Jump to content

Ira Weitzman

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ira Weitzman is an American musical theatre dramaturge and producer.[1][2] He was the creator and first director of the Musical Theater Program at Playwrights Horizons[3] from 1978 and at Lincoln Center Theater (LCT)[4] from 1992. He also served as associate producer of musical theater at both institutions.

Weitzman was involved in the development of the following productions:

From 2008 to the present, Weitzman has been the Mindich Musical Theater Producer at LCT,[6][4] overseeing the development and production of the Tony Award-winning revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific as well as The King and I, Lerner and Loewe's My Fair Lady[7] and the 2016 Broadway revival of Finn and Lapine's Falsettos. During this period, he also developed new musicals including:

  • Clay by Matt Sax and Eric Rosen, which inaugurated LCT3
  • Dogfight by Benj Pasek, Justin Paul, and Peter Duchan
  • Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown by Davis Yazbek and Jeffrey Lane
  • Happiness by Susan Stroman, John Weidman, Michael Korie, and Scott Frankel
  • A Minister's Wife by Austin Pendleton, Joshua Schmidt, and Jan Tranen
  • Preludes by Dave Malloy and Rachel Chavkin
  • Flying Over Sunset by James Lapine, Tom Kitt, and Michael Korie
  • The Gardens of Anuncia by Michael John LaChiusa and Graciela Daniele

Weitzman produced the revival of Moss Hart and Irving Berlin's As Thousands Cheer for Drama Dept, was line producer and dramaturge for the first post-Broadway revival of Sondheim and Furth's Merrily We Roll Along directed by Lapine at the La Jolla Playhouse, and was the production coordinator for the world premiere of Into the Woods at the Old Globe.

As a concert producer, Weitzman was Artistic Director of WBAI-FM's Free Music Store, The Writers Cabaret at NY's West Bank Café under the auspices of Playwrights Horizons, the first Artistic Director of City Center's Encores![8] and the inaugural producer of Lincoln Center's American Songbook concert series.

In 2009, Ira Weitzman received the Lucille Lortel Award for Sustained Excellence in Off-Broadway Theater.[9]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Lundskaer-Nielsen, Miranda (2008). Directors and the new musical drama. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 180–186. ISBN 9780230601291.
  2. ^ Fricker, Karen (1995). "Ira Weitzman". American Theatre. 12 (5): 43. ProQuest 220579715.
  3. ^ Singer, Barry (August 31, 1997). "True Believers in the Future of the Musical". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Ira Weitzman (Artistic Associate)". Playbill.
  5. ^ "Broadway Podcast Network - #4 - Ira Weitzman, the Original Dramaturg". broadwaypodcastnetwork.com.
  6. ^ Theater, Lincoln Center. "Staff". Lincoln Center Theater.
  7. ^ Theater, Lincoln Center. "Ira Weitzman on "My Fair Lady"". Lincoln Center Theater.
  8. ^ https://www.nytimes.com/1998/03/01/theater/l-encores-series-right-from-the-start-765023.html
  9. ^ "Edith Oliver Award for Sustained Excellence + Service to Off-Broadway : Lucille Lortel Awards". lortelaward.com.
[edit]