New Projects - Upcoming Workshops - Theatre Auditions Resume - Arts Financial Support - Reopening Realities

By Sean Gregory, April 13, 2021

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It's been an exciting past few weeks of watching the industry roar back into focus, and while I'm very grateful that things are moving forward, projects are casting once again and life is inching toward a new normal, I've needed to remind myself here and there that there's no shame in taking it easy in getting back into the swing of things. We've been living entirely separate lives over the last year, growing and changing as artists and as people, and as much as we're all excited to get back to crushing a pot of coffee a day and having seven auditions a week, our bodies need to get warmed back up first. So a reminder to everyone: drink water, get your eight hours of sleep, and be kind to yourself. We got this!

We have two upcoming workshops in the next week! The first is this Thursday with The Growing Studio and the second is Monday with Actors Connection. We'd love to see you there! We'll be chatting at The Growing Studio about booking theatre work in this new virtual + audition in-person landscape, and how to make your submissions stand out this year. And at Actors Connection we'll be discussing seeking representation and how to work with your representation once you have it. Register for both today!

Opening the Industry Floodgates

Actors Equity has updated their production guidelines for the next few months, outlining their plans for "fully vaccinated" companies that wish to set up shop using all cast and crew that have received their two vaccine shots and cleared the 14 day waiting period afterward. Equity held a town hall with members of the scientific community last week, fielding questions from attendees about reopening practices and further-reaching safety concerns for the months to come. AEA is set to revisit its current guidelines on June 30th.

Production maven Tyler Perry officially ended his quarantine bubble at the Atlanta-based Tyler Perry Studios last Saturday, after holding a mass vaccination event at the complex on April 3rd for cast, crew, and their families. Perry's approach to filming over the last year has been praised by many around the industry for its incredibly low infection rates and high show yield; the studio completed filming on several full seasons, including BET's THE OVAL and SISTAS. With the bubble now a thing of the past in Atlanta, Perry will still uphold strict COVID protocols for all of his productions following current industry guidelines.

NYC theaters have been struggling with the current reopening plan keeping their capacity at 25%, with many reporting that they will need audiences caps to rise to 50% by Memorial Day and 75% by July 4th if they are to remain operational. "We are at the Governor’s door every morning with a call or an email trying to get to a minimum of 50% right now across the state," New York National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) president Joe Masher said. "We just can’t make it at 25%. We have to accommodate the movie-going audience. We can safely do so."

Out on the West Coast, officials in LA county are slowly easing their restrictions on outdoor gatherings as COVID case numbers continue to decrease in the region. Outdoor events can now operate at up to 67% capacity, so long as everyone is vaccinated or tests negative, with social distancing and masks still required. Indoor dining for casts and crews on film, TV, and commercial productions have also been bumped up to 50%.

Former presidential and current NYC mayoral candidate Andrew Yang unveiled an ambitious proposal to bring folks back to theaters in New York by combining city funds and corporate donations to purchase "hundreds of thousands" of tickets for Broadway and Off-Broadway shows at reduced prices. The tickets would then be distributed to non-profit centers around the city, prioritizing organizations that support first responders and essential employees. Yang's targeted list of company sponsors - EY, PwC, Deloitte, and J. P. Morgan - would also receive a percentage of the tickets to share with their employees. Yang's proposal came the same day Dr. Fauci predicted a "late fall or early winter" return to maskless gatherings indoors, having previously stated that he believed folks could safely return to indoor performances wearing masks if 70-85% of the population is vaccinated by late fall.

LA New Play Project Announces New Grant Program

Condemnation Continues for Georgia Voter Law

Backlash keeps flowing from Georgia's restrictive voter law passed a few weeks ago, with more and more industry voices joining the opposition to continuing business in the state. "It is clear that there is plenty of work to do to make our communities more fair, equitable, and safe," SAG-AFTRA president Gabrielle Carteris and national executive director David White said in a joint statement. "We encourage SAG-AFTRA members everywhere to make themselves heard, stand up against injustices, and support laws designed to level the playing field." The Producers Guild followed quickly behind SAG-AFTRA's lead, adding in a tweet that "Full access to voting is the underpinning of our American Democracy and it is imperative for us to rigorously protect these rights for all Americans."

The Directors Guild went one step further to voice their disdain for the measure, sending a letter directly to Georgia Governor Brian Kemp urging him to reverse course on the measure before it can fully take effect on July 1st: "As a leading voice representing creative workers in the industry, we are compelled to denounce SB 202, which will disenfranchise our members, and disproportionately impact our members of color and millions of other hardworking Georgians." The DGA has over 400 members that reside in the state known for being a hotbed of film and TV production in recent years.

The political turmoil in the Peach State has presented itself as an opportunity to New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, who is hot on the trail of picking up some of Georgia's film and TV production looking to relocate. Murphy sent a letter to studio heads earlier in the month urging them to consider bringing their projects to Jersey, which boasts a similar 30% tax credit and 40% studio construction credit. A mass production exodus seems unlikely from down south - Georgia has the second most square feet of sound stages behind California, and the systems in place in the state continue to make it an attractive option for studios. "If all those jobs and all that money and all that leaves the state, it’s not going to help anyone," Forest Road Company CEO Zachary Tarica said. "No one will win."

Industry Intel

Big weekend of award shows last weekend, as the Directors Guild of America held their 73rd annual award ceremony Saturday evening, with Chloe Zhao becoming just the second woman to take home the top prize of Outstanding Directorial Achievement In Theatrical Feature Film. The BAFTA's also announced their honorees on Sunday evening, with Zhao once again receiving the top director prize, along with NOMADLAND taking home Best Picture, Best Actress in Frances McDormand, and Best Cinematography. With the Oscars less than two weeks away, many are eyeing up the outcome of the DGA and BAFTA Awards over the weekend as the final test run for the most probable outcome of the 93rd Academy Awards on April 25th. What say you, UTD? Who do you think will be taking home this year's award for Best Picture? 👀

The festival circuit is shaping up for the next year of premieres: The Russo Brothers-led AGBO Film Festival announced a new competition and festival taking place this weekend, pitting the expertise of fledgling filmmakers against each other for a three-day event aimed at discovering the talents of unrecognized creators. Are you a filmmaker looking to flex your 48-hour filmmaking muscles? You need to check this one out! 🎬

The Palm Springs Film Festival will finally be bringing back in-person viewing next winter, announcing last week that their 33rd annual event will take place at the Palm Springs Convention Center from January 6th to the 17th, 2022. The festival typically attracts around 135,000 participants. A desert getaway in January? Sign me up 😎

Well-documented over the last few decades as one of the most difficult and abrasive names in the industry, producer Scott Rudin is once again finding himself in the spotlight after a group of former employees have come together to speak out against the EGOT winner's volatile workplace behavior. I encourage everyone to take some time to read through the Hollywood Reporter article that details these accounts to understand the gravity of Rudin's laundry list of ridiculous conduct; I applaud the bravery of those who spoke out, and I'm hopeful that bringing these stories to light will mark a turning point in eliminating this behavior from our industry. TW: Workplace violence.

More Financial Support on the Way for Arts & Entertainment

New York State solidified their budget last week for the 2022 fiscal year, earmarking nearly $1 billion for small businesses, namely arts and entertainment venues, to get back on their feet in the months to come. The COVID-19 Pandemic Small Business Recovery Grant Program will funnel cash and tax credits towards institutions in the arts and culture sector, doubling and extending the credit for four more years through 2025. Other provisions include grants for upgrading venues to comply with current COVID health guidelines and additional funds for COBRA subsidies. The new budget came on the same day the Small Business Administration had planned to open up applications for the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant program, previously heralded as the "Save Our Stages" Act, but quickly postponed the unveiling after a technical issue with the site forced venues to withhold their submissions for the time being.

Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS is once again stepping in to provide financial relief via its National Grants Program to help artists battling HIV/AIDS, COVID-19, and other life-threatening conditions across the country. In partnership with Gilead Sciences Inc, BC/EFA's Red Bucket Match-Up plans to raise up to $2 million for the program, with Gilead pledging to match every donation 1:1 up to $1 million. "Gilead led the funding of our Emergency Grants for Pandemic Relief last year, ensuring grants that we initially feared wouldn’t be made," BC executive director Tom Viola said. "[W]e’re excited about the opportunity the Red Bucket Match-Up gives us for this year’s National Grants Program."

Movie Theaters vs Streaming Wars Continue

Warner Bros is walking back their initial confidence in the swiftly-adopted hybrid release model that all of their movies would be using this year, saying in an interview with Vox that they should have handled interfacing with filmmakers better before making the blanket decision to stream their 2021 slate exclusively on HBO Max before releasing each title into theaters. "If I had the chance to do it over again, I think it’s very fair to say that we would have taken a couple more days to see if we could have had even more conversations than we were able to have," Warner Bros CEO Jason Kilar said. The industry was quick to opine on the studio's adventurous release model, which received harsh criticism from directors like DUNE's Denis Villeneuve and TENET's Christopher Nolan, who called HBO Max "the worst streaming service" during a scathing review of WB's strategy.

The battle of release rights has become a topic of much discussion over the past year, as theaters remaining shuttered until only recently are now finding a much more hostile environment for staying open in 2021 than when they last opened their doors. LA-based ArcLight Cinemas received an eviction notice on their Culver City location last week after allegations of missed rent payments, days after a Florida landlord won nearly $1 million from a Regal location for similar offenses. While theater owners continue to grapple with capacity limits and safety measures, streaming services are racking up silent wins, with Netflix announcing that they will become the official home for all Sony content in 2022 and beyond, inking a deal to secure movies after they leave theaters as well as upcoming straight-to-streaming titles from the studio.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

The 32nd GLAAD Media Awards crowned their winners last week as a part of a star-studded night that included Dan Levy, Laverne Cox, Sterling K. Brown, and more. Honoring "media for fair, accurate, and inclusive representations of LGBTQ people and issues," this year's GLAAD awards focused on several prominent issues during the ceremony, including the passage of the Equality Act in support of transgender youth and the continued support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Check out the full list of winners here!

PARASITE director Bong Joon-ho is the latest to weigh in on the stark rise in anti-Asian violence around the world, speaking to a group at Chapman University last Wednesday: "as someone who is a part of mankind, as a person, it’s quite fearful to watch the hate crimes against Asian-Americans and the BLM movement," he said. "I do think about what the film industry can do at this time.... use your insight to portray the issues that are currently boiling underneath the surface of society that can explode later on." The sentiments from the Oscar-winning director were mirrored in a recent roundtable with a group of Asian-American theatre heads from across the country, sharing that the road toward equal, authentic representation for Asian characters onstage in the US continues to present both its challenges and opportunities in this new age of activism and solidarity.

The shuttering of the LA Stage Alliance last week signaled a tectonic shift in the theatre scene in Southern California, as the institution responsible for the annual Ovation Awards, which came under fire for mispronouncing and misrepresenting actress Jully Lee during this year's event, was seen as a stalwart organization in the area. Lee's boyfriend, Howard Ho, penned a response letter to LASA's closure, saying that the media portraying this slip-up as the sole reason for the group's disbandment is not only deductive but disregards a much bigger issue with representation and support of the AAPI community in the LA area. "[I]t was the LASA’s board of directors who themselves shut the organization down rather than attempt to work to regain the community’s trust. Tellingly, in the days before their closure, LASA’s board had released a multi-pronged action plan to help rebuild their organization—a plan which they quickly seemed to have no interest in or ability to implement."

A new set of virtual pieces dedicated to supporting the voices of artists with disabilities is currently available for viewing online, thanks to a joint venture from Arts for All Abilities Consortium and Roundabout Theatre Company. Reverb Theatre Arts Festival chose 24 participating artists from submissions across the country, receiving spoken word, monologues, music, and dance pieces around the prompt "Connection". Viewing information can be found via Roundabout's website!

Starz has announced a new partnership with Alliance of Women Directors to increase the breadth of female directors throughout the premium cabler's project slate. The #TakeTheLead initiative will, among other things, commit the studio to seek out and hiring up-and-coming women in the directing field to helm various episodes of their future projects. "Since mentoring programs don’t always materialize into staff opportunities, we’re excited that this program includes a commitment to not only support but ultimately hire talented directors who just need an opportunity to put their skills into action," Starz President and CEO Jeffrey Hirsch said in a statement. The program will be open for applications to all AWD members in May.

SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITY: BIPOC musicians looking to pursue a career in theater will have the chance to submit for a new scholarship from Musicians United for Social Equity (MUSE), aimed at supporting underserved artists looking to pursue a career in theatre. Comprising a board of award-winning musicians like HAMILTON's Alex Lacamoire and AIN'T TOO PROUD's Kenny Seymour, MUSE aims to increase racial equity for musicians in the theatre through mentorships, internships and funding. Two $2,500 scholarships will be made available to one theatre professional currently working in the industry, and one student-enrolled musician who plans to enter the theatre industry upon graduation. Applications close May 5th!

In Memoriam

It is with sadness that we learned of the passing of Sue Henderson this past week. Up-To-Date Theatricals and Henderson Enterprises started our businesses around the same time and Sue was an early-on driving force to help actors learn the importance of self-promotion. As an acting consultant, Sue helped hundreds of actors get their careers on track by showing them how to focus on what counts; namely the business of acting. We are so thankful for our time spent with Sue over the years, and we will deeply miss her.

What to Watch & Read

That's all for this week, folks! We hope to see you for our Growing Studio workshop this Thursday and at Actors Connection on Monday. Be on the lookout for information about other events we're lining up in the coming weeks 🤓

Peace and love ️✌️

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