Dallas is officially home to the first Broadway show to take to the streets since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Broadway sensation Wicked opened the Broadway Summer Musicals 2021-2022 and delivered exactly what this comeback needs: a damn good show.
“It’s huge for DSM, it’s huge for Dallas and all of North Texas, and it’s huge for the entire Broadway industry,” said Ken Novice, president of Dallas Summer Musicals, of the opportunity to reopen with such a popular production . The entire series relies heavily on musicals that promise gold at the box office, such as Hamilton, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Rent.
The popular Broadway of Broadway series has long been a major engine of the economy in North Texas. Novice says Dallas Summer Musicals has an average of $ 25 million in revenue per season and estimates that $ 75 million goes into the larger economy. According to a report by the Touring Broadway League, shows like The Lion King grossed an estimated $ 28 million in the economy and $ 7.7 million in the box office in 2018.
“Guests who attend DSM shows eat in local restaurants, stay in nearby hotels, take taxis and Ubers,” he says. “For our Wicked engagement this year, we’ve got people from Portland to see the show – so there’s airline and taxi / Uber revenue.”
As a result of last season’s closure, Dallas Summer Musicals lost more than $ 20 million in revenue. “Our ticket sales went to zero,” says Novice. The nonprofit was able to continue paying partial salaries to some workers through a Federal Payroll Protection Plan to replenish what unemployment insurance didn’t cover.
“We had some tough decisions to make on some layoffs and leave of absence, but we did our best to make everyone share the pain of lost wages,” Novice says. “One hundred percent of our team who were not on leave received some kind of cut in salaries. We were also very grateful that we received the urgently needed support from the federal government through grants to protect payroll. “
Wicked teaches viewers that we often form opinions based on the narrative.
On his sixth visit to the Music Hall in Fair Park, Wicked offers an interesting glimpse into what is happening in the Land of Oz. Long before Dorothy arrives, there is another young woman with emerald skin who is smart, fiery, misunderstood, and with an extraordinary talent . When she meets a bubbly blonde who is exceptionally popular, their initial rivalry becomes the most unlikely friendship … until the world decides to label one as “good” and the other as “bad”.
The narrative can be easily explained in the text of “Wonderful”, which is performed in the second act by The Wizard (Cleavant Derricks) and Elphaba “the Wicked Witch” (Talia Suskauer).
Elphaba, where I’m from
We believe in all sorts of things that are not true
We call it “history”
A man is called a traitor or a deliverer
A rich man is a thief or a philanthropist
Are you a crusader or a ruthless invader?
It’s all that the label can outlast
There are only a few who feel comfortable
With moral ambiguities
So we pretend they don’t exist
The production will be on tour in Dallas through September 5, and tickets start at $ 29 and are available on DallasSummerMusicals.org.
D CEO spoke to Novice about Dallas Summer Musicals and the upcoming season.
D managing director: Do you expect this season to do as well as the previous ones (why or why not)? What are you projecting? What do you see in relation to the sale and presence of season tickets?
Beginner. Photo by Jeff Lorch, courtesy of Dallas Summer Musicals.
BEGINNER: “Planning the revised and postponed season was a real challenge. Survey data suggested that customers may be reluctant to return to the theater. However, season ticket sales have exceeded our expectations and are now back at the pre-pandemic level, even slightly above. Our current Wicked engagement is selling on par with the 2016 engagement, with little to no drop in sales. We also placed our second Hamilton engagement (November 16 – December 5) and it went phenomenally well. Obviously, our guests have an appetite to return to the magic that only live theater can offer. ”
D managing director: What do you expect from Wicked?
BEGINNER: “If you can believe it this is the sixth visit to the Music Hall which is amazing. Each engagement was more successful than the previous one, and we hope this series will stay alive in 2021. “
D managing director: Besides being unable to put on shows, how has COVID affected the Dallas Summer Musicals?
BEGINNER: There were certainly challenges that we had to master thoughtfully. During the downtime, we were able to focus on some very important issues like racial justice in the arts. I am very proud of the work that we have done and continue to do in this area; specifically our ongoing YouTube series Black Art Matters, which puts local color artists in the spotlight so they can share their art and unique experiences and be accepted into the Dallas Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation Cohort program which will be very positive and transformative Experience for DSM.
D managing director: We recently wrote in the August issue of D CEO about the importance of corporate citizenship, how seasonal sponsors and corporate sponsors contribute to the success of the Dallas Summer Musicals
BEGINNER: “Our corporate relationships play a large and growing role in DSM’s success. They are key to strengthening our community partnerships and educational programs that are exploding in size and impact. The support we receive from corporations and foundations enables us to share what we call “the spirit of Broadway” in community centers and classrooms with people who otherwise may not have access to this amazing art form that we do love.
“We were particularly pleased to add Germania Insurance as our title sponsor of the Broadway Series during the pandemic. We were so moved that a great Texas-based company like Germania decided to support DSM during this unprecedented time. It is true proof of Germania’s commitment to art. “
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