Let’s talk about money. Specifically, let’s talk about how we talk about money. It’s always complicated, but the past year has made us all reevaluate how we approach and talk about financial models in the commercial theater. What is clear in our fight for antiracist and decolonized futures is that economic justice must be prioritized. That is a huge undertaking, but what can bring hope to us all is that integrating economic transparency into our practice can be our most trusted entry point. Let’s unpack the good, the bad, and the ugly of financial models in commercial theater -- what works, what doesn’t, and what needs to change in the future. What does it look like to embed transparency at every step of the way? In this webinar we will be joined by BIPOC leaders in the industry forging new structures and systems of accountability to aid us in this vulnerable and necessary work!
Thursday, April 15th, 8pm EDT
ABOUT THE PANELISTS
TONI R. ISREAL
Toni R. Isreal is the CEO and Founder of REALEMN Productions LLC, Broadway’s leading multicultural marketing and PR support team, run by Black Women. Just a few REALEMN clients include 2019 8 Time Tony Award Winning HADESTOWN, Broadway Bound - MJ THE MUSICAL, and New York Theatre Workshop, and the upcoming HADESTOWN Tour 2021. In addition to being a proud member of New York Women in Film & Television, Isreal is also a consultant with New York’s World-Famous Apollo Theater, where she has secured over a million dollars in sales. Previously, Isreal was the Managing Director of Walker International Communications Group (WICG). In that role, she led a team providing all aspects of marketing consultation to arts organizations including audience development, media support, and socially & technology driven initiatives. A proud member of CTI – Commercial Theater Institute, Isreal was instrumental in multiple projects inclusive of, 2018 Tony Award Winning ONCE ON THIS ISLAND, Disney’s ALADDIN and THE LION KING, HUGHIE, A RAISIN IN THE SUN, A TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL, A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, BABY IT’S YOU and STICKFLY, Boston’s BORN FOR THIS at ArtsEmerson Theatre and Off-Broadway’s SMOKEY JOE’S CAFÉ, LITTLE ROCK, THROUGH THE NIGHT, ONE NIGHT, BOOTYCANDY, KING LIZ, WHORL, INVISIBLE THREAD, SMART PEOPLE, DOT, and AUTUMN. Israel is adding to her portfolio as REALEMN Productions is prospecting producing and marketing opportunities for film, television and/or theater. As a sincere advocate for BIPOC, Isreal further enjoys promoting the arts and entertainment to multicultural communities and delivering engaging experiences that encourage audiences to secure their seats and tune in! www.RealemnProductions.com follow @realemnproductions.
Added to her arsenal, COVID-19 Theatre Think-Tank (CTT Member) https://www.covidtheatrethinktank.org/
HEATHER SHIELDS
Heather is an award-winning producer and theatre manager. She received her undergraduate degrees at the University of Richmond and later graduated from Columbia University with her Masters in Arts Administration. She made her Broadway producing debut in 2017 with the Tony Award-winning Bandstand and was most recently a lead producer on A Christmas Carol. She is also a producer on the Off-Broadway hit Puffs! (Or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic). Heather serves as the General Manager of the long-running, downtown sensation BATSU! NYC and opened BATSU! Chicago to critical acclaim in 2016. She is a Co-Founder of The Business of Broadway.
CYNTHIA J. TONG
Cynthia J. Tong is a creative producer working across commercial (Broadway and off-Broadway), non-profit, and regional theatre. Rich collaborations with artists feed her soul, where process matters as much as product. Currently, she is the Associate Producer at Tom Kirdahy Productions, Line Producer for A THOUSAND WAYS by 600 Highwaymen (Drama League 2021 nom.), a Fellow of WP Theater’s 2020-2022 Lab, and a founding member of The Industry Standard Group, the first BIPOC commercial theatre investment and producing organization. Recent highlights include NYCLU’s Sing Out for Freedom Fundraiser (Virtual, 2020), Playbill’s Women in Theatre Concert (Virtual, 2020), and LORDES (New Ohio Theatre, 2019). B.A. in Sociology, Wesleyan University. www.cynthiajtong.com