Video: Meet the Tony-Nominated Producers of 2023

You believed in this show from the very, very beginning

Tell me what this nomination means to you coming from this show. I just think that nothing makes me happier for Jordan and for Stevie, that I was able to really double down on his talent

You know, in that I got tired of going into the theater

and being the only black person in the theater. And when I

saw his play at the public, it wasn't just about the message

but also I thought about like my cousins that would never, that just don't go to Broadway

that don't understand the world. And I thought maybe we could, maybe we could make a difference

So oftentimes like my mother's churches will go to groups to see a Denzel in plays and such

But I think that my nephews would rather spend $150 on a pair of sneakers

This was the game changer for them. So it was nice. How exciting is today for both of you

It's thrilling. It's thrilling to be in this room with the celebration of excellence on Broadway

and to be a part of it. Couldn't be happier. And for me it just so exciting to be on this side of the table table to I really learned how to compartmentalize I tell you that much As an actor I only work on a character As a producer I work on everybody character So it lovely to be in this face

And I'm so proud to be sharing this nomination with Debra Martin Chase

with Rashad V. Chambers, with David Stone and Mark Platt. Yes, and we have a special shout out to David Stone and Mark Platt

who have been unbelievable godfathers to both of us in this process. It's got to be so wild

Just, I mean, talk about the two shows that you're nominated for. They're both shows with hearts

That's why I'm so proud to be on both of them because you'll laugh one moment, you'll cry the next

And I'm all about making sure that whatever show I sign my name to

it's reflective of when we walk out of our houses, the people we see. And so that's what this show, both of our shows, are doing

There are people that we see every day when walking down the street. But now we're getting a peek into their stories

You know we're a community. We're a community of people, of friends, of family, of familiar faces

We all come from the same place when we're starting to build a show

And we all put our shows up. We put our hearts and our souls on the line. And we hope that people will come

And we hope that they will return. And they go and they come. And I feel grateful that so many people came to see the piano lesson

Not once, not twice, but three, four, five times. I feel really grateful

And so the pen just means that the wing recognized the work that happened inside the Barrymore Theater

They recognize the power of August Wilson's work. They recognize Samuel L Jackson quiet nuanced layered performance and they recognize the importance of theater being made on that street inside the Barrymore Theater

and they made us the highest grossing revival of the season. And bring the whole new audience to the theater

70% of first-time ticket buyers for this show. That's amazing. Those are new Broadway people coming to us, new fans

new fanatics, new nerds like me. And like me. Yeah. So to be here today what it means to you

To be here today, it means grace. It's just amazing grace. And it's amazing to see every single person in this room

who's doing what they love to do and being recognized for it

It feels, it's grace. Tony Day, you've been to many of these

How special is this day for you, Jordan? Oh, it's just thrilling

It's thrilling. Isn't this what we dreamed about as kids? this was it

This was the room and we're here. And it, I'm really grateful

Okay, you're here for Into the Woods. I am. Absolutely stunning. What a journey you've been on with that show

Literally, right? No, but seriously, you know, shows have different ways they come in

but this was so quick. I know. This, well, Into the Woods is the show that holds our hand

through whatever is happening in our lives that doesn't make sense. and it a show that comes when we need it It like the most extraordinary extraordinarily wise fairy godmother who just arrives and says

you don't know it yet, but you need me. You need me

And that's what this show is. And it's just been this magical experience

for all of us. But that's how you produce. No, seriously, when I look at everything you bring in

when you bring things in, it's something that we need at the moment. It's something... Well, that's the blessing of the theater

Yeah. The theater, it can take so long to make a show, right

But at the same time, it's so of the moment. Literally, thank you, Sondheim, the moment

Again, there's nothing in the world that... And Into the Woods lyric doesn't speak directly to

So that's the joy of the theater. That's the point of the theater, is..

Where are you now? What do you need now? What do you need to know now

What do you need to release now? What do you need to move on from now

What do you need to heal now? And that's what the theater offers us

is that sacred space to heal and reveal and revel, and especially what Into the Woods offers us

Yeah