Local and Industry News
The musical Hamilton has set a new record for weekly revenue on Broadway.
The show grossed $3.3 million during Thanksgiving week. The previous record was $3.2 million in 2013 for Wicked, which had an additional ninth performance during the week. The 34 shows playing on Broadway took in a total of $35.3 million during Thanksgiving week.
Congress has passed the Better Online Ticket Sales Act, or BOTS. The law aims to curb scalping by outlawing computer programs that buy the best seats to resell at higher prices. Ticketmaster has estimated that bots buy as many as 60 percent of the best seats to many shows.
The Biscayne Bay Kiwanis Club has donated $1,000 to help the South Florida Youth Symphony travel to Washington, D.C. in January. The Symphony has been invited to perform at the Heritage Music Festival.
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The Chinese government has announced plans to build a $2.18 billion film studio in China. The studio will include theme park and tourist attractions. China is the second-largest film market, even though a national quota only allows 34 Hollywood films to be shown in China each year.
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The San Francisco Symphony has cancelled two concerts in Chapel Hill, North Carolina in protest of the state's law overturning protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people. The city of San Francisco has already barred publicly funded travel to the state, and the city cannot enter into contracts with companies based in states that bar civil rights for LGBT people.
An anonymous donor is leading an initiative to move the Milwauwkee Symphony into the Warner Grand Theatre. More than half of the estimated $120 million needed to buy and renovate the 86-year-old theatre has already been raised. The Symphony does not own its own hall and currently competes with other organizations for time in the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts.
The Indianapolis Symphony has posted record income from ticket sales, selling $8.49 million, a 15 percent increase from the previous season. The Symphony also doubled the number of student tickets sold, and annual fundraising was also up, at $9.3 million.
The Indianapolis Symphony has ratified a new 3-year agreement. Wages will rise 9.3 percent over the life of the agreement, the orchestra size will increase by two musicians, and musicians will receive an extra week of vacation and a $1,000 ratification bonus.
The Fort Worth Symphony strike has ended, thanks to $700,000 from an anonymous donor. The strike lasted 3.5 months, and musicians returned to work for a New Years Eve performance. Their new four-year agreement includes pay freezes for two years, a 2 percent raise in year three, and a 2.5 percent raise in year 4. Management had been asking for pay cuts from the musicians.
The Pittsburgh Symphony strike has ended after almost two months. Musicians have a new five-year agreement which cuts wages 7.5 percent in the first year, half of what management had requested, but restores those cuts by the end of the agreement.
The North Carolina Symphony has ratified a new three-year agreement. Wages will rise 2.5 percent, two percent, and three percent in years one, two, and three respectively. The orchestra size will also increase to 66 musicians.
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