E.J. Thomas Hall and Playhouse Square are entering their second year of partnering on the Broadway in Akron series, and on Tuesday announced the lineup of shows coming to the University of Akron theater in 2016-17.
Whether the partnership will continue will depend on whether E.J. and local audiences can “demonstrate to Playhouse Square that the Greater Akron community is an arts supporter,” said Nathan Mortimer, chief financial officer for the university.
Playhouse Square of Cleveland came on board last September with a two-year commitment to present the current Broadway season as well as next season. Theater League, the former presenter of the series, terminated its contract with the university in August after the school laid off E.J. Thomas Hall employees in July as part of a $40 million cost-cutting move.
“After the changes that were happening at the institution last year and the perception that E.J. Thomas was closed, I thought it was hugely important when I reached out to Playhouse Square not just to do a single year, but to do a multiyear engagement, just to demonstrate to the community that we’re here, we’re ready to go and move forward,” Mortimer said.
The goal for the upcoming season, the second year of the partnership, is to show that the region offers a growth opportunity, Mortimer said.
Gina Vernaci, Playhouse Square’s executive producer, said her organization had modest expectations for 2015-16 Broadway in Akron sales. But despite the upheaval at E.J. Thomas, 98 percent of Broadway in Akron’s 1,200 subscribers renewed their subscriptions for that season.
“It’s a new adventure for us to promote outside our market,” Vernaci said. “There is a greater capacity for us at E.J. because of the seating capacity [of 2,900]. So we have aspirations of looking toward next season and bringing a collection of shows that we think are going to represent great family entertainment, contemporary shows and some tried and true, to bring a mixed offering to E.J. just as we do here and hope that that will help build an audience.”
Historically, E.J.’s second balcony has not been used for the Broadway Series. Mortimer and Vernaci have discussed plans to open that level and strive to fill 2,900 seats, rather than just the 2,400 in the first two levels.
As E.J.’s Broadway Series presenter, Playhouse Square has assumed financial risk for the shows, including the current season that had previously been booked. The 2016-2017 season, with shows Playhouse Square has selected, is expected to be an audience-building year.
The lineup was announced Tuesday before the performance of the current season’s closer, 42nd Street. The new season includes Cinderella, Nov. 8-9; Once, Dec. 6-7; Rent, April 4-5, 2017; and Chicago, May 9-10.
The key to the Broadway Series’ growth is not only its programming but also Playhouse Square’s marketing expertise, Mortimer said: “That’s where Playhouse Square has the ability to do greater than we’ve ever done in the past.”
“We’ve got a facility that’s really a gem of the community. It’s been around for 40 years, and we have the opportunity to program it more,” Mortimer said. “We’re trying to find the model that works.”
Vernaci said figuring out a new business model between Playhouse Square and UA, with the Akron Civic Theatre providing ticketing support, required a two-year deal, especially since next season’s shows needed to be booked last September. But Playhouse Square first wanted to help provide some stability for the 2015-16 season.
“We know what it does for the community in Cleveland. We know what it does for restaurants. We know what it does for civic pride,” she said.
New and old
For next season, Once and Cinderella will be new offerings at E.J. Thomas. Chicago and Rent appeared there in the last five to seven years.
The lavishly produced Cinderella by Rodgers and Hammerstein, which has been reconceived with a contemporary spin, sold out in July in Cleveland.
“It is the most lovingly produced family musical” with additional writing that infuses humor into the classic fairytale, Vernaci said.
At the contemporary Once, audience members will be invited onstage to hang out at a Dublin pub, just as they did for the Broadway show. The musical, which won eight 2012 Tony Awards, features an ensemble of actor/musicians who play their own instruments onstage in a tale about a street musician.
“It’s a very gentle little love story that’s told in a really interesting way,” Vernaci said.
The 20th anniversary touring production of Rent comes next. The late Jonathan Larson’s rock musical phenomenon, which celebrates friendship and love among struggling artists, won a Pulitzer Prize and four Tony Awards.
Finally, the season will wrap up with the razzle-dazzle of Chicago, the longest-running American musical in Broadway history and winner of six Tonys.
“It’s haunting, it’s funny, it’s dark, it’s sexy. It’s got it all going,’’ Vernaci said.
Mortimer said UA and Playhouse Square have not discussed plans for becoming co-presenters of the Broadway Series in the future.
“We’re hugely excited. The relationship that we have with Playhouse Square is really good for the university, good for E.J. Thomas, and in my opinion, very good for the Akron community,” he said. “The goal in the long term is to have Playhouse Square here for years to come.”
Arts writer Kerry Clawson may be reached at 330-996-3527 or kclawson@thebeaconjournal.com. Like her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/kclawsonabj or follow her on Twitter @KerryClawsonABJ.