Rocco Landesman
Encyclopedia
Rocco Landesman has been a long-time Broadway theatre
producer
. In August 2009 he became chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts
("NEA"). The NEA is a public agency of the Federal Government with an annual budget ($155 million for 2009) that is directed into grants to support excellence in the arts, bring arts to all Americans and provide leadership in arts education. He is part owner of Jujamcyn Theaters, but he is a passive owner while serving in Washington.
Landesman was born and raised in St. Louis, MO, got his undergraduate education at Colby College
in Maine and The University of Wisconsin, and earned a doctorate in Dramatic Literature at the Yale School of Drama
. At the Yale School of Drama he would become a protege and friend of Robert Brustein
. At the completion of his course work he stayed at Yale for 4 years as an Assistant Professor. While at Yale Landesman got to know novelist Jerzy Kosinski
and he worked with Kosinski on two of his novels, Being There and The Devil Tree . Landesman was involved as an editor, helping Kosinski, not a native speaker of English, with his English syntax and writing. While at Yale Landesman was also involved in managing a private mutual fund and a racehorse he had bought. In 1977 he left to focus more time on his private investment fund, which he ran for many years. He also got involved in Broadway theater and he was heavily involved in the genesis and development of "Big River
" (1985 Tony, Best Musical), a musical based on Huckleberry Finn
. Landesman's involvement included persuading Roger Miller
to write the music for the show. The show ultimately won seven Tonys and ran for over 1,000 performances on Broadway over two and a half years. This success attracted the attention of James H. Binger
who shared two passions with Landesman: Broadway theater and horseracing. Binger owned the Jujamcyn Theatre group of five theatres, four of which were then dark. Binger and Landesman made a deal for Landesman to become President of Jujamcyn in 1987 with the inclusion of an option for Landesman to purchase Jujamcyn upon Binger's death. After taking the helm at Jujamcyn he shifted its business model away from the historical focus of renting of theatre facilities to shows and into a more active posture as a combination of a theater owner and a developer of new plays. Other theater owners have followed this pattern. After joining Jujamcyn Landesman has produced Broadway shows, the most notable of which include: "Angels In America" (1993 and 1994 Tony, Best Play), and "The Producers
" (2001 Tony, Best Musical). Landesman purchased Jujamcyn in 2005 and later sold a 50% interest to Jordan Roth
.
Rocco Landesman's biggest passions are theater, baseball, horse racing and country music. On any given day he will insist that one of these is the perfect expression of American culture. His company, Jujamcyn Theaters, owns 5 Broadway theaters, and at one time or another Mr. Landesman has owned 3 minor league baseball teams, various racehorses and a collection of Roger Miller
long playing records. As for baseball, growing up in St. Louis he naturally followed the St. Louis Cardinals
and later in life he became a part owner of the Kenosha Twins
(later the Fort Wayne Wizards
). His career has been a hybrid of commercial, philanthropic, and purely artistic engagements. He has continued his relationship with the Yale School of Drama and Yale Rep, returning to teach there over the years. He has been active on numerous boards, including the Municipal Art Society
, the Times Square
Alliance, and The Educational Foundation of America. Landesman has also spoken at forums and written numerous articles (mostly in the New York Times arts section), focusing mainly on the problematic relationship between the commercial and not-for-profit sectors of the American theater.
In May 2009 U.S. President Barack Obama
nominated Landesman to become the next chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. His appointment was confirmed in August, 2009.
Landesman is married to Debby (Busch) Landesman, formerly the Executive Director of the Levi Strauss Foundation and currently a philanthropic advisor to corporations and foundations. Landesman was previously married to set designer Heidi (Landesman) Ettinger, and they have three sons: North, Nash and Dodge, all of whom currently live and work in New York.
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
producer
Theatrical producer
A theatrical producer is the person ultimately responsible for overseeing all aspects of mounting a theatre production. The independent producer will usually be the originator and finder of the script and starts the whole process...
. In August 2009 he became chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts
National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...
("NEA"). The NEA is a public agency of the Federal Government with an annual budget ($155 million for 2009) that is directed into grants to support excellence in the arts, bring arts to all Americans and provide leadership in arts education. He is part owner of Jujamcyn Theaters, but he is a passive owner while serving in Washington.
Landesman was born and raised in St. Louis, MO, got his undergraduate education at Colby College
Colby College
Colby College is a private liberal arts college located on Mayflower Hill in Waterville, Maine. Founded in 1813, it is the 12th-oldest independent liberal arts college in the United States...
in Maine and The University of Wisconsin, and earned a doctorate in Dramatic Literature at the Yale School of Drama
Yale School of Drama
The Yale School of Drama is a graduate professional school of Yale University providing training in every discipline of the theatre: acting, design , directing, dramaturgy and dramatic criticism, playwriting, stage management, sound design, technical design and production, and theater...
. At the Yale School of Drama he would become a protege and friend of Robert Brustein
Robert Brustein
Robert Sanford Brustein is an American theatrical critic, producer, playwright and educator. He founded both Yale Repertory Theatre in New Haven, Connecticut and the American Repertory Theatre in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he remains a Creative Consultant, and has been the theatre critic for...
. At the completion of his course work he stayed at Yale for 4 years as an Assistant Professor. While at Yale Landesman got to know novelist Jerzy Kosinski
Jerzy Kosinski
Jerzy Kosiński , born Józef Lewinkopf, was an award-winning Polish American novelist, and two-time President of the American Chapter of P.E.N.He was known for various novels, among them The Painted Bird and Being There...
and he worked with Kosinski on two of his novels, Being There and The Devil Tree . Landesman was involved as an editor, helping Kosinski, not a native speaker of English, with his English syntax and writing. While at Yale Landesman was also involved in managing a private mutual fund and a racehorse he had bought. In 1977 he left to focus more time on his private investment fund, which he ran for many years. He also got involved in Broadway theater and he was heavily involved in the genesis and development of "Big River
Big River (musical)
Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a musical with a book by William Hauptman and music and lyrics by Roger Miller.Based on Mark Twain's classic 1884 novel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, it features music in the bluegrass and country styles in keeping with the setting of the novel...
" (1985 Tony, Best Musical), a musical based on Huckleberry Finn
Huckleberry Finn
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a classic Mark Twain novel.Huckleberry Finn may also refer to:*Huckleberry Finn , a fictional character in the Adventures of Tom Sawyer...
. Landesman's involvement included persuading Roger Miller
Roger Miller
Roger Dean Miller was an American singer, songwriter, musician and actor, best known for his honky tonk-influenced novelty songs...
to write the music for the show. The show ultimately won seven Tonys and ran for over 1,000 performances on Broadway over two and a half years. This success attracted the attention of James H. Binger
James H. Binger
James Henry Binger was a lawyer who became Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Honeywell. He was also a well known philanthropist, horse enthusiast and New York and Minneapolis theatre owner and entrepreneur.-Career:...
who shared two passions with Landesman: Broadway theater and horseracing. Binger owned the Jujamcyn Theatre group of five theatres, four of which were then dark. Binger and Landesman made a deal for Landesman to become President of Jujamcyn in 1987 with the inclusion of an option for Landesman to purchase Jujamcyn upon Binger's death. After taking the helm at Jujamcyn he shifted its business model away from the historical focus of renting of theatre facilities to shows and into a more active posture as a combination of a theater owner and a developer of new plays. Other theater owners have followed this pattern. After joining Jujamcyn Landesman has produced Broadway shows, the most notable of which include: "Angels In America" (1993 and 1994 Tony, Best Play), and "The Producers
The Producers (musical)
The Producers is a musical adapted by Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan from Brooks' 1968 film of the same name, with lyrics written by Brooks and music composed by Brooks and arranged by Glen Kelly and Doug Besterman. As in the film, the story concerns two theatrical producers who scheme to get rich...
" (2001 Tony, Best Musical). Landesman purchased Jujamcyn in 2005 and later sold a 50% interest to Jordan Roth
Jordan Roth
Jordan Roth is the President and 50% owner of Jujamcyn Theaters, which owns and operates five Broadway theatres, including the St. James, Al Hirschfeld, August Wilson, Eugene O'Neill and Walter Kerr...
.
Rocco Landesman's biggest passions are theater, baseball, horse racing and country music. On any given day he will insist that one of these is the perfect expression of American culture. His company, Jujamcyn Theaters, owns 5 Broadway theaters, and at one time or another Mr. Landesman has owned 3 minor league baseball teams, various racehorses and a collection of Roger Miller
Roger Miller
Roger Dean Miller was an American singer, songwriter, musician and actor, best known for his honky tonk-influenced novelty songs...
long playing records. As for baseball, growing up in St. Louis he naturally followed the St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
and later in life he became a part owner of the Kenosha Twins
Kenosha Twins
The Kenosha Twins began play in the Midwest League in 1984 when the club relocated from Wisconsin Rapids. In 1992, the team was sold, and the following year, they moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana where they became known as the Fort Wayne Wizards. They played their home games at Simmons Field, located...
(later the Fort Wayne Wizards
Fort Wayne Wizards
The Fort Wayne TinCaps are a Class A minor league baseball team, affiliated with the San Diego Padres, that plays in the Midwest League. They won their first Midwest League Championship in 2009.-History:...
). His career has been a hybrid of commercial, philanthropic, and purely artistic engagements. He has continued his relationship with the Yale School of Drama and Yale Rep, returning to teach there over the years. He has been active on numerous boards, including the Municipal Art Society
Municipal Art Society
The Municipal Art Society of New York, founded in 1893, is a non-profit membership organization that fights for intelligent urban planning, design and preservation through education, dialogue and advocacy in New York City....
, the Times Square
Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue and stretching from West 42nd to West 47th Streets...
Alliance, and The Educational Foundation of America. Landesman has also spoken at forums and written numerous articles (mostly in the New York Times arts section), focusing mainly on the problematic relationship between the commercial and not-for-profit sectors of the American theater.
In May 2009 U.S. President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
nominated Landesman to become the next chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. His appointment was confirmed in August, 2009.
Landesman is married to Debby (Busch) Landesman, formerly the Executive Director of the Levi Strauss Foundation and currently a philanthropic advisor to corporations and foundations. Landesman was previously married to set designer Heidi (Landesman) Ettinger, and they have three sons: North, Nash and Dodge, all of whom currently live and work in New York.
Press links
- "What Price Success At Lincoln Center." Landesman, Rocco. The New York Times 11 Dec. 1988: Sect. 2, Pg. 7.
- "Broadway: Devil or Angel for Nonprofit Theater?; A Vital Movement Has Lost Its Way."-Landesman, Rocco. The New York Times 4 June 2000: Sect. 2, Pg. 10.
- "Betting on Broadway." Owen, David. The New Yorker 13 Jun. 1994: 60-73. Site registration required for full viewing.
- "How a High Roller Bets on Broadway." -Rothstein, Mervyn. The New York Times 3 Jun. 1990: Sect. 2, Pg. 5.
- "Roger Miller: King of Rhyme, Remembering the 'Jerome Corn of the American Musical.'" Landesman, Rocco, The New York Times 20 Jul. 2003: Sect. 2, Pg. 20-21.
- "Mr Landesman Goes to Washington." Napoleon, Davi; The Faster Times, Davi NapoleonDavi NapoleonDavi Napoleon, aka Davida Skurnick is an American theater historian and critic. She is a theater columnist for The Faster Times, an online newspaper, and a regular contributor to Live Design, a monthly magazine about entertainment design and designers...
's Theater Talk. - "I've Got the Horse Right Here, by Eric Pooley, New York Magazine, September 28, 1987, pg 74.