Barbara Whitman - Producer of the Tony Award Winning Musical "A Strange Loop"

Angle on Producers with Carolina Groppa

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Barbara Whitman is a theater producer who made her Broadway debut producing A Raisin in the Sun, starring Sean Comb and Phylicia Rashad,

An impressive lady, she has won multiple Tony and Drama League Awards for producing musicals like Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Fun Home, The Humans and of course, A Strange Loop, which I was lucky enough to see on Broadway back in August.

In 2021, she established the Barbara Whitman Award at Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation, SDCF for sure. 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 live outside the more commercial broadway fare.

Gems from our chat include:

• How the definition of a producer has evolved
• The importance of introducing audiences to live theater
• Tips on how to get started producing theater

Xoxo

CG