Barbara Whitman
Barbara Whitman is a theater producer who made her Broadway debut producing A Raisin in the Sun, starring Sean Combs, Phylicia Rashad, Audra McDonald, and Sanaa Lathan.
Owner of Barbara Whitman Productions, she has won multiple Tony and Drama League Awards for producing musicals like A Strange Loop, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Fun Home, and The Humans.
Some of her other Broadway credits include DIANA: THE MUSICAL, NEXT TO NORMAL, and BURN THIS.
In 2021, she established the Barbara Whitman Award at Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation. The award will be given annually to a female, trans, or non-binary early career director.
Currently, Barbara is producing Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Doug Wright’s new play, GOOD NIGHT, OSCAR, starring Sean Hayes. The play will open on Broadway Spring 2023.
A native New Yorker, Barbara attended NYU Gallatin School of Individualized Study and received an MFA in Theatre Management and Producing from Columbia University.
With roots in the theater, it’s no surprise that’s she’s built a career around this art form. She has a deep passion for story, and especially for outlier stories that maybe live outside the more typical commercial broadway fare.
Gems from this episode include:
How the definition of a producer has evolved
The importance of introducing people to the theater
How to get started producing theater
Links & Resources
More info on Barbara Whitman
Show Transcript
Click here for the show transcript
Show Highlights
● [04:50] How Barbara became a theatrical producer
● [11:00] How Barbara defines being a producer
● [12:33] How Barbara knew she was equipped to be a producer
● [15:35] Barbara’s experience as a lead producer for “Hands on a Hardbody”
● [19:53] What Barbara likes about being a producer
● [21:18] Barbara’s experience producing “A Strange Loop”
● [26:36] How Barbara found and refined her taste
● [28:04] The difference between Broadway productions and more commercial musicals
● [30:17] How Barbara’s mentors and colleagues helped her produce shows
● [32:50] Barbara’s advice for people who want to produce theater
● [35:37] The difference between producing theater and producing film
● [39:15] The Sweets Factory Fellowship and how it helps high school students
● [43:12] What the Broadway League is doing to introduce young students to the theater
● [47:08] How Barbara navigates the lows of her career
● [48:55] What frustrates Barbara about theater production
● [52:04] What Barbara is working on
● [53:43] What Barbara hopes for the future of musical theater
● [54:34] Lightning Round