You may not know their names, but you know their titles. Behind every “Hamilton” and “Dear Evan Hansen” is a producer (OK, probably several) who believes in the show, rallies the proverbial troops, and uses every trick of the trade to get the work to Broadway. If you’re going to get cast on Broadway, you’d be wise to familiarize yourself with these 11 heavyweights.
Who are the most famous Broadway producers?
1 & 2. Stephen C. Byrd and Alia Jones-Harvey
Shows: “Eclipsed” (2016), “The Iceman Cometh” (2018), “Ain’t Too Proud—The Life and Times of the Temptations” (2019)
What to know: Byrd and Jones-Harvey run Front Row Productions together. The duo focuses on producing Black work and supporting Black performers, adding some much-needed diversity to Broadway’s stages.
3. Sonia Friedman
Shows: “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” (2018), “The Ferryman” (2018), “The Inheritance” (2019), “Leopoldstadt” (2022)
What to know: If you’ve seen a British import on Broadway, chances are high Friedman had something to do with getting it there. Her cachet needs no further proof than her company’s 61 Olivier Awards, 39 Tonys, and three BAFTAs.
4. Irene Gandy
Shows: “Porgy and Bess” (2012), “Ohio State Murders” (2022), “Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch” (2023)
What to know: Equally impressive as a publicist as she is a producer, Gandy made history for being the first Black woman publicist in the history of the Association of Theatrical Press Agents & Managers. The Tony winner for Excellence in Theatre told Playbill she hopes to keep elevating BIPOC voices on Broadway and beyond.
5. Kevin McCollum
Shows: “In the Heights” (2008), “Six: The Musical” (2021), “Mrs. Doubtfire” (2021)
What to know: Whether it’s blustering musicals or scrappy new plays (2015’s “Hand to God,” 2018’s “Mike Birbiglia’s the New One”) McCollum’s decades-long career has produced many credits and three shiny Tonys.
6. Stacey Mindich
Shows: “The Bridges of Madison County” (2014), “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” (2014), “Dear Evan Hansen” (2016)
What to know: While Mindich has several hefty credits, being at the helm of gargantuan hit “Dear Evan Hansen”—which won six Tonys (including best musical), three Oliviers, and a Grammy—made her a Broadway legend.
7. Eva Price
Shows: “Angels in America: Millennium Approaches” (2018), “Oklahoma!” (2019), “Jagged Little Pill” (2019), “& Juliet” (2022)
What to know: Price isn’t afraid to take risks, such as producing Daniel Fish’s seductive, Tony-winning “Oklahoma!”—and as a member of Level Forward, she helps bring work “by and for marginalized communities” to the stage and screen.
8. Daryl Roth
Shows: “Kinky Boots” (2013), “Indecent” (2017), “How I Learned to Drive” (2022)
What to know: Roth’s perspective as a producer can be summed up with one anecdote: After “Indecent” announced a premature closing in 2017, sales swelled; she ultimately rescinded the notice allowing the play to run for another several months.
9. Jill Furman
Shows: “In the Heights” (2008), “West Side Story” (2009), “Hamilton” (2015)
What to know: After Furman, McCollum, and Jeffrey Seller helped bring Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “In the Heights” to the stage, she and Seller would go on to do the same with Miranda’s iconic rap musical “Hamilton,” winner of 11 Tonys.
10. Jeffrey Seller
Shows: “Rent” (1996), “Hamilton” (2015), “The Cher Show” (2018)
What to know: The titles speak for themselves, but Seller’s legacy also includes helping to found the concept of rush tickets, forever shifting the conversation around theater’s accessibility.
11. David Stone
Shows: “Wicked” (2003), “The Boys in the Band” (2018), “Kimberly Akimbo” (2022)
What to know: Stone is a multi–Tony winner known for producing slow burns full of pathos and just a touch of bombast—and Broadway can’t have one without the other.
12. Greg Nobile
Shows: "Sea Wall/A Life" (2019), "Slave Play" (2019), "Parade" (2023)
What to know: No one personifies the next generation of Broadway more than Nobile, whose roster is as diverse as it is ambitious. In the 2023-24 season alone, he heralded an original musical (“Lempicka”), a classic revival (“An Enemy of the People”), and a new American play (the Tony Award-winning best play, “Stereophonic”).
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