Walking into the darkened New World Stages for TEDxBroadway, I half expected to see a sign saying “Presented by General Electric,” or at least a robot welcoming me to the great big world of tomorrow. After all, this niche TED talk was billed as an imagining of Broadway in 20 years. If Walt Disney were in charge of the daylong event, there would have been intricate models of Times Square—circa 2022—complete with flying cars, jet packs, and a monorail.

Alas, there were no glamorous peeks into a sterile Times Square, save for a brief joke from organizer Ken Davenport, rather the day was full of theatrical industry types waxing poetic on the future of Broadway. Much was made of the current state of affairs—Broadway has seen steady grosses over the past decade, despite economic downturn and tourism lulls—with a hint of urgency when considering the current demographics funneling money into live stage productions. As organizer and Situation Interactive leader Damian Bazadona pointed out, around 83% of Broadway’s audiences are white with average household incomes of $250,000.

While there often tends to be a sense of skepticism when speaking of Broadway’s future, TEDxBroadway was more about thinking positive, and brainstorming for the sake of live theater. Bazadona rattled off a list of needs for the viability of Broadway: incredible original productions, full theaters with diverse audiences, a wider platform to share our greater purpose, and less risk from external factors. “Broadway needs to become an idea factory,” he proclaimed, equating this industry to another—Silicon Valley.

It’s Bazadona’s hope for less risk from external factors that rings closest to the truth for Broadway’s sustainability, and ultimate growth. Theatrics aside, it all boils down to business, not art—money remains the bottom line. Yes, creative types need to continue being creative. Customer service must bounce back from the often-lackluster approach current front-of-house staff take when dealing with New York’s tourists. And marketers must work hard to cultivate new audiences. But the lasting lesson to come out of TEDxBroadway, and the idea most akin to a world of tomorrow, is the necessity for re-thinking the insular mentality most theater owners and producers have when thinking of the live entertainment industry.

Collective thinking is the future of Broadway. No longer can a producer pray for the failure of another production, merely to snag an open theater for their latest work. Billy Elliot might have just shuttered—Nice Work If You Can Get It producer Scott Landis was reportedly sniffing around Times Square, hopeful a show would flop in time for his Matthew Broderick vehicle to plop down for the winter in a warm house—but Elton John’s musical lesson in solidarity must not disappear into the Playbill vault.

Joseph Craig, an entertainment-marketing expert, proved the most provocative on the matter of collective thinking. “We want [tourists] to say ‘and see a show’ when planning their New York trips,” he said, fixating on the need for tourists to look at Broadway as a “must do” attraction. His greatest advice: “worry about how to get people to Broadway in general, not to an individual show.” I half expected to hear the TEDxBroadway audience, made up mostly of business insiders, to roll in the aisles at this blasphemous talk. Why would the Nederlanders want to help a Shubert show fill its seats?

Like it or not, everyone with a theater between 40th Street and 54th Street works in the theatrical industry, emphasis on the latter term—industry. Broadway is only as strong as its weakest link. Tourists are not looking at the minutiae of theatrical ownership and producer credits. Tourists come to Broadway to see a show. They bring their children to see a show. And, hopefully, those children will return to see a show. Business economics 101: Brand Loyalty. Broadway is the brand in question.

Barry Kahn, a dynamic pricing expert, added fodder to argument towards collective thinking, aiming his sights on a universal box-office experience. “What if all Broadway theaters worked out of the same box office?” he asked. Without touching on the precarious situation of box-office union red tape, Broadway as an industry could only benefit from a single point-of-sale. I still find myself irritated over the split between Ticketmaster and Telecharge offerings. In 2012, why must I toggle between two fundamentally different systems when trying to see what shows have open inventory on a Thursday night?

And, from a tourist’s perspective, why do we not hear about touring productions while waiting for a Broadway show to start? Would it not behoove the entire theatrical industry to alert patrons to relevant touring shows while the potential ticket buyers are ripe for arts marketing? I should be able to walk out of Jersey Boys and immediately be pointed to a customer service representative that can tell me about other jukebox musicals playing in my hometown. Movie theaters do this by way of coming attractions. Broadway does it by, what exactly?

There’s a great, big, beautiful tomorrow
Just a dream away

TEDxBroadway planted the seed for a great big dream to blossom in the theatrical industry’s mind. However, the dream is merely a start. It is now up to every person in attendance to see that dream through to reality. It’s time to drop the theatrics of narrow-mindedness, and open up to a collective future. That’s the only way Broadway will be standing on two strong legs in 20 years.

I originally published this article on 2AMtheatre.com.

Fast forward six months, and that original idea has been realized through a strategic partnership between Lincoln Center and Broadcastr, an app for iPhone and Android that creates intimate and immersive experiences by unlocking audio based on geo-location. I was charged with managing the project and producing nearly a dozen audio stories, each featuring a notable artist connected with Lincoln Center.

We managed to arrange interviews with artists from nearly all of the constituents making up Lincoln Center’s campus, including the New York City Ballet, Lincoln Center Theater, the New York Philharmonic, and The Juilliard School. From Elaine Paige and Alan Cumming to Alan Gilbert and Wendy Whelan, we brought stories from artists into the hands (and pockets) of Broadcastr users. Lincoln Center’s “From the Green Room” is now a featured tour in the Broadcastr app and is also accessible through a web interface on LincolnCenter.org.

During the post-Super Bowl premiere, one such talent took the stage, wowing the judges with his singing “Because We Believe,” partially in Italian. “I knew it might be risky to sing in Italian because most people don’t speak it, but no one can deny how beautiful the melody is,” Mann wrote on NBC’s website.

After watching Mann’s audition, it dawned on me that I had seen him before. Mann had been a guest teaching artist at Rosie’s Broadway Kids, now Rosie’s Theatre Kids, an organization in New York City geared towards helping kids receive an arts education. A handful of the kids had joined Mann for vocal rehearsals as they readied for a gala performance. Below is the video that I shot during the kids’ final rehearsals.

For those that grew up without access to MTV, VH1, or any other music television outlet prone to replaying holiday music videos on a 24-hour cycle following Thanksgiving, Band Aid was a charity group created by Geldof and Midge Ure in 1984 to raise money for poverty in Ethiopia. Major recording artists joined together and recorded “Do They Know It’s Christmas,” with proceeds helping the cause at hand.

Phil Collins, Bono, Simon Le Bon, Sting, George Michael. Essentially every singing superstar of the era joined forces for a cause, and the end result was a melody that withstands the test of time. It’s nearly impossible to watch the music video and not try calling out each star’s name as they pop up on screen. Spiked eggnog drinking game, anyone?

Charts were topped. Records were set. Charities were funded. And then came Band Aid II. Don’t feel bad if you can’t remember that 1989 blip on the radar. Kylie Minogue might be the only name from that odd lineup to still have a worthwhile career today. Production value was lacking, as was a clear reason for revisiting the project in a clear carbon-copy style. When the 20th anniversary of the 1984 gathering came around, Gedlof decided it was time to take another crack at things, this time with a strong list of talent.

Band Aid 20 saw the return of Bono, who was joined by Chris Martin, Robbie Williams, Snow Patrol, and a decent list of music stars, many with British roots, as was the case in 1984. Unfortunately, the success of that original project couldn’t be recreated, no matter how many talented singers joined the cause.

What was missing? A BBC critic pinned it to a lack of magic. “While the original carried atmosphere, this just feels bland,” they wrote. It wasn’t until this week’s episode of “Glee” that any sense of spirit got injected back into the do-gooder anthem of the ’80s. In fact, Fox’s hit musical series has knack for adding a revived enthusiasm to songs of yesteryear, from Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” to “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” and now “Do They Know It’s Christmas.” While the fanciful high school characters might not bleed originality, they do force an enthusiasm on the viewers that a producer like Geldof could not tap into.

Perhaps “Glee” creator Ryan Murphy should have consulted with the Broadway League this year. Much like Geldof, the League attempted to rally stage’s biggest stars and re-create a moment that helped boost New York City’s spirit shortly after the 9/11 attacks. Following the horrific day, an ad campaign, made to re-boost tourism in the city, featured Broadway stars singing the Kander and Ebb anthem “New York, New York,” followed by Nathan Lane asking people to “See a Broadway Show.”

On the 10th anniversary of that fateful day, Broadway actors including Joel Grey and Bebe Neuwirth joined in Times Square to re-create that iconic moment. “It wasn’t the most upbeat event,” EW.com wrote. It is a seemingly innocuous comment, but a telling one when considering the caliber of stars that joined for this commemoration. A great cause, certainly, but nothing to write home about. Think, Band Aid II. Great cause. Less than stellar execution.

The next time a charity or cause wants throw out originality and recycle a campaign, look to “Glee.” It will have a much greater chance of topping an iTunes download list, a milestone all the cool kids should aspire to.

Broadway producers have forsaken the “art” of show business, opting to focus on the “business” prospects of an industry built on fickle tourists. Can you blame them? Purists often try, but they aren’t the ones funding these shows. They’re waiting in rush lines, trying to pay as little as possible to be entertained. They shouldn’t be blamed either. Alas, take note, purists: you don’t factor into the business part of show, at least not when it comes to the bottom line.

During this holiday season, as families swarm Manhattan for Christmas cheer and a supposed “sure bet” on Broadway, where does a theater aficionado look to for a Broadway-caliber experience? Seek out the lesser evils. Find the “quality” A-listers, or as I like to call them, bright stars—those recognizable faces plunked down on stage in order to draw critical praise while also bringing a certain charisma sought out by Us Weekly. Consider it a happy medium, because casting stars on stage is nothing new, nor is it going anywhere in the foreseeable future. The rent is too damn high.

A rare gift was recently handed down from the silver screen gods, Harry Potter. Unlike, say, Twilight, which had a single casting goal in mind—make girls squeal—Potter approached its casting decisions with acting in mind. A novel idea. Perhaps it was a British mindset, something America has yet to accept from its former rulers. We threw out more than tea in Boston, we seemingly tossed a bit of class. Potter’s casting team and directors hand picked an ensemble that understood the craft, at least for many of the key roles. And Broadway has reaped some of those rewards, both on the business and artistic sides.

Casting Daniel Radcliffe in Equus showed audiences more than his unmentionables—young Harry Potter proved that he could handle the complexities of a challenging theatrical work. He then danced his way to the Hirschfeld Theatre, joining another brotherhood—the American Musical. Critical praise came, as did tabloid coverage, screaming girls, and box office receipts. How to Succeed, indeed.

Now the deliciously sinister Alan Rickman, known to Tweens everywhere as Professor Snape, is whirling his acting wand around the Golden Theatre in Broadway’s Seminar. He’s certainly no stranger to Broadway, nor the stage, but to Potter-obsessed audiences, a marquee with his name flashing in bright lights means more than quality, it means celebrity. And that benefits a play like Seminar, deserving of extra attention.

Bright stars—you might recognize their faces, but you’ll definitely remember their talent.

Film star Scarlett Johansson took time away from moviemaking in 2009 to make her Broadway debut—the decision resulted in Tony Award-winning success—but her transition from film to stage wasn’t as simple as pouting one’s lips. Liev Schreiber, her co-star in the play A View From the Bridge, recently noted that stage acting proved difficult, at first, for Johansson. “You’re articulating the idea of a playwright more than you are acting. And if you articulate the idea of the play, there will be emotion behind it. But if you’re ahead of it with the emotion, then the audience just perceives it as narcissistic. It’s about the actor acting. You’ve got to get egg on your face to learn those things.”

I’ll be the first in line to turn my nose up at the thought of Jerry Springer coming to Broadway, but for the good of the theatrical economy, perhaps the ire should be directed at Hollywood casting directors. With blockbuster movies being used as the barometer for future Broadway stars and starlets, start demanding more from you summer popcorn fare. Try pressuring Hollywood into doing it like the Brits. Or perhaps try convincing George Clooney to team up with David Mamet—a truly perfect holiday gift.

Whether Museum scientists are studying parasites, people, or planets in other solar systems, cutting-edge imaging technologies such as infrared photography, scanning electron microscopes, and CT scanners now make it possible to examine details that were previously unobservable. This exhibition, curated by Mark Siddall, curator in the Division of Invertebrate Zoology, features more than 20 sets of large-format images that showcase the wide range of research being conducted at the Museum as well as how various optical tools are used in scientific studies.

I produced, shot, and edited this video for the American Museum of Natural History on June 17, 2011.

With all of this tech talk on the stage, it begs the question, how tech savvy, or at least how enthusiastic about technology is the New York theatrical community? The Public Theater decided to highlight its own staff in a video, titled “iPublic,” which describes how Apple technology is used behind the scenes.

As you can see, they are a pretty savvy group. Then there is the current Broadway duo of Mandy Patinkin and Patti LuPone. Let’s just say, these Broadway stalwarts are making an effort to stay socially relevant, as can be seen in a recent spoof video created to promote their new show, An Evening with Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin, playing on Broadway through January 13, 2012. It’s hard not to love their zest for social media.