The agreement, which was announced by Shubert Chairman Philip J. Smith and Shubert President Robert E. Wankel, will partner the Shuberts with Zadan and Meron in the development/production of original plays and musicals, as well as revivals.
“We’ve known and admired Craig and Neil since their early years in New York in the 1970’s. They’ve gone on to triumph in every entertainment medium,” Smith said in a statement.
“Their film and television adaptations of the great Broadway musicals have been enjoyed by audiences around the world. We look forward to collaborating with them on many exciting projects,” added Wankel.
“We started our careers learning from the legendary Joseph Papp,” stated Zadan and Meron. “Since then, we’ve searched for a home that is forward-thinking and dedicated to excellence. We are thrilled to join with the theatre’s dynamic forces, Phil Smith and Bob Wankel at the Shubert Organization, in developing new work, even producing a revival here and there, and finding material we’re passionate about creating together.”
The Shubert Organization has been a leading force in the American theatre for over 100 years. Productions include Cats, Sunday in the Park with George, Dreamgirls, The Heidi Chronicles, Jerome Robbins’ Broadway, Amadeus, Children of a Lesser God, The Grapes of Wrath, Ain’t Misbehavin’, A Few Good Men, God of Carnage, Lucky Guy, Spamalot and the current The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Craig Zadan and Neil Meron’s productions have earned a total of six Academy Awards, five Golden Globes, 13 Emmy Awards, two Peabody Awards, a Grammy Award, five GLAAD Awards, two NAACP Image Awards and two Tony Awards. Zadan and Meron will be producing their third Oscar telecast for ABC in 2015. They also produced last year’s successful NBC presentation of “The Sound of Music Live!” This year, they are producing the telecast of “Peter Pan Live!,” again for NBC, starring Christopher Walken and Allison Williams. On Broadway, they recently produced the Tony-winning How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, starring Daniel Radcliffe and John Larroquette, and the Tony-winning Promises, Promises, starring Sean Hayes and Kristin Chenoweth.
