Madison Wells Stay Unveils Slate With New Initiatives From Trio of Buzzy Theater Administrators (EXCLUSIVE) – Selection

Madison Wells Stay, the stage leisure division of Gigi Pritzker’s Madison Wells Media (“The Eyes of Tammy Faye”), has emerged from theater’s lockdown section with a lineup of brewing theater initiatives together with a movement-based play with music, “The Factor About Jellyfish,” directed by Tyne Rafaeli and now gearing up for a developmental presentation within the spring, and a brand new musical in regards to the Rev. Daniel Jenkins and the Jenkins Orphanage Band, directed by Whitney White (“What to Ship Up When It Goes Down”) and co-produced by David and Jessica Oyelowo.

Additionally on the docket is a brand new musical led by director Lear DeBessonet, whose Encores! manufacturing of “Into the Woods” has develop into a strong-selling hit on Broadway. The three initiatives, with inventive groups led by three fast-rising administrators, are the primary to be initiated and shepherded in-house by MWL, which was established in its present iteration in 2019 beneath the management of government producer Jamie Forshaw (pictured, proper), a veteran of Cameron Waterproof coat Ltd., Disney Theatrical and Actually Helpful Group.

“The stay division’s mission, which aligns with Gigi’s and Madison Wells’ mission basically, could be very a lot about elevating voices which can be lesser heard, notably feminine voices,” Forshaw stated.

MWL has additionally partnered on the Avett Brothers musical “Swept Away” and is now in talks with a nonprofit theater to deliver the present to the east coast following its world premiere at Berkeley Rep earlier this 12 months. In the meantime, the group is exploring future iterations of “Seven Lethal Sins,” the storefront theater occasion the corporate brought to New York with Tectonic Theatre Firm, and guiding the touring and licensing of “Million Greenback Quartet Christmas,” a by-product of 2010 Broadway musical “Million Greenback Quartet” (initially produced beneath Pritzker’s Related Theatricals banner).

The trio of latest stage exhibits within the works are:

Precise manufacturing trajectories for these exhibits haven’t but been set. Forshaw stated Broadway, regional, nonprofit and non-traditional venues are all potentialities for MWL titles, based mostly on every present’s wants and potential. Two of the stage exhibits, “Jellyfish” and “Jenkins,” grew out of initiatives initially thought-about for the movie division of Madison Wells; each are examples of the interdepartmental cross-pollination Pritzker and Forshaw goal to encourage.

Like all Broadway producers, Madison Wells Stay faces an business that’s still navigating the fallout of the pandemic and the 18-month lockdown it prompted. However Pritzker (pictured, left) stated she nonetheless considers theater “an important piece of our ecosystem and our leisure panorama.”

“I’m tremendous bullish on the theater enterprise,” she added. “Particularly if you happen to outline theater extra broadly than the 42 venues which can be Broadway, there’s a world of alternative that’s very thrilling.”

On Broadway, Madison Wells Stay might be co-producers of the brand new musical “Shucked” and the play “Prima Facie” starring Jodie Comer. The corporate has beforehand been part of the Broadway producing groups of “Hadestown,” “The Inheritance,” “Firm” and “Cross Over,” in addition to “The Ocean on the Finish of the Lane” for its West Finish run and UK tour.