The Broadway League Announces Recipients of Inaugural League Leadership Awards

The Broadway League has announced the recipients of the 2023 Broadway League Leadership Awards that were presented today at the League’s Biennial Leadership Conference in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. These inaugural awards were given to distinguished League members from across the board who have gone above and beyond offering their time and expertise throughout the unprecedented era of Broadway’s 18-month shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as their role in helping with Broadway’s reopening.

This year’s League Leadership Award honorees include: Jeff Daniel (Member of the Year Award), Maggie Brohn (Distinguished Service Award), Thomas Schumacher (COVID Leadership Award), Sue Frost, Colleen Jennings-Roggensack, Anthony LaTorella, Aaron Lustbader, David Stone, Seth Stuhl, and Gina Vernaci (COVID Service Awards).

The Broadway League’s 18th Biennial Leadership Conference welcomed 220 League members from more than 40 markets around the U.S., Canada, and from six different countries to join together in Looking Forward: Collaborating in the Face of Change, as the conference’s theme suggests. This conference provides a space for the industry’s key leadership to share best practices, receive insights from top-level speakers, and craft a strategic plan for the trade association to pursue in the years that follow.

Congratulations to our members receiving the inaugural League Leadership Awards which will be given out annually. These awards are a testament to the ingenuity and commitment demonstrated by our remarkable members on behalf of our community of theatre. And this first year, we are recognizing those who have worked diligently to help ensure the safe and responsible reopening of Broadway both in New York and across North America,” said Charlotte St. Martin, President of The Broadway League. “Broadway is big business – it contributes $14.7 billion to the New York economy and is responsible for the employment of nearly 97,000 New Yorkers, while Touring Broadway contributes $3.8 billion to local economies across the nation – and Broadway is an incredible community of dedicated individuals who come together to help make it possible to share this art form to worldwide audiences. We cannot thank our members enough for all their efforts in bringing back Broadway!”

2023 LEAGUE LEADERSHIP AWARD RECIPIENTS

MEMBER OF THE YEAR AWARD
JEFF DANIEL is the Co-CEO of the John Gore Organization’s Theatre Division, where he oversees Broadway Across America in partnership with Rich Jaffe, with a specific focus on operations, business development, government relations, labor relations, and the company’s five historic theatres. He has held executive positions in public and private companies focused on commercial entertainment, media, and technology in the United States and abroad. Jeff rejoined the company in 2009 after having spent eight years earlier in his career for the John Gore Organization’s predecessor, Clear Channel Entertainment, working in various positions including COO of Entertainment Properties. Prior to re-joining the company, he founded a media investment and advisory firm where, in partnership with Lucasfilm, Ltd., he produced the Star Wars 30th Anniversary Celebration in Tokyo, Japan. He was also a partner in the largest online home service provider in the United States and developed partnerships with the nation’s largest service providers such as Verizon, JP Morgan Chase, Exelon, Sprint, and Perrier. Jeff was proud to lead the John Gore Organization’s Hurricane Maria relief effort as the Executive Producer of Our Town, starring Scarlett Johansson, which contributed over $500,000 to Puerto Rican communities in need. Jeff is an active member of The Broadway League where he serves on its Labor Committee and Government Relations Committee.

DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD
Maggie Brohn is the Chief Operating Officer of Adventureland LLC where she also serves as the Executive Producer of Hamilton in New York, Chicago, on Tour, and the West End. Other recent productions include Derren Brown: Secret and The Cher Show. Previously, she was a partner at Bespoke Theatricals where she general managed over 20 productions on Broadway and on Tour, such as Motown the Musical, Hugh Jackman: Back on Broadway, After Midnight, A Behanding In Spokane, and Venus in Fur. Maggie is on the Board of Governors and Executive Committee for The Broadway League, and she serves on the Labor Committee, which represents producers in collective bargaining negotiations. Maggie resides with her husband and two children in New York City.

COVID LEADERSHIP AWARD
Thomas Schumacher serves as President & Producer of Disney Theatrical Productions, overseeing the development, creation, and execution of Disney’s legitimate Stage Entertainment worldwide. The division’s Broadway, West End, Touring, and international production credits include Beauty and the Beast, King David, The Lion King, Der Glöckner von Notre Dame, Elton John and Tim Rice’s Aida, Mary Poppins, On the Record, TARZAN®, High School Musical, The Little Mermaid, Peter and the Starcatcher, Newsies, Aladdin, Shakespeare in Love, and Frozen. The company has collaborated with the nation’s preeminent theatres to develop new stage titles including The Jungle Book, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Freaky Friday, and Hercules. As a part of the recent acquisition of 21st Century Fox, Schumacher also heads the Buena Vista Theatrical banner which licenses Fox titles for stage adaptations including Anastasia; Moulin Rouge! The Musical; Mrs. Doubtfire; and The Devil Wears Prada. Recently he served as Executive Producer for the 2019 remake of “The Lion King,” the live-action “Beauty and the Beast,” and the Disney Channel Original Movie “Freaky Friday.”