In a statement, Jed Bernstein, CTI's program director, said, "CTI is committed to training the great Broadway producers of the future, so naturally it gives us great pleasure to honor Stuart Thompson, one of the great ones of the present."

Charlotte St. Martin, executive director of The Broadway League, commented, "Of all the talented producers and general managers on Broadway, Stuart Thompson is one of the busiest and smartest. He knows the business, has a sincere passion for theatre, and is loved by all."

Victoria Bailey, TDF's executive director, added, "I am delighted that Stuart is this year's honoree. Stuart Thompson worked alongside Robert Whitehead for many years. Stuart's illustrious career, with his commitment to producing new plays on Broadway, is a testament to Robert Whitehead's legacy as the producer of over 80 Broadway productions including original works by some of the greatest playwrights of the 20th century."

A joint project of The Broadway League and Theatre Development Fund, CTI — the nation's only formal training program for commercial theatre producers — was founded in 1981 by the late Frederic B. Vogel. The five-decade long career of the late Robert Whitehead inspired this award; previous recipients include Dori Berinstein, Benjamin Mordecai, Dennis Grimaldi, Kevin McCollum, Randall L. Wreghitt, Marc Routh, Liz Oliver, Eric Krebs, Anne Strickland Squadron, David Binder and Nick Scandalios.

In the last two seasons on Broadway, Thompson has been producer of A View from the Bridge, Exit the King and God of Carnage, which won the 2009 Tony Award for Best Play. Thompson, an Australian native, began his producing career on Broadway with David Mamet's The Old Neighborhood in 1997 and went on to co-produce The Chairs, which received a nomination for the 1998 Tony Award and Drama Desk Award for Best Revival of a Play and Not About Nightingales, which was nominated for the 1999 Tony Award and Drama Desk Award for Best Play. He subsequently produced The Tale of the Allergist's Wife, The Play What I Wrote, The Retreat from Moscow, Proof, On Golden Pond and Deuce.

For information about CTI call (212) 586-1109 or visit www.commercialtheaterinstitute.com.