Nothing for the Group is a weekly newsletter about the American theatre, written by DC-based dramaturg and writer Lauren Halvorsen.
Every Friday, I compile a round-up of industry news, reviews, links, along with my commentary. (I’m a little salty but never mean.) I’m interested in exploring the power structures and dynamics that create and perpetuate inequity in the industry, and dissecting how institutions frame their public narratives.
In October 2021, I started offering occasional premium content for paid subscribers, including in-depth season planning analysis and annual year-in-review posts.
Frequently Asked Questions:
How do I submit my production/workshop/reading to be listed in Nothing for the Group?
How do you calculate living wages for That’s Not A Living Wage?
I want to unsubscribe or I have a question/issue with my subscription.
Submitting to Nothing for the Group
You can email press releases and production information to nothingforthegroup [at] substack.com. All submissions should include a link to an external site or ticketing page. Due to the volume of submitted projects, please note that sending information does not guarantee its inclusion in an upcoming newsletter.
The listings are curated and not meant to be comprehensive, but I am always eager to hear about events around the country, especially:
workshops, readings, and festivals
world premieres
hyper-local productions (i.e. stories created by and for residents of specific neighborhoods and communities)
performance collectives
projects produced outside of major regional theatre hubs (NYC, DC, Chicago, etc.), especially in the Mountain, Southwest, Great Plains, and Southern regions of the country
projects by marginalized artists and communities
digital or streaming theatre
audio productions
work developed outside of the traditional LORT new play machinery
Nothing for the Group does not list the following events:
training programs
crowdfunding campaigns
benefits, galas, or fundraising events
invite-only readings
high school or college productions
community theatre
children’s theatre
(Please know that I support all of your weird experimental university theater projects in my heart.)
Listing Information
Due to the volume of submissions (and the suggested character limit for Substack emails), only the following information is included in listings:
Play Title
Playwright/Artist Name(s)
Date Information
Producing Organization / Geographic Location of Venue
Short Description/Blurb Excerpt
Director Name
Guest Essays
In the past, Nothing for the Group has published a handful of guest essays, but this series originated with a known and trusted collaborator. It is highly unlikely that I will accept an unsolicited pitch for a guest contribution, but feel free to shoot your shot.
What does ‘nothing for the group’ mean?
Here is my explanation from a Bills, Bills, Bills footnote:
There are many non-theater professionals who subscribe to this newsletter (much to my surprise and delight!) who don’t know the inside-baseball context for its title. After a tech rehearsal or preview performance, every department (scenic, costumes, lighting, props, etc.) gathers for a production meeting with the director and production manager to collectively discuss any notes/issues/work for the next day. “Nothing for the group” is an oft-repeated (and golden) phrase to hear from your colleagues during these meetings.
Are you a journalist?
It’s become a bit of a running joke, but a friendly reminder: I’m not a journalist. I do not include any news in Nothing for the Group unless it is published by a reputable outlet or shared publicly on an artist’s social media. (Feel free to tell me gossip though.)
I cannot investigate workplace abuses or sexual harassment. I can try to connect you with journalists and legal resources in your area.
Bills, Bills, Bills
In June 2022, Nothing for the Group launched Bills, Bills, Bills, a monthly series of anonymous money diaries from theatre workers curated and edited by Jenna Clark Embrey. The first installment was prominently featured in The New York Times’ coverage on pay equity and salary transparency. The full archive of money diaries is available here.
We accept diarist submissions on a rolling basis.
The Methodology of That’s Not a Living Wage
In July 2021, I started posting weekly job listings paired with the living wage for a 40-hour work week for one adult with no children in that area. In February 2022, I started augmenting these listings with the most recent available 990 data to contextualize a theatre’s overall finances and executive compensation.
There’s no universal framework for calculating living wages. I use the Economic Policy Institute’s Family Budget Calculator. I wrote about why I do not use the MIT Living Wage Calculator in this post.
I do not deduct healthcare expenses from the EPI’s calculations. While the majority of theatres cover insurance premiums for full-time employees, not all companies cover the full cost of deductibles. There are still co-pays, out-of-pocket costs, prescription tiers, the astronomical price of giving birth — all the usual scams of the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries. (Let’s be real: “dental insurance” is a misnomer; it’s a 10% discount card at best.)
I don’t have access to individual theatres’ insurance policies, so these are naturally imperfect calculations. I hope employers are thoughtful about the true value of their healthcare plans when they’re setting salaries, and I hope this encourages prospective employees to scrutinize benefits packages before accepting positions.
Some of the discrepancies may not seem egregious, but it’s important to highlight that by using wage estimates for a single, childless individual that these positions are clearly built for a specific kind of applicant, making them less accessible to working parents/caregivers, folks with significant student loan debt, etc.
Subscriber Questions and Issues
There is an excellent reader guide’s to Substack which addresses the following:
How to manage your subscription
How to cancel a free or paid subscription
Updating payment information
Issues receiving emails
If you consult this page but continue to run into issues, please email nothingforthegroup [at] substack.com.
