The New Amsterdam Theatre was not the only landmark, earth-shaking move that Disney Theatricals made in the 1990s.
What’s Happening:
- Thanks to a wonderful new video from the YouTube documentary channel Wait in the Wings, “The Battle of the Bills” is dissected, showing just how Disney upended a simple, yet essential, Broadway tradition.
- When the New Amsterdam Theatre opened in 1997, Disney had to worry about programs.
- Instead of going with the norm, the iconic yellow Playbill, they chose a smaller publication based out of Chicago, the Stagebill.
- Stagebill was an obvious choice for Disney: They could choose not only the content of the articles, but also the advertisements in the publication. This allowed Disney to not have to advertise cigarettes or alcohol within the walls of their own theater.
- This one choice created a cutthroat fight for circulation within New York City and the greater American theatrical landscape.
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