Broadway has a labor issue

Broadway has not had a genuine cultural phenomenon since Hamilton opened in 2015. That is the longest gap between mega-hits in the modern history of the industry. Before Hamilton, the average wait between shows like A Chorus Line, Cats, Rent, Wicked, and The Book of Mormon was about 2.69 years. Without a new blockbuster to lift the tide for all shows, the economics of the Broadway stage have become dangerously strained—and the people who actually perform the work are bearing the physical and financial brunt of it.

The post-pandemic cost squeeze

Both the cost of putting on a show and the profile of the audience have shifted dramatically in the last five years. Producer and entertainment lawyer Mark Hirschbein notes that weekly operating expenses are up about a third from a decade ago. The price of lumber and fabric has risen, making sets and costumes more expensive to build. At the same time, audiences have changed. Before the pandemic, about 16 percent of Broadway attendees came from the suburbs; last season, that number dropped to 4.3 percent. The typical theatergoer is now a 40-year-old woman with a household income over $275,000. Producers, facing higher costs and fewer reliable revenue streams, have only one lever to pull: ticket prices. That makes it harder for shows to recoup their initial investment, and the investors who fund productions are increasi