Curtain Call: Equity and SAG reach an agreement
PLAYBILL
Broadway: Actors’ Equity and SAG-AFTRA have united forces over the jurisdiction for theatrical streaming productions. It was announced on November 19th that Equity will be able to represent works that are recorded or produced for digital platforms as a replacement for live theater during the pandemic period. The agreement is set through December 31, 2021, before being reviewed in October depending on the state of the coronavirus pandemic.
It has been stated that the stipulations include that the recorded performances must be similar to a live performance, including access only available to ticket holders and an audience that does not exceed 200 percent of the venue’s capacity. The performances can be available for up to three months and cannot be edited in the style of popular streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu, or HBO Max. Theater productions recorded for archival, promotional, or educational purposes will still fall under Equity’s range, as well as any production showcased after the period stipulated.
The production of Thoughts of a Colored Man is set to arrive on Broadway. Marking the debuts of Keenan Scott II and Steve H. Broadnax, as creator and director, the production is set to premiere at the Shubert Theater during the upcoming season. The show previously had its world premiere at Syracuse Stage in 2019.
Thoughts of a Colored Man presents the different emotions of seven men in Brooklyn through spoken word, slam poetry, and rhythm into mosaic over the course of a single day. The production will also incorporate music by Te’La and Brother Kamau, a set design by Robert Brill, a co-costume design by Toni Leslie James, and Devario D. Simmons, among others. Casting, performance dates, and additional information are set to be announced at a later date.
BROADWAY.COM
The 63rd annual Grammy Awards announced its nominees for the Best Musical Theater Album category. Jagged Little Pill, Amélie, The Prince of Egypt, American Utopia, Soft Power, and Little Shop of Horrors are all in the running in the ceremony slated to air on January 31st, 2021 on CBS, making it the first year since 1959 with six recordings nominated. The documentary We Are Freestyle Love Supreme is also representing Broadway with a nomination under the Best Music Film category.
Broadway veterans Idina Menzel and Andrew Lloyd Webber also nabbed nominations with Frozen 2 and Cats respectively. Menzel joins Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez in the categories for Best Song Written for Visual Media and Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media. Webber’s collaboration with Taylor Swift titled “Beautiful Ghosts” earned them a nomination for Best Song Written for Visual Media.
Off-Broadway: MCC Theater will stream a benefit performance of School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play. The performance of Jocelyn Bioh’s play will be directed by Kamila Forbes with a cast including Tony winner Cynthia Erivo, Amber Riley, Wunmi Mosaku, and Storm Reid, among others. The stream is set to premiere on December 3rd on MCC’s Theater’s official YouTube channel.
School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play tells the story of how the arrival of a new student named Ericka at Ghana’s most exclusive boarding school affects the plans of queen bee Paulina and her chances at the Miss Universe pageant. The play has earned both Lucille Lortel and Drama Desk Awards and was previously produced at MCC in 2017 and 2018. Tickets for this benefit gala will be available on the MCC’s official website with some shows including a talkback for select ticket holders and the show will premiere on-demand two weeks after the air date.
PLAYBILL
The Public Theater has announced a lineup of projects for its digital season. A bilingual radio play adaptation of Romeo Y Julieta serves as the season’s main highlight with Lupita Nyong’o and Juan Castano as the leads. Directed by Saheem Ali, the play is adapted alongside Ricardo Pérez González and based on the Spanish translation by Alfredo Michel Modenessi. The audio production is slated to premiere on March 18th, 2021 via WNYC.
Other projects lined up include a visual EP by The HawtPlates, The Liz Swados Project, Joe’s Pub Live, and Public Forum: Civic Salon, among others. The institution is also set to present an initiative for funds for the upcoming season starting on November 23rd up to December 1st.
The events will all be available on various social media platforms, including Zoom and YouTube, with an RSVP by visiting the company’s official website.
Among the same lines, Signature Theatre has also announced its 2021-2022 season with five works from local playwrights. Anna Deavere Smith, under the Residency 1 category, helms the season which will also include works from Annie Baker, Branden Jacob-Jenkins, Samuel D. Hunter, and Dominique Morisseau, all under the Resident 5 program that guarantees three productions of new plays. The productions are set to run with a mix of virtual and live productions with physical distancing.
The season is set to take place at the Pershing Square Signature Center. This comes after the company’s presentation of various works during the lockdown via the virtual program SigSpace, which is set to continue the new projects. Dates and ticket information will be announced shortly just in time for the company’s 30th anniversary.
International: The musical adaptation of A Christmas Carol has announced its additional cast and a limited engagement. The West End production, based on the classic story by Charles Dickens, is set to premiere December 14th through January 2, 2021, at the Dominion Theatre in London. The cast includes Bryan Conley, Jacqueline Jossa, Lucie Jones, Jeremy Secomb, and Sam Oladeinde, among others.
The production is set to feature the London Musical Theatre Orchestra with musical director Freddie Tapner. Directed by Shaun Kerrison, the show will perform with COVID-era safety measures throughout the venue and a 24-hour exchange free of charge for audience members who are unable to attend. The holiday engagement is produced by Tapner for LMTO and Gary England.
The Old Vic’s productions are set to make a comeback. The limited series titled In Camera: Playback is set to launch in December with Stephen Beresford’s Three Kings, starring Andrew Scott. Other plays such as Duncan Macmillan’s Lungs, with Claire Foy and Matt Smith, and Brian Friel’s Faith Healer are also part of the live-streamed performances the audience will have the chance to revisit. The productions are set to run December 2nd through January 29th via Zoom with one ticket required per device and will include captions and audio described in the globally streamed event.
