I heard about Jonathan Smoots passing today…months late. But wanted to offer this music to Laura Gordon and all of my friends at American Players Theater. His departure haunts me. I loved him so much.
We had such a great time at Two River with American Mariachi. AD,Justin Waldman, has got a GREAT team there, including Dan Montano in sound, who has been with them for over 20 years. Thank you Dan and Two River for a wonderful time.
If you compare the US in the first graph to the UK in the second it becomes even more clear that what hit us did not hit them. What happened here was not necessary. It’s an outcome of the way the arts relate to our economic system.
One more. Wages in live theater. It’s stunning. 44% decline. And hasn’t recovered. This is total $ paid out in wages in theater. So…even with the “partial” recovery. It’s flat. So if you ever wonder why it all feels differently today…start here.
Referencing my previous…the effect of the pandemic on theater employment in the US. Two completely different outcomes. We lost 40% of our jobs. They lost about 5%. Just consider it.
So…you really have to watch this…I mean…you have to admit…if this were an auteur commentary on the state of the American audience it would be absolutely brilliant.
