Don't Let the Door Hit You on the Way Out, Charlotte

It was announced this week that Charlotte St. Martin will be stepping down from her position as President of The Broadway League after an 18-year run. St. Martin will continue serving in an advisory capacity for special events through the 2024 Tony Awards, with Executive Vice President and General Counsel Jason Laks serving as acting president during an official search for St. Martin's successor.

The news was somewhat shocking because, from all appearances, St. Martin didn’t look like she was going anywhere anytime soon. But that all changed with this week’s announcement.

And while there will surely be tributes and platitudes to celebrate her work, I could not be happier to see her go. If she needs someone to come and help pack up her office, I’ll gladly volunteer. Because when all is said and done, Charlotte St. Martin’s tenure as president of The Broadway League is as problematic as it was misguided.

To give you full context, The Broadway League is the national trade association for Broadway in New York and across North America. The organization counts Broadway and national touring producers and venue operators among its membership, collectively bargains with entertainment unions on behalf of its membership, and works to promote and support professional theatre.

I’ll be fair enough to say that St. Martin’s reign came with unexpected complications beyond her control and a global pandemic that hurt the industry in an unprecedented way to which it still hasn’t fully recovered. Before the pandemic, the industry saw soaring financial success, with grosses reaching all-time highs.

But her tenure in the role is also marked with controversy and behavior that should never be seen again by someone in the role. In my opinion, St. Martin enabled and encouraged business practices by theatre owners to price tickets that have made it financially burdensome for many to see Broadway shows. I understand that The Broadway League has to look out for its own, but the ripple effect of what St. Martin and her group have done is just beginning to be seen.

St. Martin and the rest of The Broadway League were also notably silent during when the issues regarding Scott Rudin came to light. Despite public pleas to at least comment on the situation, St. Martin and her group allowed Rudin to resign and make arrangements on his terms.

Then there were her infamous gaffes, where she disrespected the work of understudies and did not understand the true meaning of Juneteenth.

While many may be hoping that her successor will be someone completely different and someone who can truly evolve the trade association to be better, let’s not kid ourselves into believing that. Whoever steps into that role needs to be someone who represents the interests of the power players in the industry and who will do the things they want to line their pockets.

So get ready for Charlotte St. Martin 2.0.

On a positive note, however, during her tenure, the voices from those onstage and off have only gotten louder and more powerful. So, there is hope that whoever steps into that role will not have their decision-making and leadership go unchecked.