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  • All Blogs/ Entertainment Industry Insights: Sep. 07 2021 | Up-To-Date Actor

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New Projects - Fall Reopening - Industry Reacts to Texas

By Sean Gregory, September 07, 2021

Eye841

We hope everyone had a wonderful Labor Day weekend and is enjoying the dip in activity as the industry takes a quick end-of-summer break before the busy fall season ramps up. Right now is a great time to make sure that all of your marketing materials are up-to-date and ready to roll when production and auditions resume later in September. If you need help formatting your headshot or resume, send us an email at info@uptodateactor.com and we'd be happy to help!

Also, Annie & Abi will be back offering free workshops starting this month. We hope you can join us at Actors Connection later this month and look for more dates to be announced in the coming weeks.

Peace & Love ✌

Industry Mourns Passing of Michael K. Williams

Hollywood is still processing the loss of Michael K. Williams, the five-time Emmy nominee known for his incredible work in THE WIRE, BOARDWALK EMPIRE, and LOVECRAFT COUNTRY. "The depth of my love for this brother can only be matched by the depth of my pain learning of his loss," Williams' WIRE co-star Wendell Pierce wrote on Twitter. "An immensely talented man with the ability to give voice to the human condition portraying the lives of those whose humanity is seldom elevated until he sings their truth." Our thoughts are with Williams' friends and family this week 💙

Fall Reopening Coming Into View

A staple of Times Square and Broadway, the TKTS booth will officially reopen under the red steps next Tuesday, September 14th at 3 PM with enhanced health and safety guidelines for those waiting to snag New York's hottest tickets. Both printed and contactless tickets will be offered at the booth, and all TKTS employees will be vaccinated and wearing clear masks to help increase accessibility for the hearing impaired. Welcome back to the neighborhood, TKTS! 🎫

WATCH: A star-studded return to Broadway video, headlined and narrated by Oprah, dropped last week to herald the exciting month of reopening ahead for Broadway. These are the goosebumps I've been waiting 18 months for 😍

The Off-Broadway landscape just got a little bigger with the addition of the AMT Theater on West 45th Street. The 99-seat venue will focus on presenting new works, cabarets, and children's theatre, all thanks to Broadway entrepreneur Al Tapper, whose main goal is to develop artistic ties between the US and Mexico. "We're going to take our time, we want this to be as gorgeous an Off-Broadway house as any in the city," Tapper said of the theater's current trajectory, which is slated to open its doors early next year. "But the moment we open our doors you're going to see a beehive of activity that won't stop."

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Industry Reacts to Texas Abortion Ban

All eyes have turned to Texas in the past week as the state began enforcing its horrendous six-week abortion ban, enabling citizens to sue any party that may be suspected of helping the procedure in civil court. As the Supreme Court refused to overturn the ruling, many in the entertainment industry began to liken the measure to the Orwellian world of THE HANDMAID'S TALE, forcing studios and production entities to reassess whether they will continue to do business in the state. Companies like Disney and Netflix were among the first to decry Georgia's "heartbeat bill" in 2019, vowing to remove their productions from the state and cease injecting millions in production spending if the bill came into law.

Hundreds in Hollywood took to social media to voice their disbelief at the ban, with many signing and sharing a Planned Parenthood petition to repeal Texas' SB8 law and protect the right of people with uteruses to make their own choices about their bodies. "We should all be able to make our own decisions about our health & future," Kerry Washington wrote on Twitter. Similar measures are currently being debated in states around the country, with the Supreme Court slated to take up a case challenging Roe vs. Wade this fall, casting an uncertain shadow on the future of reproductive rights and healthcare in the US.

Industry Intel

Fran Drescher has officially been elected the next president of SAG-AFTRA, succeeding current union president Gabrielle Carteris and besting opponent Matthew Modine by a 52.5% to 47.5% margin. Drescher's running mate, Anthony Rapp, fell to Modine's Joely Fisher for secretary-treasurer 57.7% to 42.3%.

Looking to keep tally on the big players for Broadway casting? Check out this running list of which companies are setting the casts for the fall reopening, and don't forget to Target them on The Up-To-Date Actor to keep track of upcoming auditions and networking events 😉

Effective October 8th, Disney will be raising the prices for a Hulu subscription from $5.99/month to $6.99 for the basic, ad-supported plan, and $11.99/month to $12.99 for the ad-free option. Prices for the Disney package and live TV service will remain unaffected 📺

Howard University has a new name for its Fine Arts program - the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts. The late BLACK PANTHER superstar and HU graduate was a fierce advocate of preserving the college, after University officials had considered consolidating it into its bigger College of Arts & Sciences counterpart several years ago. "An icon in his own right who has left an immeasurable legacy for the next generation," the University wrote in a tweet. "Thank you Mr. Boseman."

WATCH: Industry Good Guy Mandy Patikin is off on the road again, and {9ba98) decided to record three Hebrew blessings to play for his dog before her meals when she's missing him. I mean what's not to love? 🥰

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Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Marvel's SHANG-CHI took the Labor Day box office by storm this past weekend, raking in $94 million and posting the best box office numbers for a Monday since the pandemic began. Star Simu Liu and director-writer Destin Daniel Cretton sat down with Deadline's Hero Nation podcast to discuss the important role that blockbuster movies like SHANG-CHI will play in the future of widely consumed authentic representation on-screen. "Kids growing up today will have what I never did growing up, which is somebody across that screen reflecting who they are, and showing them what is possible," Liu noted on the podcast. "What is possible if you’re a superhero, is anything."

Advocates took to the streets of Manhattan yesterday in support of creating space for trans actors on Broadway, after recent transphobic comments from producer Cameron Mackintosh calling the casting of trans actors in classic musicals a "gimmick." Nearly 200 marchers moved from Central Park to Shubert Alley and made space for trans actors from Broadway and the larger entertainment community to speak about their experiences and hopes for the future of casting in the industry. "Of the trans faces I see, I see actors, performers, speakers, writers, and creators. And I don’t see a single 'gimmick,'" RUPAUL'S DRAG RACE star and actress Peppermint said at the rally. "What I see are opportunities, and it’s time that they—they who are in the business of Broadway—know it."

Sony is taking a huge step forward in the fight for equality for actors with disabilities, vowing to audition any such actors for each of their upcoming productions. The company is the fourth major studio to sign the Ruderman Family Foundation pledge to open up opportunities for actors with disabilities, and to push for improved portrayals of disabilities in the future. Sony joins NBCUniversal, Paramount, and CBS on the current slate of top studios having signed with the Ruderman doctrine.

A new partnership between the Black Theatre Coalition and John Gore Organization will support collegiate juniors, seniors, and recent grads interested in a career in commercial theatre. The Black Theatre Coalition/Broadway Across America Fellowship will hold 10 paid part-time positions for Black theatre makers across the US in areas like marketing, finance, and venue management, offering networking, skills development, and educational opportunities to build a life in the arts. "Careers in this industry start from the ground up, and we’re excited to help usher in a new generation of young and ambitious theatremakers," the groups said in a joint statement.

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