CATCHING UP

Let's check in on the last few years, shall we?

2021
The big news of 2021 was the reopening of Broadway. It's hard to imagine there will ever be a time quite like that again. To watch "Circle of Life" raise the sun over the Pride Lands for the first time in 18 months was a true gift.

2022
I was thrilled to say "I (sure) do" to the love of my life last year. We were married by a close friend and a family member in one of our favorite places on Earth, Central Park, on a Monday (like true theater people) and fulfilled my desire to have a "brunch reception." It was perfect.

2023

Halfway through this year, it has already brought new projects, international adventures, a return of the show that started it all to my hometown, and much more. Stay tuned for the full story!

FOUR YEARS

Clearly, the 45th presidential administration proved to be an unproductive time for my site and blog! I'm thrilled to pop back in as 2020 comes to a close, update and clean up a few things, and post a little update. I hope whenever and wherever this finds you, you and your loved ones are safe and well.

This was a wild year for everyone, every industry, every facet of life. Broadway and the theater industry took (and is taking) its hardest hit ever. If you can, please consider supporting the incredible artists who remain out of work through The Actors Fund and Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

There were many bright spots in this year for me, including getting to spend so much quality time with the person I love. I also visited Europe for the first time with a magical trip to Paris in January, we welcomed Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton to Women's Day on Broadway, and I graduated with my MBA from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. 

Three of my favorite books of the year were The Vanishing Half, The Nickel Boys, and Red, White & Royal Blue. (I was a bit behind since most of my reading for the last two and a half years was MBA-related!)

One of my favorite articles of the year was about political and racial justice activism in the WNBA. If you can help support the Georgia runoffs with your money or time, please visit Tiedyen4Biden. 

My favorite Broadway show that I saw before the shutdown was A Soldier's Play. 

I remain hopeful we will be able to see each other and live theater again next year. Until next time, take good care.

A WHOLE NEW WORLD

The answer to the question I posed in my last update ("What's next?") proved to be "A lot."

In the last six months I presented and moderated at the Tessitura Conference, then promptly moved to New York to start work with Disney Theatrical Group. It's a dream come true to work with incredible colleagues and amidst this amazing Broadway community, and I love every second of it. 

Being back in New York has been a welcome change of pace and I've been soaking up every artistic experience and new opportunity I can. The best place to keep up on my adventures at the moment is Instagram.

Given all of the changes in my world I've been giving thought to where this blog will go in the future. I'm working on some new things to try out, but in the interim, here are a few items of note from the past six months.

My friends made this and I got to sit in - on my first day back in the city, no less. If you haven't had a chance to be swept away by #BARS Vol. 2 yet, dig in:

It's well-documented how much I love Broadway, and I'll see just about everything, but every once in a while I fall head over heels for a brilliant show. The revival of HAIR ... Hedwig ... but I have never seen a show five (!) times during its run until Falsettos. Thank goodness they filmed this magnificent production; look out for it on PBS this fall. And do yourself a favor by picking up the Broadway Cast Recording (buy from Sh-K-Boom and they'll donate to BC/EFA!). We're lucky to have art like this at a time like this.

Very grateful to have seen @falsettosbway one last time today. #fifthtimesacharm This show is so timely for the moment in which we find our world. It also happened to come at the right time to teach me about choosing a family in my first months back in the city. And as rendered by @lctheater and this incomparable cast, it was truly a perfect musical. If you missed it, check out Live at Lincoln Center on @pbs in a few months. Thank you, #falsettos, for everything. ❤️💛💚💙💜

A video posted by Lauren Rutlin (@1onelauren) on Jan 8, 2017 at 3:34pm PST

Finally, the political situation has been weighing heavily on me as it has on countless others. Please stay informed, stay active, and do what you can with the time and resources you have. Some of my favorite organizations are below, but what matters is finding ways that work for you to show how much you care about our world.

American Civil Liberties Union

Human Rights Campaign

Planned Parenthood

 

ROAR

In the past few months that I haven't been on the blog, I've been at work. A few seven-show Saturdays, unveiling a new season, and a promotion to Director of Ticketing later, I'll admit I'm just a tiny bit tired. But I'm mostly asking, "What's next?"

What was next this spring was Disney's The Lion King. Besides getting to work with what is easily one of the best and coolest casts, crews and staffs in the business, we managed to break some records. I've worked quite a few Broadway shows in the last several years but none have caught fire in exactly this way (The Book of Mormon was huge, of course, but we had four times as many seats to sell for The Lion King and the excitement increased exponentially week to week). Our staff never stopped fielding questions about Simba and Mufasa for months, and by the end, I could release a pair of seats, glance away, and when I looked back at the screen they'd be sold. Students waited for hours in rush lines for just a small handful of available tickets. I'm thankful for our incredible team and the audiences here in Madison for supporting this timeless and gorgeous show. 

What's next for us at Overture includes mailing subscription tickets for next season to thousands of homes later this month, welcoming the kinkiest show on Broadway, and piling on the summer concerts. What's next for me includes presenting at Tessitura's annual conference (on apps, interactivity and mobile ticketing) and maybe a short vacation at some point. I promise to keep you updated.

#BARS

My genius friends are making some pretty big waves with the final project from their inaugural rap-meets-musical theater workshop. 

But 32,000 views in two days isn't what's cool. The finished product is actually what's cool. I dare you to only watch it once ...