Jordan Roth Succeeds Rocco Landesman as Jujamcyn Theaters President

By Andrew Gans
08 Sep 2009

Jordan Roth
Jordan Roth
Photo by Jim Cox

Jordan Roth, who joined Jujamcyn Theaters in 2005 as resident producer and became vice president the following year, has succeeded Rocco Landesman as president of that company, which owns and operates five major Broadway houses.

The 33-year-old Roth's appointment is effective immediately. He has also acquired a 50 percent ownership interest in the privately held company, according to a Sept. 8 announcement.

Landesman, as previously reported, was confirmed as Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts last month.

Landesman, who had presided over Jujamcyn Theaters since 1987, said in a statement, "Jordan Roth is the next generation of leadership for our organization and our industry. I am excited for him to take Jujamcyn into the future, and I am gratified to know that he will be in New York as a smart and passionate advocate for the Broadway community."

Jordan Roth has shepherded such Tony Award-winning productions as Spring Awakening and Hair to Jujamcyn houses. In addition to his responsibilities operating and booking the company's theatres, Roth also produced Harvey Fierstein and John Bucchino's A Catered Affair and created Givenik.com, a unique service allowing theatregoers to buy discounted tickets and give five percent of their ticket price to the charity of their choice.

Roth graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Princeton University in 1997 with degrees in philosophy and theatre and is currently pursuing an MBA at Columbia Business School. Before joining Jujamcyn, he produced The Rocky Horror Show, which received four Tony Award nominations, as well as the theatre/nightclub sensation The Donkey Show, which ran for six years in New York, played around the world and will open this month at American Repertory Theatre in Cambridge.

Roth serves on the Board of Trustees of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC), Freedom to Marry, Young Patrons of Lincoln Center Theater, and The Horace Mann School, of which he is an alumnus.

Jujamcyn Theaters owns and operates the St. James, Al Hirschfeld, August Wilson, Eugene O'Neill and Walter Kerr theatres on Broadway. Created in 1956, the company is named for the three children of its founder, James H. Binger –Judith, James and Cynthia.

Current and upcoming Jujamcyn productions include Jersey Boys, Hair, Fela!, Finian's Rainbow and A Little Night Music. Past productions include Angels in America; Big River; Caroline, or Change; City of Angels; Death of a Salesman; Doubt; A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum; Guys and Dolls; Into the Woods; Jelly's Last Jam; Kiss Me, Kate; Love! Valour! Compassion!; M. Butterfly; The Producers; Proof; The Secret Garden; Smokey Joe’s Café; Spring Awakening; Take Me Out; The Who's Tommy; and six plays by the late August Wilson.