Exclusive: Producers Brian and Dayna Lee on Picking Projects, Parenting, and Paving Their Own Path

They say not to go into business with your friends, let alone your significant other. But producers Brian and Dayna Lee are making it work — and thriving in the process.

The husband-wife duo is taking the theater world by storm with their company, AF Creative Media, as part of a wave of younger producers breaking the mold and challenging what producers can (and should) look like. Fresh on the heels of co-producing the Olivier-winning Giant — which marked their West End lead producing debut — as well as being part of the producing team on the West End transfer of Fiddler on the Roof, the Tony-nominated Broadway run of Dead Outlaw, and New York Theatre Workshop’s production of Becoming Eve, the couple chatted with BroadwayWorld about work-life balance as they continue to blaze their trail.

Brian and Dayna grew up near each other in suburban Toronto but it wasn't until they both attended Boston's Berklee College of Music that they met. They married in 2017 and have since welcomed three children. In addition to juggling multiple producing projects and being parents, they run the popular @artsfoodfamily Instagram account, sharing candid insight into how they manage it all. In chatting with them over coffee, it's easy to get a sense of how they make it all work, as their joint passion for theater and their family leave them with genuine grins from ear-to-ear.

With multiple Tony and Olivier Awards lining their shelves, it would be easy to assume they are chomping at the bit to nail down their next projects — which isn't entirely untrue. But for the couple, it's a balancing act of raising their young children while forging ahead with their big Broadway dreams.

Dayna and Brian explained the two sides of their business: the shows they lead produce and those they co-produce. 

“I think co-producing, as we look at it, is like a board of directors and investors who help fulfill this amazing creative world,” Brian said, noting that like their work on Dead Outlaw, it’s a supporting role in the larger world of the show. “What we look for in all of our work that we lead produce and that we co-produce and that we invest in, is that beautiful sauce of the familiarity of it and when you walk in it's not like anything you've ever seen before. But there's familiarity, there's a brand, and then turning it on its head and really teaching an audience something new.”

Their work as lead producers is a bit more hands-on, involving not only requesting and reading through scripts to gauge their own interest as well as the potential audience reaction, but then collaborating with others to put together a solid creative team, cast, and theater to bring the project to life. From there, it becomes about opening themselves up to collaborating with ad agencies, social media managers, PR teams, and more to entice theatergoers.

When we met for coffee, Brian and Dayna shared that a lost email they sent in 2021 inquiring about a script had come back into their inbox that very morning. Asked how they pick their projects, Brian and Dayna admitted to having an "honest system."

"There's the Dayna test, and if it passes the Dayna test, we do it," Brian said with a laugh. "Because I'm such a theatre kid. I'm such a fan and I still can't believe I get to do this."

To be clear, they're both theatre fans; there's no denying that. Dayna just takes a slightly more pragmatic approach. "I can sort of absorb the vantage point of an everyday audience member or consumer a little bit more and have my feet planted in both worlds," Dayna said.

"I think it's a combination of story — what resonates with us in terms of like the heartbeat of the story — and how we have to spend so much time with it," she elaborated on how they (really) choose what projects to align themselves with. Putting the puzzle pieces together, like the creative team and cast, are a big part of that, as the couple aim to "create happy families."  

As an example, they recalled seeing the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre production of Fiddler on the Roof while in London and immediately knew they needed to be part of it. So they made some phone calls, had a meeting, and soon found themselves as part of the producing team transferring the show to the West End for a sold-out run at the Barbican Theatre. They had a similar experience with Giant, having read Mark Rosenblatt’s play three years ago and knowing they needed to take it on.

"These things take so long page to stage, so making sure we're really loving the process in between is a big thing for us," Dayna said, "because at the end of the day, we are married, we have a family, and we are always trying to have that delicate balance of really keeping our work life healthy."

But like many others, their path to producing wasn't linear. Some people build a career working for legacy producers, carving out their own path. Others find ways in via nonprofit institutions. For Brian and Dayna, it was more about determining their end goal and then figuring out how to track that.

"We've been doing this for almost 10 years, and we have knocked on a lot of doors and some we have walked through, some we've walked away from, some have been slammed in our face, and some are reopening now," Dayna said. "I think it really focused us to stay in our own lane, realize things take time and a 'no' isn't always a 'no.' A 'no' is typically not now."

Of course, Brian and Dayna aren't immune to the challenges of working together; you'd be hard pressed to find a married couple who is. But their passion for their work, and for their family, makes it worth it.

They recently took their twin girls to their first Broadway show: Aladdin. Both Brian and Dayna grew emotional recalling the joy of witnessing the art form they love most through the eyes of their kids. It was clearly a magical moment for them; one they, and their girls, are sure to remember for years to come.

Balancing parenting with the fluctuations of a life in theater isn't for the faint hearted; it comes with its own challenges and compromises. Still, Dayna remains adamant that working women in theater can have it all — and it's important to keep moving that narrative forward.

"I think that the times are changing and I think that we can do both," Dayna said matter-of-factly about being a working woman in theater as well as a mom. "I'm hoping that the perceptions can change; that women can be producers, can create and do the work and enter into creative spaces and add real value but also still be moms." 

To those questioning whether or not they can, or should, do both, she offers additional insight. "I don't think that we have to choose," Dayna says. "You're going to get to be more selective. You're going to get to zero in on what matters to you the most. It's going to make you a better producer. It's going to make you more well-rounded to tell these stories."

"We can do both. Don't be scared of it," she continued. 

After a busy few months bouncing between New York, Toronto, and London — plus a trip to Spain to see the international debut of yet another major producing project, Here There Are Blueberries — Brian and Dayna have a handful of yet-to-be-announced projects in the works. They share a knowing look when pressed further, and their excitement is palpable. And, of course, they're just as excited about planning their next family day out to see another Broadway show in a beautiful melding of their two main roles in life: producers and parents.