He will exit at the end of the current Broadway season. The announcement was made Sept. 30 by Bernstein to the League's Executive Board.
Bernstein, who celebrated his 10th anniversary with the League in September 2005, "will be moving on to concentrate on producing and marketing projects in all areas of entertainment." No replacement has been named.
For a decade, Bernstein has been the public face for theatre owners, operators, presenters, general managers and producers who make up the membership of the League, which operates under the Live Broadway trademark (itself a "branding" initiative started on Bernstein's watch).
The League membership represents Broadway and touring legitimate theatrical productions. The Tony Awards, Broadway's highest honor, is presented by the American Theatre Wing and the League of American Theatres and Producers. League shows "bring Broadway to nearly 25 million people in New York and more than 140 cities across the US and Canada."
"The last decade has been professionally exhilarating for me and I am so proud of the many things that the team at The League has accomplished," said Bernstein, in a statement. "It is also a good time for the League, which is nearly at the end of a comprehensive strategic planning project that will identify new visions and directions for the organization. It deserves a fresh pair of legs to run the next lap of the race, taking this industry to new heights. I am committed to helping The League make a smooth transition during this important phase in its development." "Jed has admirably performed his position at the League," Gerald Schoenfeld, League chairman, said in a statement. "During his tenure, he enhanced the League's marketing and sponsorship activities and its image both in New York and throughout the United States. Jed also recognized the importance of the American Road and its inclusion into the activities of the League. I wish him well in the next phase of his career."
"Jed Bernstein leaves a completely different League than he found when he took this job 10 years ago," Rocco Landesman, president of Jujamcyn Theaters, stated. "The transformation he has engineered is truly remarkable. What we now know as the Broadway Brand, with its numerous new programs, sponsorships, and greatly expanded public profile, is largely Jed's creation. We will miss him."
Visible initiatives under Bernstein's leadership have included the creation of a central Broadway box office; Kids' Night on Broadway; the development of Broadway-oriented television projects such as "Broadway on Broadway," and "Broadway Under The Stars," and a marketing program to attract Broadway sponsors "that has resulted in cash and measurable in-kind support of over $125 million." He led the reorganization of The League's labor function, "positioning it to successfully negotiate with 14 trade unions and guilds."
According to the League, Bernstein "was one of those instrumental in spearheading Broadway’s recovery after 9/11, the industry's most challenging time."
*
In addition to fostering awareness of Broadway theatre and supporting "the creation of more profitable theatrical productions," the League negotiates collective bargaining agreements with all theatrical unions and guilds; coordinates industry-wide marketing initiatives and corporate sponsorships; oversees government relations for the Broadway industry; maintains relevant research archives and databases; and supports charitable efforts for the benefit of the entire theatrical community.
The star-in-the-spotlight "Live Broadway" logo "was adopted by the League of American Theatres and Producers in 1997 to designate genuine Broadway theatre, the highest quality form of popular entertainment."
In recent years the website LiveBroadway.com and Internet Broadway Database (ibdb.com) have expanded the public's access to information about the Broadway, the epicenter of the American commercial theatre community.
Under the Live Broadway banner, the League brings to Broadway fans these and other events and services: