Making Broadway Accessible with Bonnie Comley and Stewart F. Lane: Episode 123
In this episode of Relate, we are joined by three-time Tony-winning producer Bonnie Comley and six-time Tony-winning producer Stewart F. Lane. We discuss the current state of Broadway, especially during times of Covid, and how their streaming platform, BroadwayHD, is making theater more accessible to a wider and more diverse audience. We discuss how Broadway has always been an evolving art form, the role of producers in a production, collaboration for artistic and financial success, how to find a great script, and the future of Broadway. There is a lot of great conversation to unpack in this episode, so strap in and get ready for a backstage look at the world of Broadway!
Please be sure to check out Bonnie and Stewart's streaming platform at https://www.broadwayhd.com/
Bonnie Comley is a three-time Tony Award-winning producer. She has, also, won an Olivier Award and two Drama Desk Awards for her stage productions. She is a full member of The Broadway League and the Audience Engagement and Education Committee. Comley has produced over 40 films, winning four Telly Awards and one W3 Award. She is the founder and CEO of BroadwayHD, the world’s premier online streaming platform delivering over 270 premium live productions to theatre fans globally. The theatre community has honored Comley for her philanthropic work; she is the recipient of The Actors Fund Medal of Honor, The Drama League Special Contribution to the Theater Award, The Paul Newman Award from Arts Horizons and The Theater Museum Distinguished Service Award. Comley’s educational honors include The Distinguished Alumni Award from Emerson College and The Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Massachusetts and the business honor society Beta Gamma Sigma. The Music Theatre Program at Boston University is named in her honor, The Musical Theatre Society Room at Emerson College bears her name, the 500-seat theater at the University of Massachusetts Lowell is known as the Comley-Lane Theatre, and The Stewart F. Lane and Bonnie Comley Stage is housed within the Booth Arts Complex in Boston. Comley has been a keynote speaker or panelist at BroadwayCon, C2E2 (Chicago ComicCon), SXSW, Theatre Resources Unlimited (TRU) and City National Bank Women Entrepreneurs, and taught masterclasses or guest lectured at Columbia University, New York University, Emerson College, NYFA, Five Towns College and UMass, among others.
Stewart F. Lane is Chief Executive Officer, President and Co- Founder of BroadwayHD and Chief Executive Officer of Theater Venture Inc. He is a six- time Tony Award winning producer for ”Jay Johnson: The Two Only,” “Thoroughly Modern Millie,” “The Will Rogers Follies” “La Cage Aux Folles,” “A Gentleman Guide to Love and Murder” and “War Horse.”As well as a nine time nominee including “Fiddler on the Roof” (revival) starring Alfred Molina,“Gypsy” (revival) starring Bernadette Peters, “1776” (revival) starring Pat Hingle and Brent Spiner, “The Goodbye Girl” starring Martin Short and Bernadette Peters and “Woman of the Year” starring Lauren Bacall. Lane is also the recipient of four Drama Desk Awards, a Drama Critics Circle Award, a Outer Circle Critics Award and a Drama- Lounge Award . Other Broadway producing credits include “Cyrano De Bergerac” starring Kevin Kline, Jennifer Garner and Daniel Sunjata, “Legally Blonde the musical,” “Minnelli on Minnelli” starring Liza Minnelli, “Wait Until Dark” starring Quentin Tarantino and Marisa Tomei, “Can-Can” starring Zizi Jeanmaire, “Frankenstein” starring Dianne Wiest, “Teaneck Tanzi” starring Deborah Harry and Andy Kaufman, “A Change in the Heir,” “The Grand Tour” starring Joel Grey, “West Side Story” starring Debbie Allen and many more.
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