​On the afternoon of October 31st, it was a real horror show in the lower lounge at the Jacobs Theatre as the staff gathered to celebrate Halloween prior to that evening’s performance of “The Outsiders”. All departments in the theatre (from company management to stagehands, wardrobe to actors, porters to box office, and of course the front of house staff!) participated in Halloween Bingo and an Eyeball Relay Race.  The highlight of the afternoon was the Halloween Costume Competition.
 
Creativity was the true winner of the day.  Costumes from the Trolls Movie, Goofy Movie, Monster Inc, The Ring and Despicable Me made appearances. Billie Eilish, Winnie-the-Pooh, a Native New Yorker, Power Rangers, Barnacle Boy, iPad Baby, Wonderwall Chad, Beanie Baby Unicorn, Cat in the Hat and a “cereal killer” were there to make everyone scream…with laughter. A Von Trapp Family Singer (Box Office Treasurer Nicky Giovanni) even got the crowd to join in on a rousing rendition of “Edelweiss.”
 
Judges Mark Schweppe (Theatre Operations), Pat Roehrich (retired/sub Theatre Manager), and Michael Coco (Theatre Operations) had the difficult task of selecting the winning costumes in four different categories, but everyone who joined in the fun got a participation medal.
 
Best Overall:  Paul Brown-Lombardi (Usher) as Cherry Carrie, the superfan who loves getting hit with “The Outsiders” stage blood
 
Scariest:  Dennis Granda (Porter) as Mike Myers
 
Funniest:  Kein Csolak (Actor) as Tulsa’s New Sheriff
 
Most Creative:  Brie Leftwich (Wardrobe) as the frosting that Ponyboy forgot to buy

Broadway isn’t the only place debuting exciting new features. We’re pleased to share that our latest “opening” in Shubert Alley has been a major success. If you’ve walked through the (often very breezy) Alley recently, you may have noticed a significant improvement: the installation of our new ADA-compliant restroom facilities.

This upgrade brings two fully accessible, single-occupant unisex restrooms, along with a new custodial closet. Most importantly, patrons who require an accessible restroom no longer need to make the trip to Sardi’s—convenience and accessibility are now right next door.

To ensure comfort in every season, an entry vestibule was added to maintain consistent heating and cooling while also preserving privacy. Access to the restroom remains exclusive to Shubert Theatre patrons; FOH staff will escort users and operate the automatic door opener as needed.

Though the space itself is modest, the effort behind it was anything but. This project brought together seven engineering and architectural design disciplines and ten construction trades. To make room for full-height ceilings—and to improve the Booth Theatre star dressing rooms above—steam radiators and outdated air conditioners were removed from three dressing rooms and replaced with modern fan coil heating and cooling units.

A huge thank you to Emily Qiu, Facilities Project Manager, for overseeing this complex project and guiding it to a successful (and nearly on-time!) completion.