Anyone who knows me can tell you that I place a high value on maintaining good relationships. I've been with Roundabout Theatre Company for nearly 30 years, and that has translated into a somewhat massive number of relationships with artists, audience members, and staff. The sheer number of people I encounter each season, both on the stage and off, can be daunting, which is one of the reasons that I have found it incredibly important to latch on to those people I can see myself working with again and again. This theater world of ours is filled to the brim with talent, but what I think is essential is finding the right talent to work with. There are people whose work I love and there are people I love to work with. It's an important distinction. After all, it's impossible to talk about a career in the theater without also talking about a lifetime of collaboration. So the discovery of artists who don't just do one show and go on to the next thing, but who become true, ongoing collaborators—that is the most important, most vibrant thing to find.
One of the most significant productions in my career was Roundabout's first musical, "She Loves Me," in 1993. When I look back, I almost can't believe that we pulled it off. Roundabout had just ventured onto Broadway for the first time a season earlier (we are celebrating 20 years on Broadway this season, in fact), and now this young actor-turned-director named Scott Ellis had come in to pitch me on the idea of a revival of "She Loves Me." I knew it was a great show, but we had never done a musical. Ever. But Scott cleverly explained that Roundabout was a home for classics, and musical theater was the classic, innately American art form. I had to admit, he had a good point. Scott was so passionate about the project that I decided to take a leap of faith. After all, a musical was just a play with an orchestra, right? Little did I know…
What amazes me now is not only that we actually managed to put the show up, but also how many fantastic relationships I can trace back to that first meeting with Scott. First of all, I have him to thank for launching what is now a solid commitment to producing revivals of great musicals, which has opened Roundabout's doors to collaborations with greats who can only be found in musical theater, from Stephen Sondheim to John Weidman to Maury Yeston and beyond. And, as it turns out, we've put up quite a few good shows, like "Cabaret," "Assassins," "Nine," and our current Tony-winning production of "Anything Goes." And speaking of "Anything Goes," that show's director-choreographer can be traced back to "She Loves Me," too. Kathleen Marshall was brought on to assist her brother Rob (who isn't doing so badly himself either) with the show's choreography. Meeting Kathleen back then led to her choreographing shows like "1776" and "Follies" for us and later both directing and choreographing her outstanding production of "The Pajama Game." Kathleen is a real treasure and has become one of my absolute favorite artists to work with. She and Scott, who is my associate artistic director, have become essential parts of both my life and that of the Roundabout.
Yes, discovering these fantastic talents way back when was exciting, but what really matters is everything that has happened since then, from "Company" to "Twelve Angry Men" to "Anything Goes." "She Loves Me" was a wonderful experience, but it was just the beginning. What I value most is how much we've all gained by sticking it out for the long haul, by continuing to work and collaborate and find new projects to excite us. The initial discovery is great, but the real rewards come later.
Those early experiences also taught me the ongoing importance of giving someone who might be the next big discovery their first shot. Today, while I am proud of all the work Roundabout is doing at our theaters both on and off Broadway, I have a particular fondness for our Roundabout Underground program, which gives emerging playwrights their professional debut in New York. We're in production now for "Suicide, Incorporated," the Underground's sixth production. And I can't help thinking that this translates to six playwrights and six directors getting that same shot that I gave Scott Ellis nearly 20 years ago. I truly love being able to give these soon-to-be-discovered talents their debuts, and more importantly, I love seeing what they do next. In the Underground, we're planting the seeds for artistic relationships that I hope will go on for quite some time, perhaps even as long as the ones that began back when I made the leap into musicals (which, by the way, turned out to be much more than doing a play with an orchestra). I've gotten so much joy from seeing my peers grow and succeed, and I am thrilled to have found a way to keep bringing new blood into the theater and then sticking with them in the long run.
I suppose that the true discovery for me is that discovery itself is only the first step. Not to mention that things could have been very different if we hadn't done "She Loves Me"!
Todd Haimes has been artistic director of the Roundabout Theatre Company since July 1, 1990. From 1983 to 1990, Haimes served as the theater's executive director, overseeing the company's finances, marketing, and fundraising. He is also a board member of ART/New York. Haimes has a bachelor's degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a master's degree in business administration from the Yale School of Organization and Management.
