A minor point of clarification on musician minimums: since the '90s, the contracts include a "special situations" clause where a show can argue that the artistic vision of the show necessitates a smaller orchestra than the theater requires. i.e. if "Rock of Ages" is going into a house with a 15 musician minimum, the producers can make a case that this is clearly a show built for a 5-piece rock band, and there is a procedure for the producers and musicians union to evaluate whether that's a legitimate request. These are pretty common and it seems the reduction is often accepted ("Here Lies Love" being a recent example where the case for a special situation was rejected). In part because of this, my (limited) understanding is that the practice of paying "walkers" is basically extinct in Broadway.
Really appreciate your thoughts and analysis- just wanted to offer this clarification on behalf of pit musicians.
So interesting! It’s fascinating because nearly everyone I speak with in the industry (and even in my MFA classes) brings this up as one of the major points of contention with AFM. Having spoken to several people involved with Here Lies Love, I know they attribute a significant part of the show's financial failure specifically to the rejection of their special-situation request. It makes me wonder what other recent examples exist post-COVID that aren't as publicized and have had their exemption denied. I'd also be curious to know how shows adjust their pit sizes from development to Broadway to fit union minimums, even with these exceptions in place. Maybe a piece for another day ;)
I've also been curious about how composers/orchestrators/producers land on a "goal" pit size during development...so many factors and preferences before you even think about what theater you might hypothetically land in and what their set minimum is.
Did you mean the following description in general, or about CATS: TJB specifically:
"a spectacular, intimate show built for a 500-seat downtown house should not be forced to bloat its budget, double its ticket price, and fill 1,500 seats simply to feed the Broadway real-estate machine."
CTJB combined the two largest venues at PAC for a capacity of at least 700 (likely more, but I can't find an exact number online) and the Broadhurst had a capacity of 1,160 for the run. So an increase of approx. 40%, not 300%.
And the run at the PAC had tickets ranging from $68-$309, similar to their Broadway prices.
Which I think makes more of a case for a bloated budget than anything else, so my question, would CTJB have been better off, fiscally, by staying at the PAC?
I've been playing Broadway musicals in New York City for the past 26 years. Honestly, I only started figuring most of this out over the last six years, really after Ain't Too Proud closed. Then, when my most recent show, Cats: The Jellicle Ball, closed the way it did, I started digging into the theater owners and how the business actually works. That's when I discovered a lot of what you talk about in this piece. It's mind-blowing once you see how it all really works.
A minor point of clarification on musician minimums: since the '90s, the contracts include a "special situations" clause where a show can argue that the artistic vision of the show necessitates a smaller orchestra than the theater requires. i.e. if "Rock of Ages" is going into a house with a 15 musician minimum, the producers can make a case that this is clearly a show built for a 5-piece rock band, and there is a procedure for the producers and musicians union to evaluate whether that's a legitimate request. These are pretty common and it seems the reduction is often accepted ("Here Lies Love" being a recent example where the case for a special situation was rejected). In part because of this, my (limited) understanding is that the practice of paying "walkers" is basically extinct in Broadway.
Really appreciate your thoughts and analysis- just wanted to offer this clarification on behalf of pit musicians.
So interesting! It’s fascinating because nearly everyone I speak with in the industry (and even in my MFA classes) brings this up as one of the major points of contention with AFM. Having spoken to several people involved with Here Lies Love, I know they attribute a significant part of the show's financial failure specifically to the rejection of their special-situation request. It makes me wonder what other recent examples exist post-COVID that aren't as publicized and have had their exemption denied. I'd also be curious to know how shows adjust their pit sizes from development to Broadway to fit union minimums, even with these exceptions in place. Maybe a piece for another day ;)
Robert Meffe has an interesting research paper on minimums (from 2011) that analyzes a few early examples of "special situation" requests. He also claims (in a FB most during the HLL debates) that there have been zero walkers since the introduction of the special situations clause. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bfkCdfeC3W_R9lR-4ZPBLcZaO0InRNeS/view?fbclid=IwY2xjawTLNgtleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETJ4VGlQUG1JbVBQVzRrUHZSc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHoZ-UzQbIVXZt6KiM4ZuOKKywyVBUUDgkC1xu5SBbSwIPd9cKLODdSGj4cym_aem_-qbAQgttLE2GS0kCsUKbMw
I've also been curious about how composers/orchestrators/producers land on a "goal" pit size during development...so many factors and preferences before you even think about what theater you might hypothetically land in and what their set minimum is.
Did you mean the following description in general, or about CATS: TJB specifically:
"a spectacular, intimate show built for a 500-seat downtown house should not be forced to bloat its budget, double its ticket price, and fill 1,500 seats simply to feed the Broadway real-estate machine."
CTJB combined the two largest venues at PAC for a capacity of at least 700 (likely more, but I can't find an exact number online) and the Broadhurst had a capacity of 1,160 for the run. So an increase of approx. 40%, not 300%.
And the run at the PAC had tickets ranging from $68-$309, similar to their Broadway prices.
Which I think makes more of a case for a bloated budget than anything else, so my question, would CTJB have been better off, fiscally, by staying at the PAC?
I've been playing Broadway musicals in New York City for the past 26 years. Honestly, I only started figuring most of this out over the last six years, really after Ain't Too Proud closed. Then, when my most recent show, Cats: The Jellicle Ball, closed the way it did, I started digging into the theater owners and how the business actually works. That's when I discovered a lot of what you talk about in this piece. It's mind-blowing once you see how it all really works.
You’re missing a big piece of the puzzle. How Broadway National Touring.
You’re missing a big piece of the puzzle. How Broadway National Touring is a major factor in how this all works.