In-Person Auditions Back - Humana Fest Canceled - Amazon & MGM Merger
By Abigail Hardin, March 22, 2022
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We have so appreciated the amount of positive feedback for our newly launched Resources Section! We are happy you are finding this informational feature helpful in your process of writing and refining your cover letters, follow-up notes, resume, and more! As promised last week, we have also added a new page, Industry FAQs. This page can help you connect the dots and answer some of your industry related questions. Learn how to take better action on the extensive information provided on the Up-To-Date Actor and get your newly refined marketing tools in front of the right people. We will be continuing to add questions & answers over the next few weeks, so check back often for more info.
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Awards Season: PGA, WGA Crown Winners, Academy Awards Approach
It's hard to believe how quickly we're reaching the end of award season 2022 🏆 With virtually all other major award shows behind us - SAG Awards, DGAs, BAFTAs - the only looming presence in the award landscape that remains is, of course, the 2022 Academy Awards.
The WGAs announced their winners over the weekend, with Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence's DON'T LOOK UP taking home the top Original Screenplay prize, and SUCCESSION scooping up Best Drama Series. The PGAs also doled out its awards on Saturday evening, with CODA nabbing the top Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures award, seen by many as a reliable bellwether of the Oscars Best Picture winner each year. On the technical side of things, the Guild of Music Supervisors handed over a host of awards to HBO's THE WHITE LOTUS and LOVECRAFT COUNTRY for outstanding work in music supervision, along with TICK, TICK... BOOM, ENCANTO, and others.
And so we come to Oscars week. It's been a huge year for movies, as traditional studios and streaming giants continue to duke it out for top spots in every award ceremony, and it's now anyone's guess how Sunday may turn out. For those of us watching at home this weekend, we have to keep it interesting at least though, right? Rotten Tomatoes updated its yearly at-home ballot last week, so grab some popcorn and tune in this Sunday at 8 PM EST to see what movies bring home the industry's top prizes this year
Equity Reinstates In-Person Auditions
Actors' Equity Association took a huge step in the phases of COVID reopening last week, announcing that in-person auditions would be returning effective immediately, though Equity audition centers still remain closed across the country. Producers/employers may now hold in-person calls as they see fit, though they will be responsible for running all aspects of the audition, as well as adhering to the new requirements set forth by the union. All auditioners will be checked for symptoms upon arrival and must either provide a negative PCR test from within 48 hours prior, full vaccination status, or two negative COVID tests, one within a few hours of the audition. Equity is set to review these protocols at the end of May. Considering a recent NEA study found that GDP contribution from arts workers fell a staggering 73% between 2019 and 2020 from COVID, it's an exciting thought that audition rooms will be (safely) bustling once more!
2022 Humana Fest Canceled; Organizers Eyeing Future Revamp
The Actors Theatre of Louisville made waves last week, announcing it will not hold its highly-anticipated Humana Fest this year, choosing to explore a new model to celebrate the work of up-and-coming artists. While some have questioned the future of the Festival of New American Plays after recent word that the event's sponsor, the Humana Foundation, maybe moving away from its support of the arts, organizers claim that the move is being made "independent" of any consideration from the Foundation. "The transformation of how we support and share new work is part of the larger evolution in our strategic vision," ATL executive AD Robert Barry Fleming said. "In order to uplift, celebrate, and expand the tremendous legacy of the festival, it is necessary to reimagine a 21st-century model that is sustainable, equitable, and radically accessible, in alignment with our mission and values as an arts and culture organization as social enterprise."
Ukraine Conflict: Sanctions Continue, Theater Attacked
Beyond its continued unprecedented military operations throughout Ukraine, Russia continues to lash out at the country in any way it can, announcing last week that any film and TV from Ukrainian producer Alexander Rodnyansky and President Volodymyr Zelensky would be banned from viewing in Russia, claiming the content "does not contribute to the implementation of decisions taken by the country leaders." Rodnyansky remained adamant that he would continue to push forward with his work, warning that the sanctions would only serve to hurt emerging Russian directors and producers that he has been planning to work with previously.
The carnage of Russia's assault on Ukraine has shown no signs of slowing in the last week - in the city of Mariupol, an airstrike destroyed the historic Donetsk Regional Drama Theatre that was housing hundreds of civilians at the time. With a history dating back to 1847, the theatre served as a cultural hub for the area, with the Mariupol city council saying Russia's attack "purposefully and cynically destroyed" the space that was sheltering its citizens.
Mourning the dead: Ukraine lost one of its most well-known actresses to a rocket attack in Kyiv: Oksana Shvets, a troupe member of the Young Theater and recipient of some of the country's highest cultural honors, was killed when her residential building was attacked in the city last week. Lastly, Ukrainian ballet dancing star Artem Datsyshyn has died, three weeks after being injured in Russian shelling in Kyiv, he was 43.
Streaming Update
A tectonic shift in the streaming landscape was finalized last week with the closing of Amazon's $8.5 billion acquisition of MGM, a move originally announced in May of last year that has since undergone heavy scrutiny by both industry and government analysts to ensure its legality. The European Union's antitrust regulator has since signed off on the deal, and with no formal complaints being filed by the FTC here in the states, Amazon will officially become the owner of the MGM library and titles. "MGM has a nearly century-long legacy of producing exceptional entertainment, and we share their commitment to delivering a broad slate of original films and television shows to a global audience," senior VP of Prime Video and Amazon Studios Mike Hopkins said. With their recent interest in expanding their global production footprint in Scotland and beyond, it's safe to say Amazon is doing all it can to claim the top spot among the embattled streaming landscape 👑
Netflix, meanwhile, is working on a pilot program that would charge users an extra fee to share their passwords with users outside their households. Currently in the pilot stages and ready to launch in Chile, Costa Rica, and Peru, the updated feature would allow users to share passwords "easily and securely, while also paying a bit more." Considering Netflix now holds subscriptions with about half of all eligible households in the world, it will be interesting to see if the missive will be expanded to more markets in the months ahead. Beware, password sharers of the world! 🔐
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Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
British TV network ITV will increase its funding for underrepresented community storylines over the next three years with the creation of its Diversity Commissioning Fund. An estimated $105 million will be made available to fund to support minority-led content, including special provisions for production companies led by individuals from those communities. "ITV is committed to creating content by, with, and for everyone, connecting and reflecting modern audiences," ITV group director of diversity and inclusion Ade Rawcliffe said. "We want more people of color and disabled people to be able to tell their stories and get opportunities in senior production roles."
As Disney continues to clean-up the fallout of its botched response to Florida's Don't Say Gay bill, Marvel Studios has thrown its support behind those denouncing the bill, pledging to "continue [their] strong commitment as allies who promote the values of equality, acceptance, and respect." Walkouts in support of the LGBTQ+ community took place at Disney campuses last week after CEO Bob Chapek's tepid response to the legislation, choosing to initially walk a path of least resistance rather than taking a stance against the bill in its entirety.
A petition to suspend performances of a new musical based on the story of Emmett Till has gained more than 12,000, with the hope of canceling the show that petition creator Mya Bishop makes "the racially motivated brutal torture and murder of a 14-year-old child about [the playwright's] white self and her white feelings." EMMETT TIL, A NEW AMERICAN OPERA writer Clare Cross responded to the issues raised by Bishop in her petition, saying that the choice to create the story with a white, female protagonist is meant to be "told from the viewpoint of one who recognizes that staying silent, instead of confronting a vicious system, allows the dehumanization of human beings to be a way of life." As of Sunday, the show is still scheduled to open at John Jay College tomorrow evening.
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Women in Media: Supporting New Works, Political Updates, Age in the Business
Google, in partnership with Women in Film, has announced the recipients of the inaugural WIF Shorts Lab, which will provide five women the opportunity to finish production on their short films. Alongside funding supported by Google, the Lab will also allow the up-and-coming filmmakers a chance to network and develop their skills with experts in the industry. "Short films are a critical tool for advancing filmmakers' careers, though they can be a challenge to resource, especially for people underrepresented in the field," WIF Director of Programs Maikiko James said. Women in film unite! 🎬
Meanwhile, on the stage side of things, the Broadway Women's Alliance recently celebrated its second anniversary and is now gearing up for its 2022 docu-series HERE'S TO THE LADIES WHO, which aims to chronicle the role of women in jobs throughout the theatre community during COVID. "Part of the reason for this series is so that generations of women in the future know what we went through," co-founding member Diana Salameh said. "And we can continue to be connected by that experience, learn from that experience." "BroadwayWorld's popular series THE AGING INGENUE has been bringing listeners weekly installations of Claire, a Broadway star tackling motherhood and growing older, and this week featured a panel of surprise guests! Listen to Ashley Blanchet, Kate Baldwin, and more discuss their own experiences in the industry, and what being an ingénue means to them 💃
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Industry Intel
There were a bunch of clusters of topics that cropped up through the week last week from all around the industry that we wanted to bring to you in a little different format - let us know what you think!
Production has continued to be on the rise as more states and country relax their COVID protocols and begin welcoming film teams from the world over to start shooting in their areas 🌎
- New Mexico Set To Build $40M Media Academy With Sound Stages
- California's Film Incentives Program Generated $21.9 Billion in Economic Output
As the production boom continues around the globe, movie theaters are hedging their bets on a resurgence in in-person viewership heading into the spring and summer months. What does that mean for moviegoers returning to the box office since pre-COVID days? Higher ticket prices, upgraded theaters, and maybe down the line... some new IMAX cameras?
- Cineworld Boss Mooky Greidinger On “New Normal”, Surge Ticket Prices & More
- Imax Developing New Fleet Of Next Generation Cameras
Broadway mourned the loss of well-known vocal coach Barbara Maier Gustern last week after a senseless attack on the streets of New York City left her in a coma, before passing away at Bellevue Medical Center the next morning. An unidentified woman shoved Gustern to the ground and walked off - the NYPD has since released footage of a suspect and is asking anyone with information to come forward. Our hearts are with Barbara's family this week 💙
Update:This morning, Lauren Pazienza, 26, of Port Jefferson, Long Island, New York, turned herself in to New York police and will be charged with manslaughter and assault.
Another round-up of actors on acting this week:
- New York Theatre Barn to Host Roundtable Discussion on Understudies and Swings
- Jared Leto: Movie Theaters Might Only Exist Because of Marvel
- THE GOLDBERGS Wendi McLendon-Covey Weighs In On Jeff Garlin's Exit
And of course - some Quick Bites!