Harvey Sabinson (

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

, New York, October 24, 1924 –

Sarasota Sarasota () is a city in Sarasota County on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The area is renowned for its cultural and environmental amenities, beaches, resorts, and the Sarasota School of Architecture. The city is located in the sou ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, April 19, 2020) was an American theatrical press agent and the executive director of the Broadway League. Sabinson graduated from

Townsend Harris High School Townsend Harris High School at Queens College (THHS) is a public magnet high school for the humanities in the borough of Queens in New York City. Students and alumni often refer to themselves as "Harrisites." Townsend Harris consistently ranks a ...

in Queens and went on to Queens College, but entered the Army for World War II before graduating; he received a

Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, w ...

. Harvey's older brother Lee (1911-1991) had meanwhile become a Broadway producer. On Harvey's return from the service, he worked initially as an assistant to his brother's press agent, and decided to pursue that as a career. Over a career of 30 years he promoted hits such as

Neil Simon Marvin Neil Simon (July 4, 1927 – August 26, 2018) was an American playwright, screenwriter and author. He wrote more than 30 plays and nearly the same number of movie screenplays, mostly film adaptations of his plays. He has received mo ...

The Odd Couple Odd Couple may refer to: Neil Simon play and its adaptations * ''The Odd Couple'' (play), a 1965 stage play by Neil Simon ** ''The Odd Couple'' (film), a 1968 film based on the play *** ''The Odd Couple'' (1970 TV series), a 1970–1975 televisi ...

, Hello, Dolly!, and 1776, as well as doing publicity for stars such as

Carol Channing Carol Elaine Channing (January 31, 1921 – January 15, 2019) was an American actress, singer, dancer and comedian who starred in Broadway and film musicals. Her characters usually had a fervent expressiveness and an easily identifiable voice, ...

Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among the few performers List ...

Jason Robards Jason Nelson Robards Jr. (July 26, 1922 – December 26, 2000) was an American actor. Known as an interpreter of the works of playwright Eugene O'Neill, Robards received two Academy Awards, a Tony Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and the Cannes ...

, and others. In 1973 Sabinson, suffering from anxiety, took some time off and wrote a memoir, "Darling, You Were Wonderful", which was published in 1977.https://www.heraldtribune.com/news/20190421/harvey-sabinson-longtime-broadway-promoter-dies-at-94 "Harvey Sabinson, longtime Broadway promoter, dies at 94", Jay Handelman, Sarasota Herald Tribune, April 21, 2020 In 1976 Sabinson retired as an agent. He next went to work for the League of New York Theatres and Producers, now called the Broadway League. He became the executive director of the League, from 1982 to 1995. Sabinson helped establish the theater administration department at the

Yale School of Drama The David Geffen School of Drama at Yale University is a graduate professional school of Yale University, located in New Haven, Connecticut. Founded in 1924 as the Department of Drama in the School of Fine Arts, the school provides training in e ...

in 1965. He also served on the board of theater-related non-profits: the

American Academy of Dramatic Arts The American Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA) is a private performing arts conservatory with two locations, one in Manhattan and one in Los Angeles. The academy offers an associate degree in occupational studies and teaches drama and related art ...

, the

Actors Fund of America The Entertainment Community Fund, formerly The Actors Fund, is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that supports performers and behind-the-scenes workers in performing arts and entertainment, helping more than 17,000 people directly each year. S ...

, and the

Association of Theatrical Press Agents and Managers The Association of Theatrical Press Agents & Managers (ATPAM) is an American Trade union, union organization for press agents and Theatre manager, managers in the Theatre, theatrical profession. ATPAM received a charter from the American Federation ...

Recognition

Sabinson was awarded a

Special Tony Award The Special Tony Award category includes the Lifetime Achievement Tony Award and the Special Tony Award. These are non-competitive honorary awards, and the titles have changed over the years. The Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre ...

for Lifetime Achievement in 1995 in recognition of his fifty year career of contributions to the theater. In 1998 he was made a Fellow of the

College of Fellows of the American Theatre The College of Fellows of the American Theatre is an honorary society of outstanding theatre educators and professional theatre practitioners. Origin The organization was formed in 1965 as a project proposed by members of the American Theatre Ass ...

, and received a Founder's Award from the

American Theater Hall of Fame The American Theater Hall of Fame in New York City was founded in 1972. Earl Blackwell was the first head of the organization's Executive Committee. In an announcement in 1972, he said that the new ''Theater Hall of Fame'' would be located in the ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sabinson, Harvey 1924 births 2020 deaths People from Queens, New York Townsend Harris High School alumni United States Army personnel of World War II Tony Award winners Broadway press agents