PlayhouseSquare Honors Broadway Producer Kevin McCollum

PlayhouseSquare honored Broadway producer Kevin McCollum with its highest award, The PlayhouseSquare Star Award for Achievement in the Performing Arts, at its annual Chairman's Dinner last night. Past honorees include legendary composer Marvin Hamlisch and Disney Theatricals President Thomas Schumacher.

The PlayhouseSquare Star Award is bestowed annually to one individual who exemplifies a lifetime dedication to the performing arts evidenced by a body of work that contributes to our culture, proven leadership within the industry, creativity, willingness to mentor young talent and respect from the artistic community.

"Kevin McCollum has reinvigorated Broadway by producing powerful musicals, like RENT, Avenue Q and In the Heights, that appeal to young audiences," explained Gina Vernaci, vice president of theatricals for PlayhouseSquare, "and he also has demonstrated a strong belief in Cleveland and in PlayhouseSquare. In the past three years, he has launched two national tours here and granted us the first rights for [title of show] to use for our annual partnership with Baldwin-Wallace College."

Kevin McCollum's Broadway productions have won 22 Tony Awards and garnered an additional 41 Tony nominations. RENT was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1996. His roster of productions includes such notable shows as Damn Yankees, La Boheme, Avenue Q, The Drowsy Chaperone, In the Heights, [title of show], West Side Story, Ragtime and Irving Berlin's White Christmas.

In 1995, McCollum and Jeffrey Seller (co-producer, RENT) co-founded The Producing Office, where McCollum is owner and chairman of the board. In addition, McCollum is co-owner of the leading New York theatrical booking agency, The Booking Group.
McCollum was a managing partner in 37 Arts, an Off-Broadway theater complex that is home to the Baryshnikov Arts Center. For seven years, McCollum was the president and CEO of the Ordway Music Theatre in St. Paul, MN. He was formerly associate producer for the St. Louis MUNY outdoor theater and Executive Producer of the feature film Jeffrey. He holds an MFA in film producing from the University of Southern California and a BFA from the University of Cincinnati - College Conservatory of Music.

McCollum is a member of the National Endowment for the Arts peer review panel for musicals, the League of American Theatres and Producers, and the Independent Feature Film Board. He is a Trustee of the Jonathan Larson Performing Arts Foundation.

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