The 2016 Tonys, The Phonys, And What's In It For YOU

New York City is ablaze this time of year with news of the Tony Awards. It's the one day of the year when all of the theatre geeks get to come out and play and spell theatre with an -re.

To carry on that excitement we have some Tony-inspired promotions for our New York City run of shows. Here is how you can get your tickets cheap and - hey, Tony! - even free!

Hamilton Breaks Records and You Don't Break the Bank!

As expected, Hamilton has a whopping sixteen Tony nominations- a new Broadway record. To celebrate this new record, we are having our own HAM4HAM promotion.  Every day, Hamilton raffles off $10 tickets to the show. You can get into Hamilton for a Hamilton.

Well, we can do that too!

For the next day, use code HAM4PHONY and get $10 balcony seats to the Broadway's Next Hit Musical Phony Awards.

Is Your Name Tony? Read This!

Do you have a friend named Tony? Listen up! In honor of the Tony namesake, Antoinette Perry, we're offering free tickets! Show us that your name is Tony, Antoinette, or even Perry and post it up on Instagram with the hashtag #TonysAtThePhonys. You can snap it to us too! 

Named Tony or Not, The Time Is Now

Get your tickets today for the Phony Awards so you can take advantage of these promotions!

Travelogue: Rachel Bouton on Running on the Road

A quiet dirt road in Farmington, MO. A perfect place for a morning run. 

[Once a month we ask a member of our company to write about their adventures on the road. This month it's Rachel Bouton toured to Farmington, MO to perform at the Farmington Civic Center.]

When OK Cupid asks the question “What 6 things could you not live without” my answer has always been:

• Bagels
• Improv
• Pizza
• Tacos
• Travel
• Running

Not necessarily in that order.

Merging Running Schedules and Touring Schedules

I don’t always get to indulge in all 6 of those things while on the road with BNHM, but I do almost always make sure to get out for a long run wherever we are. Exploring a new place on foot has always felt to me like the best way to take in a town and when I found out recently that I would be running the NYC Marathon this November, it became apparent that I would be doing many of my long training runs while I was out for shows.

A lot of runners would have felt frustrated by this disruption in their schedule, but I was psyched. I love lacing up my Brooks and hitting the road in whatever town we happen to be playing in. Last month when I found myself stomping down the street on a beautiful day in Farmington, MO I turned on some upbeat country jams (when in Missouri right!?) and hit the road for my first long training run of the year, and it felt great!

Enjoying A New Setting

It is so hard to escape the noise and the people when you’re running in NYC and Farmington was just the place to log a few miles skating up and down beautiful tree-lined streets and smelling the freshly blooming spring flowers.

After my run was over, I went back to my hotel room and ordered a pizza before heading to the show. Run, Pizza, Improv? Three outta six ain’t half bad. 

See Rachel In a Show

Listen to the Farmington, MO Winning Song

Watch The Red Carpet from the Farmington Civic Center

Producers Spotlight: Deb Rabbai on Failing in Rehearsal

Stefan Schick and Deb Rabbai in the rehearsal room.

When you reach a level of competence and even excellence as a performer, you can sometimes hit a plateau in your work. You discover that you know how to do something and do it well, so now what? Where do you go creatively as a performer? Do you just continue to do what you know how to do and hope you don't get bored artistically? My answer is no.

We Challenge Ourselves In Rehearsal

In order for Broadway's Next Hit Musical's performances to stay sharp, fresh and excellent on the road and at home in New York City, we have to practice and challenge ourselves. The place reserved for those challenges is rehearsal. Every Tuesday in our rehearsals we often work on the basics of musical improvisation, storytelling, yes anding, presentational performance and physicality.

As an artistic director,  I work to create a nurturing rehearsal environment in which to work on and practice our craft. This is my main focus. As a performer I've found that it can be scary when I'm attempting something that I've never tried before or exploring a skill I'm weak in. Even if I'm surrounded by other supportive artists who are working on their own goals, it can cause me to go to a very vulnerable place. I judge myself overly harshly and I suddenly can't access the skills I already possess because I'm so busy focusing on the new skill I'm working on. Argggghhhh!!! Catch 22.

How do I improve a skill I'm not good at while continuing to maintain a level of excellence in the skills I already have?

Risk - and Risk Big - In the Rehearsal Room

Here's the key to opening that door and moving beyond your fear and your artistic plateau.

RISK.

You've got to take a creative risk. And make it a big one. My feeling is that rehearsal is the place to take that risk. Try that thing you're afraid to do in performance. Fail and fail big in rehearsal!

Look, nobody WANTS to fail. In order to succeed you have to be willing to fail good naturedly. Sometimes the greatest learning can be gained from a supreme failure. Believe me, I've been there....a lot. Sometimes people can feel the pressure to perform at a level of excellence in rehearsal. This can truly stop them from experimenting from the place of curiosity it takes to find something new. Whether it be through success or failure. How lucky we are to have such a pool of talented, supportive improvisers with whom to fail and - more often - to succeed. I relish our time to connect, succeed and fail in rehearsals. Together. 

See Us Risk It Onstage

Now that you know how we rehearse risking, come and see us in a show! Head to the tickets & info page to see us near you! 

Our Spring Run Is Different!

Bringing an audience member onstage to help us lift Robert Z. Grant. Probably wouldn't happen in January

Spring is in the air and a new Broadway show is opening every week! That can only mean that it's time for the 2016 Tony Awards. And if it's time for the Tony Awards, then, well, it's time for the Phony Awards!

You saw Broadway's Next Hit Musical in January. Ho hum. Right? Been there done that? Hold on...

Comparing Winter and Spring Runs 

Each year Broadway's Next Hit Musical does a run of shows in January and a run of shows in the spring. The basic format of the show is the same, of course, but there are definitely differences that we make from one run to the other.

In January there is a big conference for producers and presenters in New York City. So we have a few shows to basically audition for them. The show looks exactly the way that we would do it on the road - four actors, an emcee, a piano player. We keep the references general so they appeal to everyone around the country. Overall the show is tight, clean, and fast.

In our May and June shows, however, the story changes a bit. These shows are for our local audiences and we add in extras for them.

Special Springtime Extras

More New York/Broadway-centric. Since we're not looking to appeal to general audiences, you'll find references to local events, politics, and whatever is on the minds of New Yorkers at the time. We are more playful and a little looser.

The first extra is a fifth actor. Having a fifth actor means that we get to include a duet in the first act. Because our cast works together so much, this provides an opportunity for give and take that we don't often see in Act I. Many times these songs get chosen as the audience favorite.

The second extra is special guests. We're lining them up for this run and will be announcing them as we get closer to the show. Our special guests sometimes co-emcee, sometimes they do a song from the Broadway show they are known for. Last year, Telly Leung sang a song that was cut from Allegiance. Audiences wouldn't even have been able to see it if they saw the Broadway show!

Tickets Available Now

Tickets are on sale on the tickets & info page. They start at only $15 and go up from there. Note: we just heard from someone the other day who was in the back row of the balcony and said he had the BEST time. We can't wait to see you there!

Blog readers can use the discount code: BETTERSEATS and get front balcony seats at rear balcony prices!