How Does The Show Go On? - An Introduction To The Theater
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How Does The Show Go On? � An Introduction To The Theater
Three years ago on Saturday night (December 15, 2004) a dapper gentleman stood at the back of the orchestra at the Prince Edward Theater. I could clearly see he was beaming from cheek-to-cheek. After the obligatory (and wholly appropriate) standing ovation for the cast including Laura Michelle Kelly, Gavin Lee, David Haig and Charlotte Spencer I approached the gentleman to congratulate him on a wonderful production. He graciously said "Thank you but we really couldn't have done it without a great cast and a phenomenally talented creative team." That individual was Tom Schumacher, the current president of Disney Theatrical Productions and the lead producer on all of the Disney musical output since the Tony Award-winning Disney's The Lion King. I have had the privilege of knowing Tom since his feature animation days (he was President of the division, responsible for ushering classics such as The Lion King, TARZAN and Lilo & Stitch through development, production and theatrical release and even produced The Rescuers Down Under). For a long time I have heard Tom talk about his desire to release a book � last month his first hardback finally hit the shelves. Recently we had the opportunity to discuss the project entitled How Does The Show Go On? � An Introduction To The Theater.
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"When I was moving to New York City full-time I had two books in mind and this was one of them," Tom began. "I have known [co-author] Jeff Kurtti since '83 when we worked on the LA Olympic Arts Festival together and I went to him with the idea. He gave me some tips and we took the project to [Disney Editions, Editorial Director] Wendy Lefkon who took it onboard."
To unfold the cover takes both hands as it is like a hard backed version of a curtain � the cover is split down the middle to reveal a signature photo from Disney's The Lion King of Rafiki performing the opening number with a leaping gazelle against the stylized sun. The book is segmented into Three Acts � Front of House, Center Stage (the show itself) and Back of House. How Does The Show Go On? is a comprehensive study for children of what it takes to put on a Broadway production through the eyes of one of the most successful commercial producers in the history of the Great White Way.