Believe it or not, one of my favorite natural antidepressants (aside from Trader Joe’s Root Beer Float Bars) is on Facebook. Every week we publish two questions about American theaterthe page of: On Friday we ask subscribers what show they plan to do or see over the weekend, and on Monday we ask them what show they did or saw. People who responded to this simple prompt enthusiastically praise Broadway shows, high school musicals, small ensemble readings of new works, festival frenzies, community theater, comedy tours, art performances, and more. more so, from across the United States and beyond. It’s a natural impulse to share not only what you do but also what you’re passionate about, which is why these posts are regularly filled with artists and clients excited about their work, and occasionally congratulating and/or thanking each other .
It should be obvious why I find these articles encouraging, at a time when the art form and industry we cover seems battered. both economic and cultural woes. These are not concrete data, but these articles show, against all expectations, that theater is eternal.
Every summer we get a material version of this thrill as we watch Member theater season programming this is true even when the signals are mixed. Our fall season preview lists for 2024-25, printed in full on the back of the fall issueshow robust activity, although it should be noted that the number of full productions at TCG member theaters for the 2024-25 season, 1,281, is down from last season’s 1,560, and is even lower than the number of 1,298 for the 2022-23 season. All of these numbers remain significantly below pre-pandemic levels: our 2019-20 slates included 2,229 productions at TCG member theaters. The contraction is real and we all still feel it. (This is true even if you add the 176 productions we counted at commercial, non-TCG theaters.)
OUR Top 10 most produced pieces And Top 20 most produced playwrights This year’s lists also show signs of folding, if you choose to read them that way. You’ll see plenty of small-time shows, adaptations of detective novels and 19th-century novels, and musicals that are sure to please everyone on these trending lists. But these trends are not new. Consider Heidi Schreck’s (still) incredibly current film What the Constitution Means to Mea show with three performers which this year tops the most produced ranking for the second year in a row. The last shows that succeeded in this double act were those with four Doubtin 2007 and 2008, and the three-way trio Artin 2000 and 2001.
And the spiciness, in motion, could it Constitution-or the sincere and mischievous heart of James Ijames Fat hamin second place – is he really considered a safe choice? Rajiv Josephon par with Kate Hamill as the season’s most produced playwright, he has a seductive take on sports fans, King Jamesthroughout the United States during the upcoming season, but also Guards at the Taj, Archduke, The lake effectand an exotic new thriller coming to the Manhattan Theater Club, Dakar 2000. And for her part, the prolific Hamill moved from Jane Austen’s adaptation to Bram Stoker’s irreverent riff (with Dracula: A Feminist Revenge Fantasy, Truly) and Arthur Conan Doyle (with Mrs. Holmes and Mrs. Watson, Apt. 2B).
Even like the unstoppable Boys Jersey muscles returns to the lists, we’re also delighted to see another musical make its debut there: the tasty Jessie Nelson/Sara Bareilles tuner. Waitress. Yes, American theaters, like Joe’s Pie Diner, are only too happy to serve comfort food. Honestly, who can blame them? We’d definitely be grumpy if that were the case all they had on the menu. But you don’t have to look far to see that some familiar dishes are getting new ingredients. And you should definitely ask about promotions.
Rob Weinert-Kendt (he/him) is the editor-in-chief of American theater.
