It is the Cinderella Story.  A small (sometimes struggling) downtown theater produces a play or musical.  Suddenly, the show is a big hit.  Audiences are busting down the door, tickets sales skyrocket, and the spotlight is focused on this once under appreciated theater.  Then the B'way producers arrive and ask, "How would you like to move this show to B'way."  They say yes!  Contracts are signed.  The show opens on The Broadway, it is a HUGE hit and the little downtown theater is suddenly flush with money.  The downtown theater then has a nice little revenue stream from its mega-hit B'way show and they can build a new theater (or renovate the existing one), advertise more, do bigger projects that had only previously dreamed of and afford fancier stars for their shows.  This has happened for many theaters; The Public had a hit with the original A Chorus Line and this year's Passing Strange, Second Stage had Spelling Bee, Spring Awakening sprung from The Atlantic Theater downtown.  It is an amazing and exciting event for any theater. 

But, one day the big splashy musical closes uptown and the effects can be felt all the way downtown at that once little theater where the show originated.  That is what is happening at New York Theatre Workshop now that the smash hit musical RENT is closing in September.

RENT began as an Off-Broadway musical at the legendary New York Theater Workshop (known to many as NYTW) in 1996.  The show was an immediate sensation.  I remember the stories of people clamoring for tickets to see the show, including big stars that had never been below 14th street to see theater.  When the show moved uptown (and was a spawned a hit cd and then a movie), NYTW suddenly had a piece of the money pie.  Now, in the wake of the closing notice, NYTW has announced plans to lay off its production staff of six employees, let go of much its box office staff and cut its operation budget by $1 million dollars.

In addition to the personnel changes, NYTW will truncate its season and only produce three mainstage shows (instead of the typical six shows).  They will, however, continue with the planned series of Off-Broadway musical revivals presented in a format similar to uptown's Encores! series.  The program will be called "Off Again".

According to the NY Times, "five of the employees have worked at the company for many years, including John J. Anselmo Jr., the master electrician, who has been there for more than a decade."

The staff will be replaced with temporary workers that will be hired on a show by show basis.  "Given the season that we're going to go forward with, this seemed the most fiscally responsible way to do it," interim managing director Fred Walker told the NY Times.

Ironically the NYTW will begin construction on a brand new scene and costume shop in May.  The shop is being funded through donations and a capital campaign (so the money does not affect the operating budget).  The production staff had thought that they would be working in the new state of the art work space, but now it will be housed with free-lancers.

This must be a difficult situation for all parties involved.  The theater needs to be fiscally responsible but the staff that helped NYTW create the hit that made them flush with cash for so many years must feel some bit of resentment.  Unfortunately, these are some of the realities of producing theater in New York Theater.

I am hoping that NYTW has another huge hit that transfers uptown and they can re-hire everyone and begin producing more shows.  I know it is a bit of wishful thinking on my part, but as I like to say - a blogger can dream, can't he?

NYTW is currently presenting The Sound and the Fury by Elevator Repair Service until May 18th.  After that production the show will remain "dark" until the fall.

Back to Broadway:  I am headed to the opening night of A Catered Affair tonight and will have a full report for you tomorrow.  Until then, I will...

~ See You On The Aisle