I WANNA BE A PRODUCER Author John Breglio Set for Book Discussion, Signing at Drama Book Shop

Acclaimed producer John Breglio will be discussing his new book, I Wanna Be A Producer: How To Make a Killing on Broadway... or Get Killed at Drama Book Shop, 250 W. 40th St. on Monday, May 23rd at 5:00pm. Joining John in conversation will be fellow producer Barry Weissler.

What does a producer actually do? How does one travel from that great idea for a show to a smash hit opening night on Broadway? In I Wanna Be a Producer: How to Make a Killing on Broadway...or Get Killed (April 2016, Applause Books, $29.99), John Breglio - a Broadway veteran with more than 40 years experience - shares an exceptional road map for the hows and wherefores, the dos and don'ts of producing a Broadway play. In this highly informative book, Breglio offers practical concepts for the aspiring producer and entertains with great personal anecdotes from his illustrious career as a leading theatrical lawyer and producer. Breglio recounts not only his first-hand knowledge of the crucial legal and business issues faced by a producer, but also his experiences behind-the-scenes with literally hundreds of producers, playwrights, composers, and directors, including such theatre luminaries as Michael Bennett, Joe Papp, Stephen Sondheim, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Patti Lupone, and August Wilson. Working or aspiring producers, investors, directors, actors, designers, teachers -- as well as those who are simply curious about the backstage reality of the theater -- will relish John Breglio's sage advice and irresistible storytelling. I Wanna Be a Producer is indispensable reading for theater professionals and fans of all levels - from high school drama clubs to college theater programs, from community theater groups and summer stock to The Great White Way.

Mr. Breglio has spent nearly 40 years working in all sectors of the entertainment industry, including theater, motion pictures, publishing, and music. As an entertainment lawyer, he was instrumental in helping his clients to produce and finance plays, musicals, and films. In 2008, he retired from his law practice to produce plays, musicals, and films independently, including the critically acclaimed revival of A Chorus Line and Dreamgirls. Breglio has served as chair of the Theatre Development Fund and has sat on the boards of the American Foundation for AIDS Research, the Alliance for the Arts, the John Golden Fund, and Young Playwrights. He has also lectured frequently for the National Law Journal Seminars, the Practicing Law Institute, and at Yale University and Columbia University School of the Arts, where he has taught a graduate course on theater and the law. In 2005, he received the Actors' Fund Medal of Honor, and he has been recognized for his contributions to the theatrical community by the Public Theatre, the National Corporate Theatre Fund, and Cherry Lane Theatre.