The Ins and Outs of a Typical Broadway Schedule and Personnel
Author: DianneDulain
Broadway Schedule
Shows with open-ended runs usually run on the same schedule, but more exceptions are found now than before. Starting with the 8 p.m. “curtain” of evening shows from Tuesdays through Saturdays and the afternoon “matinee” shows on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Generally, Wednesday and Saturday shows start at 2 p.m. and the ones on Sunday start at 3 p.m. totaling to eight shows a week normally. Shows running on this schedule usually do not play on Mondays, hence the “weekend” for the actors and crew start from Sunday evenings through Tuesday evenings. The most prestigious award, The Tony Award presentation ceremony, also takes place on Sunday evenings.
Recently, the Tuesday show times have been moved by many shows to 7 p.m. The main reason behind this is that fewer tourists came in and bought Broadway tickets. for the midweek shows, so the majority of the crowd on Tuesdays is the local audience. Therefore, the earlier curtain allows them enough time after the show to get home at a reasonable hour. Depending on the season, some shows particularly those produced by Disney, frequently change their performance schedules to attract the majority of their targeted audience.
Personnel
To attract larger and newer audiences to the theatre, Broadway musicals and stage plays often bank upon casting well-known performers in leading roles. Often at times, movie and television actors are cast to revive Broadway shows or to substitute for actors leaving a cast. However, there are still stage actors who spend most of their time on such shows. They give secondary importance to television and screen role appearances.
Nearly everyone in Broadway shows are represented through unions or other professional trade organizations. The actors, dancers, singers, chorus members and stage managers usually are part of the Actors' Equity Association(AEA), musicians come from the American Federation of Musicians(AFM), the stagehands, dressers, hairdressers, designers, box office personnel and ushers are all members of different locals of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, directors and choreographers are represented by the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers(SSD&C), house managers, company managers and press agents are members of the Association of Theatrical Press Agents and Managers(ATPAM), and playwrights belong to the Dramatists Guild. The ones that are not a part of the union and are considered to be the last major components of Broadway infrastructure are the casting directors.
About the Author:
Dianne Dulain is a Broadway fanatic and enjoys the theater/theatre immensely. Her years of Broadway experience have helped many understand the joys of the theater as well as ways how to save on tickets. For more information on getting Broadway tickets and how to enjoy the theater, go to TheaterMania.com (http://www.theatermania.com/)
Shows with open-ended runs usually run on the same schedule, but more exceptions are found now than before. Starting with the 8 p.m. “curtain” of evening shows from Tuesdays through Saturdays and the afternoon “matinee” shows on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Generally, Wednesday and Saturday shows start at 2 p.m. and the ones on Sunday start at 3 p.m. totaling to eight shows a week normally. Shows running on this schedule usually do not play on Mondays, hence the “weekend” for the actors and crew start from Sunday evenings through Tuesday evenings. The most prestigious award, The Tony Award presentation ceremony, also takes place on Sunday evenings.
Recently, the Tuesday show times have been moved by many shows to 7 p.m. The main reason behind this is that fewer tourists came in and bought Broadway tickets. for the midweek shows, so the majority of the crowd on Tuesdays is the local audience. Therefore, the earlier curtain allows them enough time after the show to get home at a reasonable hour. Depending on the season, some shows particularly those produced by Disney, frequently change their performance schedules to attract the majority of their targeted audience.
Personnel
To attract larger and newer audiences to the theatre, Broadway musicals and stage plays often bank upon casting well-known performers in leading roles. Often at times, movie and television actors are cast to revive Broadway shows or to substitute for actors leaving a cast. However, there are still stage actors who spend most of their time on such shows. They give secondary importance to television and screen role appearances.
Nearly everyone in Broadway shows are represented through unions or other professional trade organizations. The actors, dancers, singers, chorus members and stage managers usually are part of the Actors' Equity Association(AEA), musicians come from the American Federation of Musicians(AFM), the stagehands, dressers, hairdressers, designers, box office personnel and ushers are all members of different locals of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, directors and choreographers are represented by the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers(SSD&C), house managers, company managers and press agents are members of the Association of Theatrical Press Agents and Managers(ATPAM), and playwrights belong to the Dramatists Guild. The ones that are not a part of the union and are considered to be the last major components of Broadway infrastructure are the casting directors.
About the Author:
Dianne Dulain is a Broadway fanatic and enjoys the theater/theatre immensely. Her years of Broadway experience have helped many understand the joys of the theater as well as ways how to save on tickets. For more information on getting Broadway tickets and how to enjoy the theater, go to TheaterMania.com (http://www.theatermania.com/)
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