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42 n e w h a v e n B I Z | J u l y / A u g u s t 2 0 1 9 | n e w h a v e n b i z . c o m A R T S & C U LT U R E Historic College Street playhouse eyes ways to redress CT's competitive disadvantage in vying for Broadway tour launches By Frank Rizzo e Shubert's Next Act F or most of its 105 years New Haven's Shubert eater enjoyed exalted status as a premier Broadway tryout house — the "Birthplace of the Nation's Greatest Hits" indeed. However, in the late 20th and into the 21st century, economic re- alities tarnished much of that luster. For one thing, the College Street performance palace's modest size, plus the economic exigencies of the musical theater business on Broad- way and beyond, resulted in fewer touring shows being commercially produced — and sending many of the brightest and best of those to cities other than New Haven. Now, however, hope springs anew in the form of a state tax-credit program that could help lure Broadway producers to build their national tours on a founda- tion laid on College Street. e Shubert's executive director thinks that could happen. So do tour producers. e trouble is: ey don't exist. Yet. If they did they could provide a vital boost to the theater that is seeing an increasingly thin calendar of shows and confronts the cruel imperative to fill its stage with entertainment product that sells tickets. It could also lure pre-Broad- way shows — that was once the Shubert's special attraction, with premieres of Oklahoma!, My Fair Lady and A Streetcar Named Desire — now going to Chicago, whose state offers an attractive tax credit package for new shows as well as tour start-ups. For much of the 20th century, the Shubert regularly hosted Broad- way-bound shows, presenting more than 300 world premieres and 600 pre-Broadway shows. By the 1970s the out-of-town tryout circuit had greatly dimin- ished and the Shubert became dependent on touring shows. But because of its 1,600-seat house — which includes a tough-to-sell second balcony — the size of the Shubert's box office gross potential was not as attractive as much larger presenting houses elsewhere. Sub- sequently the theater had to settle either for first-class tours at the end of their road life or for secondary, oen non-Equity, tours. But in 2007, the megahit Jersey Boys chose the Shubert to spend four weeks in prepping for its big-budget national tour, and end- ing its stay with preliminary per- formances at the theater. e size of the house didn't matter as much as the size of the stage itself, which matched many of the theaters it would tour. Also helping were New Haven's proximity to New York just 90 miles away; its direct train line to Manhattan, and the resources the region provided. (Also, a major scene shop — ShowMotion Inc. — is located in Milford.) at launch was followed in 2015 by the preparations for the fami- ly-friendly Broadway hit Matilda, which stayed at the College Street theater for nearly seven weeks, ending in its inaugural perfor- mances at the theater. What those shows — and others that it was hoped would soon follow — meant was millions of dollars spent locally — in union stagehand payroll, in hotels, restaurants and a broad spectrum of businesses that provide services for theater produc- tions and their patrons. "e local stagehand payroll alone for Matilda was nearly $1 million," says John F. Fisher, execu- tive director of the Shubert. He esti- In 2007, the megahit Jersey Boys chose the Shubert to spend four weeks in prepping for a big-budget national tour.

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