155 - Nelle Nugent - a podcast by Ken Davenport

Nelle Nugent is an independent Broadway producer. She has overseen productions such as Amadeus, Morning's at Seven, The Elephant Man, The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, and Dracula; awards she has won includes Tonys for all five listed shows. She and producer John Schwally started the east coast chapter of the Producers Guild of America in 2001. Nelle Nugent has produced more than 60 Broadway, touring, Off-Broadway and West End productions including: Home, The Dresser, All's Well that Ends Well, Time Stands Still,  Sly Fox (revival), The Trip to Bountiful American Buffalo (revival), and Latin History for Morons.
 
I was lucky enough to get to sit down with Nelle to talk to her about some of her biggest hits and how Broadway has changed since her days as a PA, as well as . . .

What can make a great play fail.

How raising money for Broadway has changed over the last fifty years.

What she did to overcome the resistance she got for being a female Producer.

The chance encounter that led her to produce Dracula and WHY it became a hit (Hint: it didn’t have anything to do with what was on the page.).

When reviews matter and when they do NOT.

What we often forget is that Broadway is not that old of an industry, and people like Nelle helped lay the foundation for the work we’re all doing now.  We not only owe Producers like her a debt of gratitude, but if we listen closely to how they got where they are today, we might just learn how to get to where we want to be tomorrow.
 
Keep up with me: @KenDavenportBway
www.theproducersperspective.com
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