The Commercial Theater Forges Ahead in a Period of Change

 

It has been said the only constant in the universe is change. Whether it’s initiating change through new ideas, or reacting to the unexpected, leaders emerge from within the field of commercial theater to meet these challenges through innovation. This webinar features arts and entertainment professionals who exemplify the ability to create new ways of working in the midst of change – each has spent their career developing new concepts and opportunities that have benefitted the field. The pandemic has challenged us to generate new ways of delivering artistic products and services out of necessity to keep the industry alive. Some of these innovations may just become the new “norm” of doing business after the pandemic. In an environment where few of the old rules apply, the panelists will discuss the possibilities and new opportunities that can be set in motion.

For more information and to register, click here. 

Panelist information:

Steven Schnepp
Steven is president of Broadway Booking Office NYC, a theatrical tour booking, marketing and press agency representing Broadway, London-based shows and family productions. He has more than 40 years of experience in the entertainment industry and has collaborated on more than 75 productions. Steven began booking Les Misérables for Cameron Mackintosh in 1989 and has been booking shows ever since. Previously, he served as press agent in Dallas, house manager in Austin and touring company manager across North America. Steven was associate producer for the original The Light in the Piazza tour and a co-producer of Chicago’s OVATIONS! Concert Celebrations of Great American Musicals. A graduate of the School of Journalism at the University of Texas at Austin, Steven is a contributing writer for the book, Theatre Management: Producing and Managing the Performing Arts and has developed a 14-session course, Global Performing Arts Presenting and Producing, for Boston University. He is a member of The Broadway League, the Association of Performing Arts Professionals and the Association of Theatrical Press Agents and Managers.

Dori Berinstein
Dori is a four-time Tony-winning Broadway producer, an Emmy-award-winning director, producer and writer of film and television and the founder and CEO of The Broadway Podcast Network. (www.broadwaypodcastnetwork.com)
Dori is currently producing the Ryan Murphy Netflix adaptation of Dori’s award-winning Broadway musical The Prom, starring Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, James Cordon and Kerry Washington. Other recent award-winning Broadway productions include: Marianne Elliot’s revival of Company, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (Tony Award – Best Play
Revival); Legally Blonde: The Musical (Olivier Award – Best Musical), Thoroughly Modern Millie (Tony Award – Best Musical), The Crucible, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest (Tony Award – Best Play Revival), Fool Moon (Special Tony Award) and Flower Drum Song.

Rachael Reiner
Rachel Reiner is Director of Audience Engagement at The Broadway League (the national trade association for the commercial theatre industry) and oversees the Jimmy Awards®/National High School Musical Theatre Awards®, Broadway Bridges®, Careers.Broadway, the High School Broadway Shadowing Program, and various education and engagement related programs. She has held a variety of positions in multiple departments at the Broadway League since 1996.  She has produced over 30 plays as well as many readings and developmental presentations through her off-Broadway production company, Rachel Reiner Productions LLC, and as Managing Director of Resonance Ensemble, a non-profit theatre company.

Joshua Grossman
Joshua is a creative planner and consultant with strong connections to the professional theatre community. He currently serves as a Partner at Schuler Shook Consulting Firm which is an internationally recognized firm with extensive experience in planning performance facilities. Josh joined Schuler Shook in 2000, after ten years of working as a scenic designer, production manager and technical director in an array of fields, from theatre and special events to television and architectural restoration.

Passionate about graceful, sustainable and efficient design, Joshua brings to every project the ability to think laterally to find solutions, drawing on his considerable working knowledge of the multitude of systems that comprise a contemporary performance facility.