I Wanna Be a Producer: How to Make a Killing on Broadway...or Get Killed (Applause Books) - Hardcover

"John Breglio could hardly be better qualified to share his views, having spent decades as a lawyer advising those wishing to put shows on to the Great White Way before retiring from the day job and becoming a producer in his own right...The attractions of I Wanna Be a Producer are numerous. On a professional level, this is a man who knows his law and business practice inside out and explains things patiently and clearly....By the end of I Wanna Be a Producer, purchasers will have learned a great deal about the mechanics of Broadway, the business of show production and the difficulties of working with temperamental artistic types, not to mention business people. It would be a mistake to assume that this book is nothing more than a manual for would-be producers. The general reader will learn a vast amount about backstage business and may well respect those involved far more as a result." --British Theatre Guide

What does a producer actually do? How does one travel from that great idea for a show to a smash hit opening night on Broadway? John Breglio cannot guarantee you a hit, but he does take the reader on a fascinating journey behind the curtains where he himself once stood as a child, dreaming about the theatre. Part memoir, part handbook, Behind the Curtains is a road map to the hows and wherefores, the dos and don'ts of producing a Broadway play, written by a Broadway veteran with more than 40 years of experience. This comprehensive and highly informative book features practical analysis and concepts for the producer-and is filled with entertaining anecdotes from Breglio's illustrious career as a leading theatrical lawyer and producer. Breglio recounts not only his first-hand knowledge of the crucial legal and business issues faced by a producer, but also his experiences behind the scenes with literally hundreds of producers, playwrights, composers, and directors, including such theatre luminaries as Michael Bennett, Joe Papp, Stephen Sondheim, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Patti Lupone, August Wilson, and Mel Brooks. Whether you are a working or aspiring producer, an investor, or are just curious about the backstage reality of the theater, Breglio shares his knowledge and experience of the industry, conveying practical information set against the real-life stories of those who have devoted their lives to the craft.