECURE filmmaker Prentice Penny will center writers of color, and provide them with real-world work experiences to help develop their skills and own work. The FirstUp program will be open to all students within USC's SCA program, with three finalists being selected to receive the funding and mentorship opportunities, as well as the chance to pitch their ideas to studio execs from Disney and its wide swath of subsidiaries. "One of the hardest and scarier things is to enter into the workforce without any momentum and no clear understanding of how to get your career started," Penny said. "I know it was for me and it's even more daunting when you see limited opportunities for people who look like you."

On the one year anniversary of Amazon publishing their manifesto on inclusion across all of its branches, global head of DEI for Prime Video Latasha Gillespie is proud of the progress that the studio has made in its hiring practices, while noting that the document remains to be a benchmark for both the streaming giant as well as its fellow production companies to use moving forward. "We're asking not only our creative partners but our industry to hold hands and do this with us," Gillespie said on Variety's Strictly Business podcast. "And oh yes, by the way, if you find a better way of doing any aspect of this policy or playbook, will you please share it back with us so we can continually update it and we can all benefit from the learning."

New York City is set to provide $15 million to fund the Immigrant Research and Performing Arts Center (IRPAC) in northern Manhattan, in a new partnership with the People's Theatre Project. The money will go toward constructing a new venue that will support exhibits and performances from artists that represent the vast array of communities throughout the city, with the estimated completion date set for 2027. "New Yorkers deserve a city that is more inclusive and more prosperous after the pandemic than it was before, and we are building that city every day," NYC mayor Eric Adams said. "Part of that is creating opportunities for all our young people to see themselves in our arts and culture, and this project will provide a new generation of young, immigrant New Yorkers with that invaluable experience."

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