Every June, the Tony Awards tell us who won. The Broadway Report Card asks a different question: how did Broadway actually do?
This is an annual survey of theater journalists, critics, podcasters, and close observers of Broadway — people who spend an enormous amount of time thinking about the health of the industry. Once a year, after the Tony Awards settle the arguments, we convene a hand-curated panel and ask them to grade the season across a fixed set of categories on a one-to-five scale. The result is a single, honest record of where the industry actually stands.
What we're grading
We're not asking who gave the best performance or which show deserved the Best Musical prize. We're asking bigger, slower questions: Were the new musicals this season genuinely adventurous, or were they safe? Was the casting inspired or predictable? Is Broadway still culturally relevant to people who aren't already believers? How did the Tony Awards reflect — or fail to reflect — the season we actually watched?
The categories stay (mostly) fixed year over year. That's intentional. The most valuable thing this survey produces isn't the first year's results — it's the second year's, and the third's. The grades only mean something when you can watch them move.
Where this came from
The Broadway Report Card is directly inspired by Jason Snell's Six Colors Apple Report Card, which has tracked the state of Apple through the eyes of journalists and developers every year since 2015. Jason was generous enough to share his blessing when we told him what we were building. We are grateful for the model he created and the precedent he set for doing this kind of work year after year.
What this isn't
This is not an awards show. There are no winners, no nominees, no campaigns, and no acceptance speeches. The Broadway Report Card doesn't compete with the Tonys, the Drama Desk Awards, the Outer Critics Circle, or any other recognition the industry gives itself. Those institutions celebrate achievement. This one measures sentiment — the vibe in the room, graded and recorded, so we can look back honestly at where we've been.
Who's behind it
The Broadway Report Card is an independent publication produced by KGM Theatrical, a boutique general management company based in New York. It is edited and curated by Daniel Kuney, who does not vote in the survey. The grades belong to the panel. The job of the editor is to ask the right questions, find the right people to answer them, and get out of the way.
The panel
Panelists are hand-selected. We look for people who follow Broadway closely, write or speak about it regularly, and bring a genuine point of view to the season. If you're interested in being considered for the panel, you're welcome to reach out.