Hartford Business Journal

6 Hartford Business Journal • June 10, 2019 • www.HartfordBusiness.com By Frank Rizzo Special to the Hartford Business Journal C ould a state tax credit program help lure Broad- way producers to build their national tours in Connecticut? Perhaps — if it existed. Major tour launches won't likely happen anytime soon at the state's main presenting houses, including The Bushnell in Hartford and New Haven's Shubert Theater, because Connecticut lacks a tax credit pro- gram to compete with the lures offered by an in- creasing number of states, includ- ing New York, Rhode Island, Illinois and Louisiana. Meantime, Massachusetts and Ohio have also considered tax credits aimed at encouraging music or theatrical production companies to conduct pre- tour activities, technical rehearsals and even perform shows there. Connecticut theater executives say they've been able to attract some of this work in the past, but it's getting harder as more states compete for it. Some theater houses want to renew efforts to get a state tax credit program, though they know it will be an uphill battle given Connecticut's fiscal condition. New York's incentives were adopted in 2015, and have helped lure weeks- long technical set-ups and perfor- mances in Schenectady ("A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder"), Rochester ("A Bronx Tale") and Syracuse (a revival of "Fiddler on the Roof"). States are interested in incentiviz- ing this work because of its potential economic benefits. For example, "The Lion King's" tech- nical set-up period and launch for its most recent tour in Syracuse had an es- timated local economic impact of more than $14 million from travel, hotels, restaurants, and other activity gener- ated by theatergoers and production staff, according to figures from The Broadway League — a national trade association for the theater industry. "You can see how many more tours started in New York State after the tax credits were put in place there [five years ago]," says commercial producer Orin Wolf, a 2001 graduate from Uni- versity of Hartford's Hartt School. New York's tax credits allow show producers that hold technical rehears- als in the state to claim a 25-percent tax credit for cer- tain costs. In the last four years, the state has granted tax credits to 18 startup tours, which are only al- lowed to operate out of theaters in upstate New York. Wolf says Con- necticut could benefit from a similar program where produc- tions — which can spend several million dollars locally — receive tax credits for up to 20 to 25 per- cent of money spent for things such as stagehand payroll, hotel stays for cast and crew, food services, and other related expenses. State tax credit programs for theatri- cal productions vary, but Wolf says they could provide tens- or even hundreds of thousands of dollars in savings, which can be a determining factor in where a touring production builds its sets, incorporates its lighting, sound, costumes and projections, rehearses its cast and musicians, fine tunes its pro- duction and even begins performances. One of Wolf's shows — "The Band's Visit," which last season won the Tony Award for outstanding musical — will prep its upcoming midsize tour for two weeks and then begin performanc- es in Providence, R.I. — a state, he says, that has been at the forefront of offering tax cred- its that regularly draw tour launch- es to the Provi- dence Performing Arts Center. "That credit is very meaningful for a show like 'The Band's Visit,' " he says. ("The Band's Visit" will play for a standard week's run at The Bush- nell next April.) "If Connecticut were to do tax credits," says Wolf, "the effect would be substan- tial because, beyond the financial aspect, it's also nice to have cities that have proximity to New York. Clearly Connect- icut would have an advantage there." Real savings Connecticut currently does have entertainment-industry tax credits, but ARTS BIZ Main-Stage Allure Could tax credits draw Broadway tour starts to CT theaters? Frank Rizzo Connecticut theaters, including The Bushnell, want the state to adopt a tax credit that incentivizes pre-tour musical or theatrical activities to take place locally. Shown above is a performance of "A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder" at The Bushnell. "If Connecticut were to do tax credits, the effect would be substantial because, beyond the financial aspect, it's also nice to have cities that have proximity to New York. Clearly Connecticut would have an advantage there." Orin Wolf , Commercial Producer PHOTOS | CONTRIBUTED

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