HomeBad Ass AsiansWhen will @GeorgeTakei 's Allegiance make it to Broadway?
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When will @GeorgeTakei ‘s Allegiance make it to Broadway?

Allegiance - A New American Musical at The Old Globe.  Photo by Henry DiRocco.(Note from the editor: Allegiance starring George Takei, Lea Salonga and Telly Leung played to record audiences at the Old Globe Theater in San Diego in 2012. Takei has made it his dream to take the show to Broadway and vowed to fans that that would happen. The show is the emotional story of the impact the incarceration of Japanese Americans had on breaking up a family. More than a year later, no opening date has been announced. We talked to lead producer Lorenzo Thione about the obstacles Allegiance is facing and his best projections for when the show will have its much anticipated New York opening.)

Tell us about yourself.

I am an entrepreneur, producer, technologist, social media fanatic and storyteller. All these things came together and confluence into Allegiance in a lot of ways. Born and raised in Milan, Italy and educated in the USA, I worked in CA/Silicon Valley as an Internet entrepreneur before starting the Allegiance journey. For another bio, please go here.

As producers of Allegiance, what is your role and Sing Out, Louise’s role in Allegiance - A New American Musical at The Old Globe.  Photo by Henry DiRocco.Allegiance?

I am a co-book writer and lead producer for Allegiance. I am also a principal and CEO of Sing Out, Louise! Productions which is technically speaking the lead production company for Allegiance. The role of the lead producer is that of steward, manager and lead fundraiser for the production. My responsibility is to make sure that the circumstances exist for the production to happen (money, talent, space) and to be a success (marketing, promotion, audience development, and most importantly the excellence of the production itself, from hiring the best creatives and designers, to making sure they are allowed to do their best work)

What is the process of getting a play on Broadway?

A long process of script development and audience development, on which we have been for about six years, which has included 3 readings, 2 workshops and a regional production (which was extremely successful, breaking box-office records and winning awards) in San Diego at the historic Old Globe Theater. At this point in the process, we are simply waiting for our turn to open on Broadway. It may look like there hasn’t been much movement since our production in San Diego, but behind closed doors we have constant conversations with theater owners on Broadway to secure a spot on the great white way to debut our show to New York audiences.

Allegiance - A New American Musical at The Old Globe.  Photo by Henry DiRocco.What has been the delay in announcing a venue and dates for the Broadway debut?

It’s merely a function of a very limited channel for debuting new work in New York City. There are fewer than 50 Broadway theaters in NYC and many are occupied by long running shows. Combine this with an unprecedented number of new shows in development (which all in all is a great thing for theater goers and for the industry in general) and what you have is a very congested access to the only real distribution channel for a new musical in the US. To be clear, there is no delay or issue with the production – we are simply patiently waiting for a theater to open up for us, after long time commitments and engagements have been honored and satisfied. We are confident it will happen soon(All photos by Henry DiRocco)!

Allegiance broke box office records at the Globe Theater. What have been the difficulties of getting the Broadway show launched?

There has not been a ‘difficulty’ – as matter of fact the production was strong on the tails of the San Diego production because of the incredible reaction of both critics and audience. As I mentioned, it is just a natural fact of doing business on Broadway where the real estate is highly constrained and the access is competitive and sought after by numerous productions each year, often with a long ‘waiting list’. Many other shows have announced delays or other productions prior to a Broadway debut for the same reasons. We are thankful for the enthusiasm and anticipation that fans of the show have demonstrated in rooting for us to open on Broadway and are confident it will happen very soon

To what extent has the controversy of the depiction of Mike Masaoka in AllegianceAllegiance hurt its chances of getting on Broadway?

It had no effect. The ‘controversy’ was – if anything – a demonstration that people really care about this story being told. We encouraged the dialogue and even hosted the letters and articles written in this regard on the Allegiance website. Allegiance is not a historical account of what happened, but a fictional story about a family and their journey through a troubled time in our history. There is no doubt that different people see what happened in different ways – we are telling the story of one family and the way in which those characters would have seen history and told their story, with no other judgment. It also happens that much of what caused one side or another to feel strongly about the San Diego production has morphed since into other material which would leave much of that debate moot. None of it was changed because of the debate, but rather – always with in mind the intent of telling the most universal story in the most compelling way possible. Much of the historical quibble was not key to that goal and so it no longer figures in the central story of Allegiance.

Tell us about the priority access pass?

The Priority Access Pass is an innovative way that Allegiance fans can gain access to the box office before tickets go on sale to the general public. For $5 you get a reserved, numbered spot in line and the right to buy two tickets when they go on sale. Prior to the opening of the box office, we’ll release tickets to pass holders in order of their reservation numbers, ensuring they get their pick of seats and performances. And if you buy a Priority Access Pass and then purchase a ticket to the Broadway production, we’ll also send you a download of the full Allegiance Cast Album when it is released. So it’s a no brainer deal for anyone who’s serious about wanting to see the show on stage.

What are you hoping to accomplish with the pass program and how will it help Allegiance get on Broadway?

As I mentioned, Allegiance sold out during its World Premiere so we wanted to make sure that our most loyal fans had a chance to get tickets for our Broadway run before competition for seats runs inventory down and prices up . Also, there’s tremendous benefit to having strong pre-sales. Every Priority Access Pass purchase is practically a vote for Allegiance on Broadway which will help the show secure a theater sooner rather than later.

Allegiance - A New American Musical at The Old Globe.  Photo by Henry DiRocco.How many passes do you need to sell to achieve your goals?

We expect to have tens of thousands of seats ‘accounted for’ by virtue of priority access passes by the time we open. The initial response has been incredible, soaring in the thousands in just a matter of hours from the initial launch. We consider the program already successful, and even more so with every new audience members who hears about the program and secures their spot in line to great Broadway seats to Allegiance

Can you describe other shows that have launched a program similar to the Priority Access Pass?

To my knowledge, we are the first, ever. No other shows has ever done this. Many shows give early access to their box office to American Express subscribers – but no shows ever allowed any fan to sign up for early access, and to benefit from that early passion all the more, given that access is given in the order in which people have acquired their passes.


What are your expectations of when Allegiance might be launched?

We expect Allegiance to be part of the next Broadway season.

Is there anything people can do to help the show get launched?

Yes, they can sign up as Ambassadors at www.allegiancemusical.com/ambassadors and help by sharing stories, tweeting, posting about the show and even purchasing their Priority Access Pass now, so that they have the best chances to secure great seats at good prices before tickets go on sale to the general public. More than anything else, they can tell all your friends about Allegiance in person or via social media and sign up to follow Allegiance’s progress at www.facebook.com/allegiancemusical and on Twitter at twitter.com/allegiancebway

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