Broadway Producers to Deconstruct Tony Awards Campaign Strategy at NYC Panel
Tony winners Kenneth Willman and Robin Gorman Newman join ATA's Jessica Jennings at The Penn Club.
Just twenty-four hours after the curtain falls on the 79th Annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall, the celebration and strategic deconstruction of commercial theater's biggest night will continue in Midtown. On Monday, June 8, 2026, from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM, an elite roster of Broadway luminaries will gather for an exclusive panel discussion at The Penn Club of New York (30 West 44th Street, NYC).
Focusing strictly on the high-stakes world of commercial Broadway production, investment, and the precise anatomy of a Tony Award campaign, this masterclass panel brings together multi-Tony-winning producers to pull back the curtain on how a Broadway show is capitalized, sustained, and successfully guided to theater's highest honor.
Providing an elegant, intellectual backdrop for this commercial theater summit is The Penn Club of New York. Operating as a historic, not-for-profit 501(c)7 private social club, the landmark 13-story clubhouse serves as a sanctuary for alumni, faculty, and affiliates of the University of Pennsylvania. Boasting grand banquet spaces, private bars, and a grand living room anchored by a historic open fireplace, the clubhouse sits at the epicenter of Manhattan's cultural and corporate landscape—making it the definitive meeting ground where high-finance capital and major Broadway execution intersect.
Steering the dialogue is a panel of moderators, featuring a towering Broadway producing force alongside an award-winning Shakespearean actress and theatrical executive:
- Kenneth Willman (Co-Moderator): A titan of commercial theater, Willman—alongside his wife, Rosemary—has championed more than 60 productions across Broadway, London's West End, and international markets. His mantle features three Tony Awards, headlined by Best Musical for the global phenomenon Hadestown (2019) and monumental triumphs for the critically acclaimed revivals of Parade and Sunset Boulevard, alongside two Olivier Awards (Come From Away and Dear England). Willman's massive current Broadway footprint includes hits like Suffs, the star-studded revivals of Gypsy and Othello, and Peter Pan Goes Wrong.
- Jessica Jennings (Co-Moderator): Serving as the Executive Director of the historic American Theatre of Actors (ATA) since May 2025, Jennings brings a lifelong pedigree of theatrical excellence to the stage. Born into the industry to director/playwright James Jennings and actress Jane Culley, she made her stage debut at just two weeks old in Macbeth. A decorated classical artist, Jennings holds a BFA in Dance from The University of the Arts, studied on a scholarship at the Martha Graham Dance Center, and won the Jean Dalrymple Award for Best Shakespearean Actress for her landmark portrayal of Ophelia in Hamlet. Her extensive movement and performance background includes performing internationally at the Edinburgh Festival, appearing in major films like M. Night Shyamalan's The Village (where she served as a dance stand-in for Bryce Dallas Howard and coached principal cast members like Sigourney Weaver), and directing award-winning classical revivals. As the co-founder of the social-justice theater company Ripple Effect Artists, Jennings specializes in leveraging performance to engage audiences intellectually, bringing a profound understanding of body language, classical text, and executive talent pipelines to the panel.
The panel features a carefully curated cross-section of executive theater disciplines, bridging the gaps between financial backing, creative development, and high-level theatrical public relations:
- Robin Gorman Newman: A Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Award-winning commercial producer, Newman captured her first Tony Award for the universally acclaimed revival of Parade. Her stellar Broadway producing resume includes Tony-nominated runs of Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, Fat Ham, The Who's Tommy, and the immersive revival of Cabaret. She is currently on the producing teams for the Broadway-bound musical Smash, Buena Vista Social Club, and the Museum of Broadway. Newman holds an MBA in Marketing and serves as Vice President of the Board for the prominent musical theater incubator, New York Theatre Barn.
- Jay Michaels: An award-winning producer and promotional executive, Michaels is the executive engine driving Jay Michaels Global Communications (JMGC). Specializing in visibility management, corporate cross-promotion, and comprehensive PR campaigns tailored strictly for commercial entertainment, Michaels' focus centers on the anatomy of award-season promotion, media relations, and the audience-development strategies required to sustain a Broadway show's box office longevity.
- Jill Jaysen: An award-winning theatrical director, writer, and corporate communication strategist, Jaysen is the founder of Center Stage Theatre Company. A former stockbroker and neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) practitioner, Jaysen coaches elite global figures, including individuals named in Fortune's 50 Most Powerful Leaders and Time's 100 Most Influential People. On the panel, she addresses the psychology of pitch development and capital acquisition for commercial properties.
From navigating the initial capitalization of a multi-million-dollar musical to surviving the intense spring voting block of the Tony Awards Administration Committee, this elite evening at the Penn Club serves as an unprecedented blueprint for commercial theatrical survival and success at the highest industry level.
Videos
