How Broadway found its Gen Z audience

NEW YORK — Kimberly Belflower knew “John Proctor is nan Villain” needed its last cathartic segment to activity — and, for that, it needed Lorde’s “Green Light.”

“I virtually told my agent, ‘I would alternatively nan play conscionable not get done if it can’t usage that song,’” nan playwright laughed. She wrote Lorde a letter, explaining what nan opus meant, and sewage her greenish light.

Starring Sadie Sink, nan staggering play astir precocious schoolers studying “The Crucible” arsenic the #MeToo movement arrives successful their mini Georgia town, earned seven Tony nominations, including champion caller play — nan astir of immoderate this season. It’s among a group of Broadway shows that person centered nan stories of young group and attracted audiences to match.

Sam Gold’s Brooklyn-rave return connected “Romeo + Juliet,” nominated for champion revival of a play and led by Kit Connor and Rachel Zegler with euphony from Jack Antonoff, drew nan youngest ticket-buying assemblage recorded connected Broadway, producers reported, pinch 14% of summons purchasers aged 18-24, compared to nan manufacture mean of 3%.

The shows stock immoderate DNA: popular euphony (specifically nan stylings of Antonoff, who besides produced “Green Light”), Hollywood stars pinch established fanbases and stories that bespeak nan complexity of young adulthood.

“It was very clear that young group recovered our show because it was doing what theater’s expected to do,” Gold said. “Be a mirror.”

Embracing nan poesy of teenage language

The themes “John Proctor” investigates aren’t danced astir (until they virtually are).

The girls are speedy to talk #MeToo’s impact, intersectional feminism and intersexual autonomy. Their conversations, existent to teenage girlhood, are laced pinch drama and popular civilization references — Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, “Twilight,” and, of course, Lorde.

Fina Strazza, 19, portrays Beth, a leader who is whip-smart and well-intentioned — but whose friendships and belief strategy are shaken by nan play’s revelations.

“You person truthful overmuch empathy and are truthful invested successful her, but she still has these mishaps and slip-ups that young group often have,” said Strazza, nominated for champion featured character successful a play. Some assemblage members person fixed her letters detailing really Beth helped them forgive themselves for really they handled akin experiences.

The book is written successful prose, pinch predominant statement breaks and infrequent superior letters. Director Danya Taymor, nominated for champion guidance of a play a twelvemonth aft winning a Tony for different teenage canon classic, “The Outsiders,” was drawn to that hit — and really Belflower’s depiction of adolescence captured its intensity, conscionable arsenic S.E. Hinton had.

“There’s thing astir nan teenage years that is truthful raw,” Taymor said. “None of america tin flight it.”

Classic themes, made modern

During his Tony-winning accumulation of “An Enemy of nan People,” Gold recovered himself having conversations pinch young actors and theatergoers astir ambiance change, authorities and really “theater was thing that group their property and younger really request successful a different way, arsenic nan world is becoming truthful addicted to technology,” he said.

That conjured “Romeo and Juliet.” The original matter “has it each successful position of what it intends to inherit nan early that group older than you person created,” Gold said.

Building nan world of this show, pinch an ensemble nether 30, was not dissimilar building “An Enemy of nan People,” group successful 19th period Norway, Gold said: “I deliberation nan quality is that nan world that I made for this show is thing that a very quiet assemblage had not gotten to see.”

Fans, Gold correctly predicted, were ravenous. Demand up of nan first preview prompted a preemptive extension. Word (and bootleg video) of Connor doing a pullup to buss Zegler made nan rounds. “Man of nan House,” an Antonoff-produced ballad sung by Zegler mid-show, was released arsenic a single. With nan show premiering conscionable earlier nan U.S. statesmanlike election, Voters of Tomorrow moreover registered caller voters successful nan lobby.

Audiences proved consenting to pay: Average summons prices hovered astir $150. Cheaper unreserved and lottery tickets drew lines hours earlier nan container agency opened. Every week but 1 sold out.

“The show was initially really good sold because we had a formed that appealed to a really circumstantial audience,” said shaper Greg Nobile of Seaview Productions. “We continued to spot nan houses waste retired because these audiences came, and they were each complete online talking astir nan ways successful which they really felt seen.”

Building a Gen Z theatre acquisition pinch Gen Z

Thomas Laub, 28, and Alyah Chanelle Scott, 27, started Runyonland Productions for that very reason.

“We some felt a batch of vexation pinch nan industry, and nan ways that we were boxed retired of it arsenic students successful Michigan who were capable to travel to New York sparingly,” Laub said. Runyonland was launched successful 2018 pinch nan premise that highlighting new, bold voices would bring change.

This spring, Scott, known for playing Whitney successful HBO’s “Sex Lives of College Girls,” acted off-Broadway successful Natalie Margolin’s “All Nighter.”

“I was opinionated onstage and looking retired and seeing nan assemblage kids that I was playing,” Scott said. “I was like, ‘I respect you truthful much. I want to do you proud. I want to show you a communicative that represents you successful a measurement that doesn’t belittle aliases demean you, but uplifts you.’”

Producing “John Proctor,” Scott said, gave Runyonland nan opportunity to target that assemblage connected a Broadway scale. Belflower developed nan show pinch students arsenic portion of a The Farm College Collaboration Project. It’s been licensed complete 100 times for precocious schoolhouse and assemblage productions. The Broadway production’s societal and influencer trading is tally by 20-somethings, too.

Previews attracted fans pinch a $29 summons lottery. While mean prices jumped to complete $100 past week (still beneath nan Broadway-wide average), $40 rush, lottery and opinionated room tickets person sold retired astir nights, pushing capacity complete 100%. The occurrence is validating Runyonland’s mission, Laub said.

“Alyah doesn’t judge maine that I outcry each clip astatine nan end,” Laub said. Scott laughs. “I conscionable want to guarantee you, connected nan record, that I do so outcry each time.”

Harnessing a taste catharsis

The last segment of “John Proctor” is simply a reclamation fueled by rage and “Green Light.” Capturing that energy has been cardinal to nan show’s marketing.

“The pullup (in ‘Romeo + Juliet’) is truthful impactful because it’s truthful real. It’s for illustration truthful precisely what a teenage boy would do,” Taymor said. “I deliberation erstwhile you spot nan girls successful ‘John Proctor’ screaming … it hits you successful a visceral way.” That screaming made nan Playbill cover.

“In my opinion, nan look and consciousness of that run feels different from a accepted theatrical campaign, and it feels a batch person to a movie campaign,” Laub said. The show’s squad so considered nan zeitgeist-infiltrating activity of their sister industries, specifically studios for illustration Neon and A24.

In May, “John Proctor is nan Villain” vanished its 2nd “spirit week” pinch a schoolhouse tone day. Earlier events included an crystal pick societal — actors served Van Leeuwen — a silent disco and a banned book giveaway. For those not successful their ain school’s colors, nan merch guidelines offered T-shirts, including 1 printed pinch nan Walt Whitman-channeling statement said by Sink’s Shelby: “I incorporate frickin’ multitudes.”

Julia Lawrence, 26, designed nan garment aft nan show’s squad saw her TikTok video reimagining their accepted merch into thing much for illustration a performance tee.

“It’s conscionable truthful unthinkable to bring Gen Z into nan theatre that way, particularly astatine a clip erstwhile theatre has ne'er been much important,” Lawrence said. “In a world that’s overpowered by screens, unrecorded creation tin beryllium specified a powerful measurement to find understanding.”