Tribeca Film Institute to Suspend Operations, Enact Layoffs
Over the coming weeks, the institute is expected to wind down its existing programming, with a final closure date in September
by Beatrice VerhoevenThe Tribeca Film Institute has paused its operations and has been hit with a small round of layoffs due to the coronavirus pandemic, an individual with knowledge of the situation told TheWrap.
Over the coming weeks, the institute is expected to wind down its existing programming, with a final closure date in September.
Less than 10 staff members were laid off, while the rest of the institute’s staff were placed at parent company Tribeca Enterprises.
The board will reevaluate options in the fall of how to best support storytellers and filmmakers in the future in the wake of the pandemic. The uncertainty around donations played a significant role in the board’s decision to suspend its operations on Tuesday.
The Tribeca Film Institute is a non-profit organization founded by Jane Rosenthal, Robert De Niro and Craig Hatkoff in the wake of Sept. 11, 2001. The organization strives to empower filmmakers through education and grants. The Tribeca Film Festival will celebrate its 20th anniversary next April.
Variety first reported the news.
Martin McDonagh’s new comedy, starring Dan Stevens ("Downton Abbey") and Mark Addy ("Game of Thrones"), announced March 20 it would not reopen after playing 13 preview performances ahead of an expected March 19 official opening.
The revival of Edward Albee's classic drama, starring Laurie Metcalf and Rupert Everett, had played just nine preview performances before Broadway went dark. With the scheduled April 9 official opening off the table, producers decided to close the show on March 21.
The new musical by composer Tom Kitt ("Next to Normal," pictured), lyricist Michael Korie ("Grey Gardens") and book writer James Lapine ("Into the Woods") was scheduled to begin performances on March 12 ahead of an official April 16 opening. On March 24 the Lincoln Center Theater announced the show's opening would be pushed to the fall.
Noah Haidle's play, starring Debra Messing and Andre Braugher, was due to begin performances in early April. But on March 25, Roundabout Theatre Company announced it would open this fall instead.
Roundabout also delayed the opening of its revival of the Jeanine Tesori-Tony Kushner musical "Caroline, or Change," starring Sharon D. Clarke in an Olivier Award-winning performance. The show had been set for an April 7 opening at Studio 54.
Manhattan Theatre Club announced on April 7 it was postponing a Mary-Louise Parker-led revival of "How I Learned to Drive" to the 2020-21 season. The Pulitzer-winning drama, with David Morse as co-star, was due to open April 22, just before the cutoff for this year's Tony Awards.
The Tony-nominated musical was being evicted from the Winter Garden Theatre on June 6 (even though ticket sales had dramatically improved over the fall and winter). Now producers are hoping to find a new theater when Broadway opens up, though there's no guarantee that will happen. The adaptation of Tim Burton's 1988 movie played played 27 previews and 366 regular performances.
A new revival of Neil Simon's comedy starring Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick will now play March 19, 2021 through July 18, 2021. The show had been expected to begin previews at the Hudson Theater on March 13, the day after theaters were shut down.
The new Michael Jackson musical, starring Tony nominee Ephraim Sykes as the late King of Pop, had been planning to begin performances in July for an August opening. But now it's pushed back its debut to next spring, with a new opening night set for April 15, 2021.
Disney's stage version of the animated hit "Frozen" became the first long-running show to close due to the pandemic. The Tony-nominated show opened in March 2018 and played 825 performances and 26 previews.
Since there's no word yet on when Broadway performances might resume, the Broadway League on March 25 indefinitely postponed this year's Tony Awards, which had been scheduled for June 7 at Radio City Music Hall.
Disney’s “Frozen” is the latest affected
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