Stacey Mindich is a two-time Tony Award-winning Broadway producer. As the lead producer of Dear Evan Hansen, she nurtured this original musical from an idea presented at a long-ago lunch with the composers Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. Other noteworthy productions include The Crucible, Blackbird, the Tony Award-winning Hedwig and the Angry Inch, The Bridges of Madison County (Tony Award, Best Score), Annie, The Heiress, The Lion (Drama Desk Award), and Small Mouth Sounds. She is the co-chair of the board at New York City Center, home to the Tony Award-winning Encores series of musical revivals. She serves on the Broadway League’s Board of Governors and is also a proud member of the board of The Jimmy Awards (The National High School Musical Theater Awards). Prior to her career in theater, she was a journalist and editor. She was Senior Editor at Town & Country for many years and began her career as a reporter for The New York Times.
Dear Evan Hansen is everything that should scare Broadway Producers. It’s a totally original idea, with no underlying source material, there are no stars, it isn’t about spectacle, etc.
In this week’s podcast, Stacey shared with me why she wasn’t scared about producing this unique piece as well as . . .
- How being an Editor for a major magazine helped prepare her for a career as a Broadway Producer.
- How one lunch eight years ago led to Dear Evan Hansen.
- The hardest part of a Producer’s job during the (long) development period of a new show like Dear Evan Hansen.
- What it was like breaking into the old boy’s club of Broadway.
- How she used cookies to find new musical theater talent.
Keep up with me: @KenDavenportBway