Producing | Fred Sternfeld https://fredsternfeld.com Theatre Director-Broadway Producer-Educator Mon, 03 Apr 2023 21:30:25 +0000 en-US hourly 1 A New Show, a New Adventure in Producing! https://fredsternfeld.com/a-new-show-a-new-sternfeld-adventure-in-producing/ Wed, 29 Mar 2023 21:30:52 +0000 https://fredsternfeld.com/?p=11864 by Michael Dempsey

I RECENTLY SAT DOWN WITH FRED AND RANDI STERNFELD to get an update on their adventures in the world of theatre producing. They’d had a whirlwind time over the last 3-4 years as co-producers of the sensational musical Be More Chill – first Off-Broadway, then on Broadway, then in London, Japan and elsewhere.

Now I wanted to learn more about their involvement as producers of another huge project – the revival of the beloved Broadway musical, The Secret Garden.

Q:             How did you two become involved with The Secret Garden? This all actually began before Be More Chill, right?

Randi:       Yes. At the time, we were interested in getting involved in the producing side of the business.

Fred:         We’d already passed on some potential projects. We were waiting for that special project to come along.

Randi:       Something that both excited us creatively and also had a strong potential for success.

Fred:         Exactly. Secret Garden began when we were introduced, through a mutual friend, to the revival project’s Lead Producer, Jerry Goehring.

An excited audience in front of the Secret Garden stage at LA’s Ahmanson Theatre

Q:             What stage of development was the show at?

Randi:       Jerry was already working with the show’s creators, Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winner Marsha Norman (writer) and Grammy Award winner Lucy Simon (composer). Marsha and Lucy were interested in reimagining and reworking the show with an eye to reaching a new generation of theatre goers.

Q:             The original Broadway production was in 1991, right? Nominated for six Tony Awards.

Fred:         It won three, including “Best Book of a Musical.”

Q:             Jerry said, “It’s one of people’s favorite musicals, yet no one has gone back and revived it until now.”

Fred:         There’s a unique kind of connection out there with it.

Q:             The children’s book the show was based on, by Frances Hodgson Burnett, was already beloved.

Randi:       Everywhere we go, we see that the musical has a special place in peoples’ hearts, too.

Q:             So you became co-producers.

Randi:       Before we said yes to getting onboard with the project, we had a series of phone conversations with Jerry and David Armstrong, who directed the development tour shows.

Fred:         Very smart people. And we were hearing great ideas.

Randi:       We were excited.

Fred:         The other thing it had going for it was that there was a plan to do a development tour at multiple L.O.R.T. theatres.

Q:             L.O.R.T. is the League of Resident Theatres.

Fred:         Right, it’s the umbrella organization for union theatres, professional regional theatres. The plan was to stage development productions at Shakespeare Theatre Company in DC, 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle, and Houston’s Theatre Under The Stars.

Q:             This kind of sounds like the modern version of the “out-of-town tryouts” Broadway shows used to do in Connecticut and elsewhere before moving to New York.

Fred:         There’s nothing like a live audience to illuminate what’s working in a show and what may still need a little attention.

Q:             So the development tour was extremely productive.

Secret Garden Technical Rehearsals in Los Angeles

Randi:       Oh yes! And we really enjoyed the creative process.

Fred:         Jerry, the creators, everyone – they all were very open to receiving feedback.

Q:             They must have been. According to Jerry, some of your ideas resulted in a rewrite to a major scene and revisions to others.

Fred:         Randi and I flew out a week before the first incarnation in Washington DC opened and sat through some of the tech rehearsals. Overall, it was gratifying to be able to not just be investors, but part of the process. I don’t think that’s always the case.

Q:             So: the show’s reimagined new version is produced at these three theatres. Then – right when it’s time for the next phase – cue ominous music…,

Fred:         The pandemic hits. And like pretty much every other live show in the country, The Secret Garden was put on hiatus.

Q:             That had to have been nerve-wracking. To say the least.

Fred:         The pandemic put the entire industry on hold. The future of almost everything was up in the air.

Randi:       You know, we had great faith in the show. We believed it would still have a life. But beyond that, things were as uncertain as everything else in the world.

Q:             There’s a danger, too, isn’t there – as the limbo gets longer, a show can lose performers, venues, staff…

Fred:         Yes.

Q:             Shows close and never reopen.

Fred:         Yes.

Q:             But not Secret Garden.

Fred:         (smiles) No.

Q:             Oh my gosh. When did things start back up? How did you find out?

Randi:       About the middle of last year – middle of 2022 – Jerry called and told us that the show was back on track and headed for a production in Los Angeles.

Q:             Just like that…

Fred:         It was full steam ahead. And, you know, I think the pandemic made our show even more relevant.

Randi:       There’s definitely a metaphor there. In the show, you know, Mary thinks the garden is dead –

Q:             That’s right!

Opening Night in Los Angeles at Ahmanson Theatre

Randi:       The show’s about this traumatized 10-year old girl, Mary Lennox, whose life drops out from under her when her parents die of cholera. She’s shipped off to an uncle and his family, who are also dealing with illness and mourning and loss. There’s this pall over everything – including quite literally the ghost of his dead wife Lily.

Fred:         But then Mary discovers Lily’s secret garden.

Randi:       And helps bring it back to life. And they all find a new path forward.

Q:             That’s certainly a story that needs to be told right now. So, The Secret Garden rebloomed in Los Angeles. With the Center Theatre Group?

Fred:         Right, that’s the producing organization. Jerry penned a deal with them and Tony-winner Warren Carlyle came aboard as the new director. The whole team was so talented. Some of Broadway’s best performers.

Q:             Was the work continuing to evolve?

Fred:         Oh, yes. There’d been a NY lab production, and a live-stream benefit during the pandemic. That’s actually when Warren Carlyle became involved. The original Broadway version was long – over three hours – and big, with lots of sets. The producers and creative team wanted to tighten it. For length, of course, but more importantly, to keep the story focused and moving forward. Hone in on Mary and her character arc and point of view, without losing all the other wonderful characters and events, of course.

Q:             Alright. The Center Theatre Group’s production at Los Angeles’ Ahmanson Theatre just closed its February-March run. How’d it go?

Fred:         Stellar. It got some rave reviews, and the audiences –

Randi:       Huge crowds.

Fred:         They were going wild for it.

Randi:       They were hooting and hollering. They literally kept stopping the show with applause and they were on their feet at the end before it even finished.

Fred:         All the elements were working. The humor was working, and it’s just…it’s just very moving.

Q:             It must feel so good, after the long journey and obstacles.

Fred:         There are always obstacles in theatre.

Q:             Not usually a global plague!

Fred:         (laughs) True.

Randi:       It’s been an unforgettable experience so far, that’s for sure.

Q:             And what does the future hold for this freshly bloomed Secret Garden?

Fred:         Things I’m not allowed to talk about yet.

Q:             (laughs) Geez. Turn into big-time theatre producers and suddenly your old friends can’t be trusted anymore…

Randi:       All we can say for now is, stay tuned.

Q:             Fair enough!

 

READ MORE about Fred and Randi’s national and international producing.
READ MORE about the Center Theatre Group production of The Secret Garden

 

 

 

 

 

 

]]> Promo for LA Production of “The Secret Garden”! https://fredsternfeld.com/watch-center-group-theatres-promo-for-the-secret-garden-feb-19-march-26-2023/ Thu, 16 Mar 2023 18:23:41 +0000 https://fredsternfeld.com/?p=11542 Watch Center Theatre Group’s YouTube promo for “The Secret Garden!”

]]> From Center Theatre Group: “The Legacy of Lucy Simon” https://fredsternfeld.com/center-theatre-group-article-the-legacy-of-lucy-simon/ Thu, 16 Feb 2023 19:49:17 +0000 https://fredsternfeld.com/?p=11558

Lucy Simon

From the Center Theatre Group blog:

How the Tony Award-nominated composer of The Secret Garden lives on through music, gardens, and cake

A new production of The Secret Garden opened at Center Theatre Group this week, one of the first major productions of the Tony Award-winning show since its Broadway premiere in 1991 and the passing of the musical’s composer, Lucy Simon. She was a Grammy Award-winning and Tony Award-nominated composer for Broadway, Folk, and Children’s music.

Lucy passed away in October 2022 from metastatic breast cancer—just a day after her sister, Opera Singer Joanna Simon, passed away from thyroid cancer. The two sisters were not the only musical members of the family—they are survived by their sister Carly Simon, who is also a musician and played with Lucy in a duo known as The Simon Sisters in the 1960s. Singing runs in the family as well. One of Julie’s favorite memories was singing with her mother.             read entire article

]]> “Be More Chill is Back Onstage!” – London production promo! https://fredsternfeld.com/be-more-chill-is-back-onstage-london-production-promo/ Mon, 12 Jul 2021 20:10:18 +0000 https://fredsternfeld.com/?p=11571 Watch BE MORE CHILL’s YouTube video promo!

]]> Sternfeld Enters New Stage of Life With Broadway Productions (BEACHWOOD BUZZ) https://fredsternfeld.com/sternfeld-enters-new-stage-of-life-with-broadway-productions-beachwood-buzz/ Fri, 29 Jun 2018 14:41:44 +0000 http://www.fredsternfeld.com/?p=6220 A Profile of Fred’s Career and Latest Projects

from BEACHWOOD BUZZ MAGAZINE
July 2018 Edition
By June Scharf

“I don’t know how 18-year-olds are supposed to know what they want to do in life,” says Fred Sternfeld, a 61-year-old Beachwood resident and avid local theater director. He clearly identifies with this issue since a direct career path eluded him early in his adult life. What he’d like to share with others who are experiencing this quandary is that it’ll be okay. He offers his own professional journey as a testament to his belief.

Producer-Director Fred Sternfeld

The latest and very noteworthy development in his life devoted to theater involves a producing role in the first Broadway revival of the 1991 musical The Secret Garden. It will be directed and choreographed by Tony Award winner Warren Carlyle for an opening in the 2018-19 Broadway season. Well-known New York producers, Gerald Goehring and Michael F. Mitri of Patriot Productions, picked up the show’s option in 2017.

Goerhring, who has guest lectured in town at Baldwin Wallace University, notes that what he sees in Sternfeld is someone who “has a sensibility for what stories need and what artists and the creative team require to stage a play.” For this reason and others, he involved Sternfeld in the entire creative process for The Secret Garden, beginning with casting and employing many of his insightful notes.

“They (Fred and co-producer/wife Randi) understand what each department needs, and they have the theater experience and background that make them very good at this work,” Goerhring adds.

During a recent staging without sets or costumes for an audience of theater owners, producers, investors and tour operators, the show received two standing ovations, which is typically unheard of during this process, according to Sternfeld.

THERE’S MUCH MORE! 
READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE AT BEACHWOOD BUZZ MAGAZINE
or DOWNLOAD THE ARTICLE AS A PDF

]]> What a Time It’s Been! A conversation with Randi and Fred Sternfeld https://fredsternfeld.com/what-a-time-its-been-a-conversation-with-randi-and-fred-sternfeld/ Fri, 22 Jun 2018 13:32:09 +0000 http://www.fredsternfeld.com/?p=6200

by Michael Dempsey

Fred and Randi Sternfeld have been my friends for a long time. I’ve acted in Fred’s shows, taught and directed at Hathaway Brown Theatre Institute, and I’m his web designer. They’ve supported my directing and writing ventures as well. Randi was an early fan of my novel. When the commuting slog to HBTI got too grueling, they put me up in their home. They’ve even traveled to the wilds of Youngstown to see my shows. Over the years, we’ve talked about a lot of things. Art. Theatre. Career. Dr. Who. But truth be told, I don’t recall them ever talking about becoming Broadway producers.

So imagine my surprise when I learned that Fred and Randi had, in the space of two years, become above-the-title producers on not just one, but three Broadway-bound productions!

Be More Chill producers Fred and Randi Sternfeld

Well, I had to pick their brains and share it. I wanted the low-down, the dirt, the skinny. What the heck had instigated these major new activities? What experiences were they having? What had they learned?

The Sternfelds, of course, have extensive theatre experience: Randi is a former actress, and Fred has amassed a huge body of work as a theatre director, instructor and artistic director in Cleveland, Seattle and Dallas.

As in all stories—whether on the page, the stage or life—adventures begin with an inciting incident. Fred and Randi’s call to adventure happened when longtime friends John and Danita Thomas approached them to become investors/producers of a musical. Not just any musical, mind you, but a new version of a Broadway classic that was on its way back to New York.

Fred, Randi and composer Lucy Simon at NY Secret Garden lab production

The Secret Garden, the musical based on the beloved novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett, already had an illustrious record—its original Broadway production ran for 709 performances and garnered several Tony Awards. But recently playwright Marsha Norman and composer Lucy Simon had begun working on revisions to the script and score they felt would focus the story and improve some character arcs.

MD: Okay, “inquiring minds want to know.” Tell me how this all started.

FS: John Thomas is another producer on the project, along with his wife Danita. I’ve known John ever since he was in high school, when I cast him as a pirate in my 1987 Beck Center production of Peter Pan. John has followed my work since then, but we’ve never found the perfect vehicle to produce together, until The Secret Garden came along.

MD: Did you jump at the chance?

FS: Well, it was a big decision.

MD: I can imagine.

RS: We thought about it very carefully.

MD: What happened after you were on board?

RS: We joined the producing team, led by Jerry Goehring, who is lead producer and general partner for the show. Jerry’s a Tony and Grammy Award-nominated Broadway producer.

MD: What’s the process behind preparing a new version of a well-known Broadway show?

Fred and Randi with composer Lucy Simon

FS: It’s been in development for the last year and a half, with viewings in DC, Seattle and Houston. Randi and I just returned from a lab presentation in New York that was a huge success. Sierra Boggess, Clifton Duncan and Drew Gehling starred in it. The current plan is to bring the show to Broadway for the 2018-2019 season, with the same creative team and hopefully many of the same actors.

MD: What was it like, the first time you found yourself in a room with Tony Award-winning writer Marsha Norman and Tony-nominated composer Lucy Simon?

FS: Thrilling! They’re immensely talented and successful. We felt honored to be involved.

MD: Has anything surprised you about the process? Was anything different than you expected?

RS: As above-the-title producers, one of your prim

ary responsibilities is to invest and to provide investors under your umbrella. In some cases, that might be the extent of it.

FS: We were able to get involved more than we initially thought, though. That was a surprise.

RS: Jerry and the writers have been open to our input and ideas. We’ve been able to share opinions on story, structure—even a few acting notes. They were welcomed and well-received.

MD: Jerry Goehring said that your input has been taken to heart by the authors, resulting in a direct impact on the final script. That must be gratifying.

FS: Absolutely. One instance that was thrilling for me was when I attended the auditions in New York. The standard etiquette is to only share comments with the lead producer, not the whole room. Marsha Norman, Lucy Simon, the director and other creative staff—they were all right there. But at the end of the evening, Jerry asked me to share my opinion on a few things, in front of everyone. It was exciting to be able to contribute in that way.

MD: Investing in theatre can be a risky business. How do you feel about that aspect of it?

FS: There’s no way to know whether a show will become a hit. So yes, you’re taking a risk. We’ve been very selective about projects.

RS: There has to be a connection with the material.

FS: Exactly. For us, it’s not about the money as much as the experience of shepherding something that we believe in.

MD: That’s a good segue to another of your producing efforts, Be More Chill. It’s a very different kind of show than Secret Garden.

RS: I’m really excited about this one. This show is just so much fun. It has a score by Joe Iconis and book by Joe Tracz, based on Ned Vizzini’s cult novel.

FS: Previews begin July 26 for its Off-Broadway run at the Irene Diamond Stage at the Pershing Square Signature Center. Then it’ll open on August 9.

MD: The show has a science fiction element to it, doesn’t it?

RS: Yes. It’s about a socially awkward teen, Jeremy, who’s uncomfortable in his own skin—he’s unpopular, doesn’t relate to girls, etc. A lot of people go through that. Then he finds a supercomputer in pill form, called a SQUIP. It’s activated by Mountain Dew and is supposed to make people more chill.

MD: That’s hilarious.

FS: The SQUIP starts giving him advice about his problems. It’s actually played by an actor onstage, even though it’s in Jeremy’s head.

FS: It’s a modern updating of a classic story trope—like Cyrano. The science fiction element gives it a whole new spin. Besides being funny, it’s got a strong message and is also quite moving.

RS: This show is unusual because it’s already developed an enormous fan base—even before it’s had a major production.

MD: Jerry Goehring said this about it: The huge following has put it in a completely new world, one we’ve never seen in theatre—all driven by social media. There are not even any bootleg productions online for fans to watch, so they’ve created fan fiction, artwork and anime videos with the songs as a soundtrack—basically creating their own version of the show, solely from listening to the CD.

FS: It’s become a genuine phenomenon within the high school and college demographic.

MD: I take it that Jerry approached you to invest, based on your Secret Garden collaboration?

FS: No, actually! He didn’t push us to be investors or producers, because we were already involved in two other musicals. He basically just wanted to get our opinion about the piece.

RS: Both of us loved it immediately. It just spoke to us. We went back to him and said we wanted to get in on it and help out!

MD: The show is directed by Stephen Brackett and choreographed by Chase Brock. It also looks like it has a really talented cast.

FS: Will Roland is leaving the role he created in Dear Evan Hansen to be in our show. It’s exciting to have such an acclaimed actor joining us. Tickets are selling really well. If it does well, they’ll have a more extended Off-Broadway run, or try to take it to Broadway.

MD: Finally, tell us a little about Intermission! The Musical.

FS: We actually got involved with this one before Be More Chill. It’s directed by Jerry Zucker, who of course is famous for his wacky film comedies like Airplane! and Ruthless People. He also wrote the book to the musical. Currently, it’s being refined and rewritten after a very well-received lab production last year.

MD: If it’s as funny as his movies, it’ll be a blast.

FS: It has the same comic tone as his movies. Very much a meta-musical.

RS: With this one, we just thought it would be a ton of fun.

FS: Other nontraditional musicals, like Spamalot and Book of Mormon, have been big hits.

MD: And this one is Broadway-bound as well?

FS: We certainly hope so!

MD: Man, that’s a lot to cram into a couple years.

FS: Time will tell whether these productions find their audiences, but we think we’ve picked winners. No matter what, we wouldn’t trade the experiences we’ve had for the world.

RS: And to be able to do this together is extra special.

MD: I’m sure there will be lots more news in the near future. For now, break legs—times three!

]]> Sternfelds-produced Broadway “Secret Garden” revival has NYC lab presentation (THEATREMANIA) https://fredsternfeld.com/sternfelds-produced-broadway-secret-garden-revival-has-nyc-lab-presentation/ Fri, 08 Jun 2018 14:47:14 +0000 http://www.fredsternfeld.com/?p=6171 THEATER NEWS

Sierra Boggess, Clifton Duncan, Drew Gehling to Lead The Secret Garden Lab

Warren Carlyle directs the presentation in anticipation of a forthcoming Broadway revival.

Sierra Boggess will star in a lab presentation of The Secret Garden.

Sierra Boggess will star in a lab presentation of The Secret Garden. (© David Gordon)

Sierra Boggess, Clifton Duncan, and Drew Gehling will star in a lab presentation of the upcoming Broadway revival of The Secret Garden. Directed and choreographed by Warren Carlyle, the lab will be held May 19-June 8.

Boggess will take on the role of Lily, with Duncan as Archibald and Gehling as Neville Craven. They will be joined by Amber Iman as Martha, Adam Chanler-Berat as Dickon, Brooklyn Shuck as Mary, Cameron Mann as Colin, Matt Doyle as Albert, Sally Ann Triplett as Medlock, Jim Norton as Ben, Anoop Desai as Fakir, and Kuhoo Verma as Ayah. Gerald Goehring and Michael F. Mitri serve as producers, with John and Danita Thomas and Fred and Randi Sternfeld as coproducers.

Based on the novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden tells the story of Mary Lennox, a young, Indian-born English orphan sent to live with her cold and distant aunt and uncle in Yorkshire. There, Mary discovers a decrepit garden, which she sets out to bring back to life.

With book and lyrics by Tony Award winner Marsha Norman and music by Tony Award nominee Lucy Simon, The Secret Garden will be revived on Broadway during the 2018-19 season.

Original article

]]> Sternfelds producing Broadway-bound revival of “Secret Garden” (CLEVELAND JEWISH NEWS) https://fredsternfeld.com/sternfelds-producing-broadway-bound-revival-of-secret-garden-cleveland-jewish-news/ Fri, 12 May 2017 13:44:35 +0000 http://www.fredsternfeld.com/?p=5673 What were they thinking: On the wings of angels

Bob Abelman | CJN Columnist

“Another op’nin’ of another show.”  ~ Lyric from “Kiss Me, Kate”

Not long ago, the backstage of the Longacre Theatre on W. 48th St. in midtown Manhattan was cleared out after “Nerds” – a musical about Bill Gates and Steve Jobs – abruptly cancelled its Broadway run less than a month before its first preview performance.

It happened so fast that the theater marquee still promoted its previous tenant, “Allegiance,” a musical about the internment of Japanese-Americans in the aftermath of Pearl Harbor that closed after just four months on stage.

 Actors and designers were released.

The dreams of the show’s creators were dashed.

Read the full article

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