TV Trends - Commercial Contracts - Theatre in 2022 - Actors on Acting
By Abigail Hardin, April 12, 2022
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Happy Tuesday, UTD!
Annie and I are looking forward to discussing BOOKING THEATRE WORK POST-PANDEMIC later today with Actors Connection. We'll be talking about how you can get ahead of the EPA/casting notice and take bold action to book more theatre work. We'll also be discussing the latest trends from the return of in-person theatre auditions to permanent changes to the theatre industry. We'll also be showing you how you can use the Up-To-Date Actor to target specific plays/musicals and be notified of any new production or audition opportunity. And as always, we'll be answering any of your UTDA or career questions.
Hope you can join us! Create a great week! ✨
Must Read
We wanted to shout out a friend of UTD Matthew Corozine on publishing his newest book, 'If You Survived 7th Grade, You Can Be an Actor'. Matthew is the founder of the Matthew Corozine Studio Theatre and has helped dozens of students in his studio excel in their craft and continue to work on their technique. He has been a longtime colleague, collaborator, and friend of Up-To-Date Theatricals. MCS has been a dynamic training ground for students at all levels to advance their craft and develop professional careers.
Recently, Annie had the opportunity to review pre-publishing excerpts and had this to say, "This book is brimming with creative insights to unlock and empower the artists within to live life more fully in everyday moments to performing center stage. It's rare to find such an accessible, doable approach to art. It's like Corozine can see you from the page." Check out this breakdown of Matthew's book! 📖
In-Person Events
Organizers for the 2022 Cannes Film Festival are expecting in-person attendance to return to nearly pre-COVID levels, with as many as 90% of industry representatives planning to view this year's submissions up close. Somewhere between 10,000-12,000 film professionals from around the group may descend on the event in France next month, marking an exciting return to live viewership for the festival circuit.
This year's upfronts are poised to help the industry roar back for the upcoming 22-23 TV season schedule, and execs for both studios and ad agencies alike are gearing up to spend big on programming for the next year. "The Upfront event remains a cornerstone moment to shine a light on our best and brightest content and IP. To get to do that in person this year and connect with everyone live is just incredible!," WarnerMedia's ad sales president JP Colaco said. Entertainment venues across NYC are carefully planning out presentation and after-party events that will witness hundreds of thousands of dollars change hands in ad revenue, staking the industry's claim as a triumphant return to in-person events in 2022.
TV Trends & Commercial Contracts
Streaming services have seen a jump in available titles over the last few years, 9with Nielsen reporting that over 817,000 titles are currently available between streaming platforms and standard TV offerings, a number that has grown 26% since December 2019. Unsurprisingly, streaming has increased overall by 18% since February of last year, while nearly half of the viewership surveyed in the February 2022 poll reported feeling overwhelmed by the offerings in this digital age. Interestingly - 64% of viewers said they wish there were more bundling options available among the main streamers. I'm JUST saying, I called this last year - tech is a circle, and soon we're going to start having cable-type bundles for streaming services. Mark my words! 🔮
SAG-AFTRA has reached a new agreement for commercial contracts with the ad industry's Joint Policy Committee last week, after the current set of guidelines expired on March 31st. The terms of the new deal have not yet been disclosed, as the contracts must now be voted on and approved by the union's national board. Stay tuned! 📃
Warner Bros Television has donated 150,000 meals to outreach organization Feeding America, coinciding with the first season finale of ABBOTT ELEMENTARY. The studio announced plans to partner with popular chefs Ahmad Alzahbi and Eitan Bernath through the remainder of this week, who will take to their social channels to prep the meals while spreading awareness of food insecurity in the US. ABBOTT ELEMENTARY follows the stories of an underfunded school in the Philadelphia school system, and has been an exciting stand-out on the network TV schedule this season.
Actors on Acting
Chris Pine is excited about where his career is headed in the next few years. The award-winning actor is making his directorial debut with POOLMAN, an idea devised with writing partner Ian Gotler, after following some conversations with famed director Patty Jenkins in which he decided that he would start to "follow the giggle." "I just followed the giggle and took the giggle to wherever it took me, and at the end of that giggle was me directing this film. It just seemed to be, well, yes, this is what I will be doing now," Pine said of his recent endeavors. May we all have the opportunity to work on and create projects that bring us joy 🌞
Getting back into the swing of things with in-person auditions? Check out this list of audition backpack must-haves 🎒
Every actor finds a different way to tap into their character and stay connected onstage or onset. For Jared Leto, his commitment to his recent portrayal of Marvel's MORIBUS even made its way to the bathroom. Multiple production team members confirmed that Leto requested using crutches during restroom breaks, leading to a deal being struck with the film crew that someone would wheel him to and from the bathroom during breaks. Whatever helps you stay in character, I suppose GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3 actor Will Poulter, might disagree with some of Leto's approach. Poulter recently joined in the conversation on Method Acting stating "When it comes to an actor's process, whatever that is, so long as it doesn't infringe on other people's and you're being considerate, then fine. But if your process creates an inhospitable environment, then to me you've lost sight of what's important. Method acting shouldn't be used as an excuse for inappropriate behavior — and it definitely has."
Theatre in 2022
The theatre industry has gone through a world of changes over the last few years, to say the least. Virtual performances, full productions streaming from the comfort of your living room - if there's one thing we've always known about theatre, it's that it will always, always, find a way. Such is the wonderful nature of the art form, which has led to the emergence of works like the BRIDGERTON musical that have gone from simple sketches to Grammy-winning household names. Regardless of which side you land on for how these works should be perceived in an ever-changing virtual world, it's worth noting that the survival of any form of communication is the ability for it to transcend generations and reach new audiences. The rest, as we know, is history.
A particularly important role that onstage performance has taken on over the last few years has been its ability to help people heal, in a variety of different ways, from a variety of different experiences. It's a unique attribute of theatre; one that has been studied and developed for decades in the performance activism of Sanjay Kumar in India. Take a few minutes to read this excerpt about the history of Kumar's work in blending activism and live performance to heal audiences. It's an intricate look at the intimacy formed between audience and creator, examining our necessity to connect on a deeper level that only an in-person performance can provide.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Native American on-screen representation is getting a boost through a new partnership from the Native American Film Alliance and The Cherokee Nation Film Office. The alliance has gained support from major studios and the Motion Picture Association, with the goal of expanding Native American representation throughout the industry. "We have a talented community in need of exposure, access, and opportunity," Native American Media Alliance director of strategy Ian Skorodin said. "Our programming is helping get more Native American voices in front of the right people who can develop their content and build their careers."
A separate partnership between WarnerMedia Access and Rooster Teeth has set its sights on expanding representation in the digital content creation landscape. The Rooster Teeth Digital Creators Program hopes to reach new audiences by supporting and empowering up-and-coming digital creators from diverse backgrounds and giving them a platform to display their content moving forward. Creators interested in fields like comedy, animation, pop culture, and more are encouraged to apply - submissions are set to open in the coming months!
Coming on the heels of a historic Oscars night for the team behind CODA, representation for members of the deaf community in film and TV continues to increase, this time through one of the newest episodes of THE SIMPSONS. Deaf actor John Autry II voiced the character of Monk, who used American Sign Language to communicate on the show, a first in the cartoon's 30+ year history. "It's life-changing equality and participation," Autry said. "This can impact change for all of us. It's about hard of hearing and hearing characters coming together. It's a part of history."