Industry NewsMTI's All Together Now! Raises More Than $6 Million For Theatrical Organizations WorldwideThe project saw more than 2,000 theatres in 31 countries performing a gala revue in celebration of the return of live theatre.
By
Logan Culwell-Block
December 14, 2021
MTI's All Together Now! event celebrating the return of live theatre raised more than $6.2 million for theatrical organizations worldwide, according to the theatrical licensor. The project saw more than 2,000 theatres in all 50 U.S. states and in 31 countries performing a special revue November 12-15.
Provided by MTI to theatres with rental and royalty fees waived, the event served as both a celebration of the return of live theatre and a fundraiser for organizations still experiencing the profound effects of COVID-19-related cancellations and postponements. Over the weekend event, 5,000 individual performances of All Together Now! were seen by approximately 500,000 audience members.
Burley High School's All Together Now!Burley High School
Structured as a customizable benefit-style performance, All Together Now! gave theatres a long list of potential songs to perform from works licensed by MTI, including Les Misérables, Rent, Disney's Beauty and the Beast, Newsies, Little Shop of Horrors, and more. The event was also designed to be a celebration of local theatre and the communities around them, with spots made for appearances and remarks from local leaders and figures.
Participating theatres also had the option of using an official, Broadway-quality Playbill program for the event through PLAYBILLder, Playbill's online tool for creating custom, authorized Playbill programs. Working directly with MTI as a media partner on the project, Playbill was able to offer a special template for All Together Now! that pre-loaded the song list and billing information for more than 600 theatres that performed the revue.
"The response from around the world has been an overwhelming affirmation of the importance of live theatre and the strong connection the members of the theatre community have with each other," says MTI President and CEO Drew Cohen. "Moreover, the incredible support of audiences in returning to live theater has been incredible to witness. I attended a small production of All Together Now! at a youth theatre in California, and the sense of belonging expressed by everyone in attendance—whether onstage or in the audience—was truly inspiring."
“By our estimation, nearly 100,000 people participated in these events as performers, musicians, and crew members," adds MTI Chief Operating Officer and Director of Education and Development John Prignano. "The resilience and passion of the theatre community was on full display during that November weekend, and we are grateful to help make a difference for all of the various theatres across the globe."
The Broadway Forever series, also featuring mini-documentaries, shines a spotlight on the performers whose work contributes to the soul and economy of New York City.
The new musical, based on the 1959 film and featuring a book by Matthew López and Amber Ruffin and a score by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, will make its Broadway premiere this season.
The non-profit has also added five new board members, including Tyler Perry, Sharon Karmazin, and executives from Actors' Equity, SAG-AFTRA, and The Shubert Organization.
Written by Dean Pitchford, Doug Besterman, and Timothy Allen McDonald, the musical made its world premiere at Off-Broadway's Atlantic Theater Company in 2019.
The union is standing in solidarity with American Equity's own ban while leaving room for Drabinsky to possibly work with both CAEA and AEA members in the future.
The move will render the Tony-winning producer unable to hire Equity members, effectively ending his ability to produce on Broadway and at many major venues across the country.
