“So tell me your thoughts on the new initiative.” “How do you feel about leading the new project?” “How can I improve as your manager?”  These questions can seem innocuous on the surface but depending on your company culture they can also be rife with tension and anxiety.  For an employee to be able to answer those questions in an open and honest manner, there needs to be psychological safety in the workplace. Psychological safety is the organizational structure of teams with open and honest communication that allows employees to have a sense of comfort about their ideas and identities at work.
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Psychological safety doesn’t just happen because your manager wills it to be. This type of culture takes time and dedication to build and sustain. There is no blueprint on how long it will take, but there are steps you can take to start the process.

1. Make it an explicit priority

Wanting a safe environment doesn’t make it so.  Your staff have to be reassured that this is more than just talk and a nice to have.
 
2. Facilitate everyone speaking up

​Give space to people so they can step up or speak up.  If someone does speak up, be open minded and compassionate. Especially if it’s someone that doesn’t normally do that.
 
3. Establish norms for how failure is handled
How is failure handled? Is it looked at as a learning experience, or is it used to push people back into their box. I had a boss who when I would ask him for clarification, would say “figure it out”, and then punish me when I couldn’t read his mind and figure out what he wanted. Compare that to another boss I had whose motto was “what's the worst that can happen? You can’t kill anyone, so let’s try it”.  Where do you think the staff felt psychologically safe?
 
4. Create space for new ideas. (Even the wild ones)

Knowing you wouldn’t be punished for failing allows staff to be creative and come up with novel ideas.  Will all of them be winners, not at all but allowing space gives birth to brainstorms that can come up with original ideas.  No more “this is how we’ve always done it”
 
5. Embrace productive conflict

​Everyone won’t agree but conflict can be productive if handled in a productive manner.  Are you shutting down one person instead of hearing both sides? How are the staff speaking to each other, is it in a respectful manner
 
There is no time like the present to start working on your psychologically safe department. 

When you think of Broadway, sports may not be the first thing that comes to your mind (unless of course you’re thinking of Damn Yankees or perhaps Rocky the Musical.)

But a unique opportunity presented itself when NY/NJ played host to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, welcoming visitors from all around the world.

We gathered Broadway and Off Broadway talent to share why visitors should come kick it on Broadway while they’re here.
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And we got a little charity involved. Several shows decorated one-of-a-kind soccer balls (Shubert even got in on the action too) that will be available for purchase at our table via silent auction during this year’s Broadway Flea.

​The Broadway Flea Market & Grand Auction returns for its 40th annual edition on Sunday, September 27. Last year we raised over $43,000 for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, helping provide lifesaving medication, nutritious meals, counseling, and emergency assistance to people in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C.

​We are once again collecting theater-related items and memorabilia, and we would love your support. No donation is too small, and no donation is too large.
 
A collection box is available at the sixth-floor reception desk in the Sardi Building, or you can send items to me through interoffice mail.
 
Please help spread the word and do not hesitate to reach out with any questions. Thank you for your generosity and for making this event a success.

​On July 30th, we bid farewell to our fifth cohort of Shubert interns. Each of our interns was able to become imbedded into their respective departments and get hands on experience on what it takes to get The Shubert Organization. Read on to see exactly what they were able to accomplish.

• Aiden Passaro – Finance
  • Assisted with bank reconciliations, journal entries, client billing, Broadway Inbound payment processing, account reconciliations, prepaid and liability accounts, and financial analysis
  • Researched discrepancies and analyzed financial data

 

• Suzy Leff – Human Resources
  • Updated the Labor Law notice boards at all 17 Broadway theatres plus the Shubert Warehouse and New World Stages
  • Digitized and archived over 200 important files
  • Researched vendors and demoed content for our annual anti-harassment training
  • Tracked and saved our annual Ticket Policy distribution responses

 

• Ein Sel – Marketing
  • Trained Shubert's beta AI system, SAM
  • Built a digital marketing campaign library

 

• Michiho Shimasaki – Off Broadway Venue Management
  • Assisted in coordinating the first phase of Stage 42 display case restoration
  • Assisted with site visits for
    • Stage 2 renovation project
    • NWS 50th street marquee restoration/upgrade.
  • Conducted full NWS shop inventory updates and created a new tracking system
  • Assisted with daily facilities assistant tasks
    • Reviewed show reports and assisted in organizing production requests
  • Took the initiative in creating a new project management system and formatted it to act as the go to spreadsheet for tracking daily tasks, service calls and delegated projects with timelines
• Alexandra Moore – Payroll
  • Digitized union contracts, benefits remittances, and almost 100 years’ worth of tax filings
  • Created an organizational system for our office supplies
  • Compiled binders and other unneeded supplies for donation to the Operation Backpack program  
• John Diaz – Real Estate​​
  • Performed various key tasks including the preparation of real estate transaction memos, lease analysis for retail tenants across our portfolio
  • Structured an excel spreadsheet detailing all the insurance requirements of our various tenants
• Hayden Daley – Ticketing

​Broadway Barks is a free, annual star-studded animal adoption event held in New York City's Shubert Alley. Co-founded by Bernadette Peters and Mary Tyler Moore, it brings together Broadway stars to showcase adoptable dogs and cats from dozens of local shelters. This year’s event took place Saturday July 11th, in the Shubert Alley and was hosted by Bernadette Peters and Andrew Rannells. The event was filled with over 60 celebrity presenters, including stars like Isa Antonetti, Joshua Boone, Reeve Carney, Bill Berloni, Ayo Edebiri, Christiani Pitts and many more.

Lucky participants arrived at 3 pm to a “meet and greet” where they got to meet all the absolutely adorable and adoptable pets. Followed by their debut on the stage to show off their furry goodness, along with Broadway companion.
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Broadway Barks also featured adoptable animals from 25 New York City-area animal shelters and adoption agencies: 1 Love 4 Animals, Abandoned Angels Cocker Spaniels Rescue, Adopt A Boxer Rescue, Anjellicle Cats Rescue, Badass Animal Rescue, Best Friends Animal Society, Bideawee, Big Apple Cat Rescue, Bobbi and the Strays, City Critters, Every Last One, Give Me Shelter, Hearts and Bones Rescue, Hudson Paws, Husky House, Linda’s Cat Assistance, Mid-Atlantic Great Dane Rescue League, North Shore Animal League, NYC Second Chance Rescue, Pet ResQ Inc., Remember Me Rescue, SaveKitty Foundation, SPCA of Westchester, The Animal Project, Urban Cat League and Yankee Golden Retriever Rescue.

In celebration of Pride Month, The Shubert Queer Alliance ERG (SQAd) hosted their third annual Pride Happy Hour at New World Stages. From musicians to ushers, our colleagues came together for a lovely afternoon of food, drinks, and networking.
 
If you are interested in more information on SQAd’s events, or joining as a member of the SQAd ERG Steering Committee, please reach out to [email protected]
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