Rocco Landesman (born July 20, 1947)
/ref> is a long-time Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences), 130 of the 144 extant and extinct Broadway venues use (used) the spelling ''Th ...
producer. He served as chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...
from August 2009 to December 2012. He is a part owner of Jujamcyn Theaters
Jujamcyn Theaters LLC , formerly the Jujamcyn Amusement Corporation, is a theatrical producing and theatre-ownership company in New York City. For many years Jujamcyn was owned by James H. Binger, former Chairman of Honeywell, and his wife, Virgi ...
.
Early life
Landesman was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...
. He is the nephew of writer, publisher and nightclub owner Jay Landesman. Rocco studied at Colby College
Colby College is a private liberal arts college in Waterville, Maine. It was founded in 1813 as the Maine Literary and Theological Institution, then renamed Waterville College after the city where it resides. The donations of Christian philanthr ...
and then the University of Wisconsin, Madison
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...
(BA English Literature 1969), and 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 ...
(MFA Dramatic Literature and Criticism 1972, DFA 1976). At the Yale School of Drama, he became a protégé and friend of Robert Brustein
Robert Sanford Brustein (born April 21, 1927) is an American theatrical critic, producer, playwright, writer, and educator. He founded both the Yale Repertory Theatre in New Haven, Connecticut, and the American Repertory Theatre in Cambridge, Ma ...
. He also got to know novelist Jerzy Kosinski
Jerzy is the Polish version of the masculine given name George. The most common nickname for Jerzy is Jurek (), which may also be used as an official first name. Occasionally the nickname Jerzyk may be used, which means "swift" in Polish.
Peopl ...
and worked with Kosinski on two of his novels, ''Being There
''Being There'' is a 1979 American satire film directed by Hal Ashby. Based on the 1970 novel of the same name by Jerzy Kosiński, it was adapted for the screen by Kosiński and the uncredited Robert C. Jones. The film stars Peter Sellers a ...
'' and ''The Devil Tree''. Landesman helped Kosinski, not a native speaker of English, with his English syntax and writing. While at Yale Landesman was also involved in managing a private mutual fund and a racehorse he had bought.
Career
After graduating from Yale, Landesman stayed there for four years as an Assistant Professor.
In 1977, he left to focus more time on his private investment fund, which he ran for many years. He also got involved in Broadway theater and was heavily involved in the genesis and development of '' Big River'', a musical based on ''Huckleberry Finn
Huckleberry "Huck" Finn is a fictional character created by Mark Twain who first appeared in the book ''The Adventures of Tom Sawyer'' (1876) and is the protagonist and narrator of its sequel, ''Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'' (1884). He is 12 ...
''. Landesman's involvement included persuading Roger Miller
Roger Dean Miller Sr. (January 2, 1936 – October 25, 1992) was an American singer-songwriter, widely known for his honky-tonk-influenced novelty songs and his chart-topping Country music, country and pop hits "King of the Road (song), Ki ...
to write the music for the show. The show, which premiered on Broadway in 1985, ultimately won seven Tony Awards
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cer ...
, including Best Musical, and ran for over 1,000 performances on Broadway over two and a half years. This success attracted the attention of James H. Binger who shared two passions with Landesman: Broadway theater and horseracing. Binger owned the Jujamcyn Theatre group of five theatres, four of which were then dark. Binger and Landesman made a deal for Landesman to become President of Jujamcyn in 1987 with the inclusion of an option for Landesman to purchase Jujamcyn upon Binger's death. After taking the helm at Jujamcyn he shifted its business model away from the historical focus of renting of theatre facilities to shows and into a more active posture as a combination of a theater owner and a developer of new plays. Other theater owners have followed this pattern. After joining Jujamcyn Landesman has produced Broadway shows, most notably ''Angels in America
''Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes'' is a two-part play by American playwright Tony Kushner. The work won numerous awards, including the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the Tony Award for Best Play, and the Drama Desk Award for O ...
'' (1993 and 1994 Tony, Best Play) and '' The Producers'' (2001 Tony, Best Musical).
Landesman purchased Jujamcyn in 2005 and later sold a 50% interest to Jordan Roth
Jordan Roth (born November 13, 1975) is an American theater producer. He is the president and majority owner of Jujamcyn Theaters in New York City. Roth oversees five Broadway theatres including the St. James, Al Hirschfeld, August Wilson, Euge ...
.
Rocco Landesman's biggest passions are theater, baseball, horse racing and country music. His company, Jujamcyn Theaters, owns 5 Broadway theaters, and at one time or another Landesman has owned 3 minor league baseball teams and various racehorses. Landesman grew up a fan of the St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...
, and later in life he became a part-owner of the Kenosha Twins
The Kenosha Twins were a Minor League Baseball team that played in Kenosha, Wisconsin, from 1984 to 1992. They began play in the Midwest League in 1984 when the Wisconsin Rapids Twins relocated. The team played their home games at Simmons Fie ...
(later the Fort Wayne Wizards
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
).[David Owen, Onward and Upward with the Arts, "BETTING ON BROADWAY," The New Yorker, June 13, 1994, p. 60.] He has continued his relationship with the Yale School of Drama and Yale Rep, returning to teach there over the years. Landesman has also spoken at forums and written numerous articles (mostly in the ''New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' arts section), focusing mainly on the problematic relationship between the commercial and not-for-profit sectors of the American theater.
In May 2009 U.S. President Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
nominated Landesman to become the next chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. His appointment was confirmed in August, 2009.[Robin Pogrebin]
"Rocco Landesman Confirmed as Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts"
''New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'', August 7, 2009.
Memberships and honors
Landesman has been active on numerous boards, including the Municipal Art Society
The Municipal Art Society of New York (MAS) is a non-profit membership organization for preservation in New York City, which aims to encourage thoughtful planning and urban design and inclusive neighborhoods across the city.
The organization was ...
, the Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway, Seventh Avenue, and 42nd Street. Together with adjacent ...
Alliance, and The Educational Foundation of America.
In June 2013 he was inducted into the St. Louis Walk of Fame
The St. Louis Walk of Fame honors notable people from St. Louis, Missouri, who made contributions to the culture of the United States. All inductees were either born in the Greater St. Louis area or spent their formative or creative years ther ...
.
Personal life
Landesman is married to Debby (Busch) Landesman, formerly the Executive Director of the Levi Strauss Foundation and currently a philanthropic advisor to corporations and foundations. Landesman was previously married to set designer Heidi (Landesman) Ettinger, and they have three sons: North, Nash and Dodge, all of whom currently live and work in New York.New York Times, April 22, 1998, "Juggling Angels and Moguls on Broadway"
/ref>
References
External links
Landesman, Rocco. The New York Times 11 Dec. 1988: Sect. 2, Pg. 7.
Landesman, Rocco. The New York Times 4 June 2000: Sect. 2, Pg. 10.
* ttp://www.newyorker.com/archive/1994/06/13/1994_06_13_060_TNY_CARDS_000367270 "Betting on Broadway."Owen, David. The New Yorker 13 Jun. 1994: 60-73. ''Site registration required for full viewing.''
"How a High Roller Bets on Broadway."
Rothstein, Mervyn. The New York Times 3 Jun. 1990: Sect. 2, Pg. 5.
Landesman, Rocco, The New York Times 20 Jul. 2003: Sect. 2, Pg. 20-21.
* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20090713204000/http://thefastertimes.com/theatertalk/2009/06/13/mr-landesman-goes-to-washington/ "Mr Landesman Goes to Washington."Napoleon, Davi; The Faster Times, Davi Napoleon
Davi Napoleon, also known as Davida Skurnick and Davida Napoleon (born 1946), is an American theater historian and critic as well as a freelance feature writer. She is a regular contributor to ''Live Design'', a monthly magazine about entertainmen ...
's Theater Talk.
"I've Got the Horse Right Here, by Eric Pooley, New York Magazine, September 28, 1987, pg 74
{{DEFAULTSORT:Landesman, Rocco
1947 births
Living people
American theatre managers and producers
Colby College alumni
National Endowment for the Arts
Businesspeople from St. Louis
University of Wisconsin–Madison College of Letters and Science alumni
Yale School of Drama alumni