THE PURPOSE OF THE TRADEVINE IS TO ENCOURAGE THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY TO READ THEIR TRADES: VARIETY, HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, BACK STAGE, ETC. ENJOY LEARNING ABOUT YOUR INDUSTRY.

EACH FRIDAY, THE TRADEVINE SEEKS OUT A FEW OF THE INFORMATIVE TRADE ARTICLES YOU MAY HAVE MISSED. VISIT THE TRADE, ITSELF, FOR THE ENTIRE ARTICLE.

Hi everybody, I’m Laura-Beth Hill of the Actors Reporter and welcome to the TradeVine. Our goal at the TradeVine is to help you stay informed and to keep up with some of the entertainment news you may have missed in the Trades, such as The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, and Backstage.

Back Stage, February 25th – Tony Awards Take a Page from the Oscars with Option to Supersize Major Categories, by Gordon Cox.

Ask anyone in the theater industry with a horse in the awards-season race, and they’ll tell you that the Tony category for best musical or any of the four major awards for overall productions are limited to just four contenders apiece. But that could all change this year. The Tony Awards administration committee quietly voted to allow the option of expanding one or more of the four show categories to five nominees. In the new rules, going from four to five nominees will only happen if, in the nominating process, a fifth show achieves a vote tally that would put it in the same ballpark as the show with the fourth highest total.

Hollywood Reporter, February 25th – U.S. Studios Head to Canada With Drama Pilots, by Etan Vlessing.

The TV pilot season is filling local soundstages in Hollywood North.Vancouver and Toronto are hosting a raft of U.S. studio shoots as the Canadian dollar falls in value against the American greenback and generous tax breaks draw even more Los Angeles producers northwards. Toronto and Vancouver remain in competition with New York City and other U.S. locales to lure shoots for comedy and drama pilots that could turn into full-season orders from U.S. networks.

Variety, February 25th – The 1 Question to Ask Before Every Audition, by Greg Apps.

The audition waiting room is full of actors. Dressed just like you. The same sides clutched in their hands, covered in notes. Your name is called. You are introduced to the decision makers in the room. Their names are immediately forgotten. Everything you need to know, everything you need to do in this audition, is summed up by asking: What are the important qualities you are looking for in this character? Drama teachers give you the skills to dissect a scene and make decisions on a character, but it is the casting director who can tell you what the director, the studio, and/or the network are searching for.

I’m your host Laura-Beth Hill. Thank you for watching. Please send any questions or comments to TradeVine@ActorsReporter.com And, remember, you heard it through the TradeVine.

The TradeVine is a weekly entertainment news highlights show on Actors Reporter, a channel on the Actors Podcast Network, a Pepper Jay Production.