Blog Filter By There's No Business Like Show Business

I’m about to say something that no actor has ever admitted out loud: Auditioning is hard, you guys. Sure, I know it’s difficult to believe, but waking up at 5 AM and standing in a line on the street with disgruntled actors while being gawked at by German tourists to hopefully get the opportunity to sing 16 bars of “Out There” at a table of homosexuals (and the women who love them) can sometimes be trying. It almost makes you want to give up. But do you want to know why we don’t? Because of the audition studios.

The post The Definitive Ranking of the NYC Audition Studios appeared first on John Wascavage's Facebook Profile.

A new musical is a tricky beast. It comes with all the challenges of a new play--the problems of dramatic build, character, denouement, economy of dialogue--plus a suite of other potential pitfalls. Is the opening number suitably energizing, and if it is, does it still adequately introduce us to the world of the show? How many ballads is too many ballads? Not to mention solos versus duets or ensemble numbers, male versus female voices, and the question of choreography...it’s enough to make a well-intentioned Lin-Manuel Miranda-wannabe throw in the towel.

My last post on production budgets took us through the beginning of a show’s development all the way through the first preview; here, we’re going to talk about how expenses are budgeted on a week-by-week basis after the show gets up and running. In the simplest terms, the show’s producers want the gross box office […]

The post Broadway Budgets 101: Breaking Down the Weekly Budget appeared first on The NewMusicalTheatre.com Green Room.

Recently, I got in touch with Broadway veteran Betsy Struxness. While she’s currently performing in Hamilton, Betsy’s career has taken her through many national tours and Broadway shows. Her journey is one that many people pursuing show biz can relate to; she started performing at a young age and from there it’s been a long […]

The post Cutlets, Casting, and Karate: An Interview with Betsy Struxness appeared first on The NewMusicalTheatre.com Green Room.

Anyone with a passing interest in theatre will probably have thrown around terms like “big-budget musical” at least once in their life, and anyone who’s borne witness to the staggering successes (few) and spectacular flops (many) on Broadway will wonder just how much money was made or lost in the process. From Hamilton to Honeymoon […]

The post Broadway Budgets 101: Breaking Down the Production Budget appeared first on The NewMusicalTheatre.com Green Room.

For producers and directors, one of the earliest creative decisions that will go public is how you market your show. The “package” of material you might release can include logos, posters, social media content, trailers, promo photos, and more. No matter what kind of show you’re doing, if the show needs to bring in money […]

The post Theatre PR is Difficult, but It Doesn’t Have to Be appeared first on The NewMusicalTheatre.com Green Room.

Ever wanted to know how much actors on Broadway get paid? Look no further. Before we start, it’s important to note that every item that goes into constituting a total salary is determined by the actors’ union, Actors’ Equity Association, several years in advance; they actually publish salary rates, which automatically increase every year in […]

The post The Bare Minimum: Breaking Down Broadway Actor Salaries appeared first on The NewMusicalTheatre.com Green Room.

Somewhere in the last 10-20 years in the theatre industry, actors have become hyphen-happy, gluing on additional titles that trail behind their strongest suit. For example: actor-singer-songwriter actor-dancer-aerialist actor-teaching artist actor-photographer performer-playwright singer-actor-makeup artist …each combination uniquely weaving together strings of mastered talents and skills. Guilty? I’m so glad if you are! Those dashes help […]

The post Hyphen Hysteria: I’m an Actor-[INSERT HERE] appeared first on The NewMusicalTheatre.com Green Room.

This past theatre season was a very important one for women. This idea has been talked about since before the Tony Awards back in June, with articles and open letters written (like this great one by The Interval) and infographics made depicting why the 2014-2015 season was so important in terms of female representation. A […]

The post Where Are The Women? Representation in Musical Theatre appeared first on The NewMusicalTheatre.com Green Room.

“I’m sorry theater only exists in one place at a time but that is also its magic. A bootleg cannot capture it.” -Lin-Manuel Miranda Due to geography, cost, or the desire to re-live an amazing live experience, fans of theatre want live-recorded videos of Broadway musicals. Producers and creatives have been resistant to allow filmed live […]

The post Kicking the Bootlegs: The Case for Legally Filmed Musicals appeared first on The NewMusicalTheatre.com Green Room.

Many shows that make it to Broadway have typically had a long and grueling journey to get to that finish line. There are many out-of-town tryouts and Off-Broadway performances before the show is finally ready to move into its Broadway house. The out-of-town tryouts tend to change geographically. Shows like Aladdin and Catch Me If […]

The post Washington, DC: A Life Before Broadway appeared first on The NewMusicalTheatre.com Green Room.

Let’s be honest: being a theatre lover can be expensive. As much as we would all love to be able to see every new piece of work as it goes up and make trips to New York every weekend to catch shows, it just isn’t possible for a lot of us. As both a student […]

The post Loving Theatre on a Budget appeared first on The NewMusicalTheatre.com Green Room.

Night after night, audience members walk out of the Broadway production of Hamilton feeling inspired. People are talking not only about Lin-Manuel Miranda’s score and Alexander Hamilton’s life and legacy, but also about the intersection of identity and performance in American musical theatre. For many avid theatregoers, they are inspired by the change this musical […]

The post Musical Theatre as a Vehicle for Change appeared first on The NewMusicalTheatre.com Green Room.

Let’s talk about representation in the Broadway community. This is, after all, the perfect time to be discussing this topic – so many communities are now being positively represented on the Great White Way in ways they have never been before. There is the incredible production of Spring Awakening that recently opened at the Brooks […]

The post Let’s Talk About Representation appeared first on The NewMusicalTheatre.com Green Room.

One of NewMusicalTheatre.com’s current best selling songs is “Middle of a Moment” from Pasek and Paul’s new musical adaptation of James and the Giant Peach. Musical theatre fans are downloading the free cast album by their favorite composing team, but few know the journey of James and how this mighty musical is impacting both the fields of Theatre for […]

The post James’ Journey appeared first on The NewMusicalTheatre.com Green Room.

Let me make one thing perfectly clear: I do not in any way condone the filming of Broadway shows live onstage. But do I watch these bootlegs? Yes. I do. Moreover, I think the Broadway community as a whole often fails to mention the advantages of this practice. Bootlegs are not nearly as odious as […]

The post GUEST POST: In Defense of Bootlegs appeared first on The NewMusicalTheatre.com Green Room.