Podcast appearances and mentions of Jeffrey Seller

Acclaimed Broadway Producer (‘Rent,’ ‘Hamilton’) Jeffrey Seller joins John Williams to discuss his new book, ‘Theater Kid: A Broadway Memoir.’ Jeffrey talks about how some of the stories in the book were things he had written when he was young, what he considers to be his greatest gift, how making a play is like making […]

Acclaimed Broadway Producer (‘Rent,’ ‘Hamilton’) Jeffrey Seller joins John Williams to discuss his new book, ‘Theater Kid: A Broadway Memoir.’ Jeffrey talks about how some of the stories in the book were things he had written when he was young, what he considers to be his greatest gift, how making a play is like making […]

Theater producer Jeffrey Seller, whose credits include "Rent," "Avenue Q" and "Hamilton," reflects on his early love of theater and the path that led him to Broadway in his new memoir Theater Kid.

Jeffrey Seller is one of the biggest Broadway producers. Beyond ‘Hamilton’ and ‘Rent,’ Seller’s work has grossed billions of dollars. The 60-year-old Tony award winner is nothing short of a living Broadway legend. But before the spotlight, Seller was another Michigan theatre kid – an outsider everywhere but school play rehearsals. Seller's new memoir, Theater Kid: a Broadway Memoir, explores the path that took him to Broadway. GUEST: Jeffrey Seller, Broadway producer and author of Theater KidSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this landmark episode, Emily sits down with one of the most influential figures in modern theater—Jeffrey Seller, the Broadway producer behind Rent, Hamilton, Avenue Q, and In the Heights.Recorded in Jeffrey's own home, this intimate and revealing conversation explores:His early creative influences and the making of RentWhat it takes to recognize and develop groundbreaking workThe emotional and financial risks behind HamiltonHis revolutionary $20 ticket lottery and commitment to accessibilityHow he balances artistic vision with the demands of productionAdvice for creatives building sustainable, impactful careersIn celebration of the release of his new memoir Theater Kid, Jeffrey opens up about the real moments behind the musicals that changed Broadway.Jeffrey is one of the most successful American producers of our time. His shows have won 22 Tony Awards, earned over $4.6 billion, and reached more than 43 million attendees. He's the only producer in history to mount two Pulitzer Prize–winning musicals—and he revolutionized theater accessibility with Rent's $20 ticket lottery.Order his memoir Theater Kid: https://www.amazon.com/Theater-Kid-Broadway-Jeffrey-Seller/dp/1668064189With a legacy that is not just extraordinary—but transformational—this episode is essential listening for anyone interested in storytelling, producing, or creating at the highest level.Jeffrey Seller NYT article: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/06/theater/jeffrey-seller-theater-kid-hamilton-memoir.htmlFollow Emily on Instagram: @emilymcelwreath_artVisit theartcareer.com for more episodes and resourcesIf you loved this episode, tag @theartcareer and share your favorite insight on IG stories! Don't forget to leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify—it helps more creatives discover the show.

Jess is joined by 4x Tony Award winning Broadway producer JEFFREY SELLER, best known for “Hamilton,” “Rent,” “In the Heights” & “Avenue Q.” Topics — his review of “Sunset Blvd,” being the creative nurturer and critic to Jonathan Larson & Lin Manuel Miranda, inventing the Broadway lotto system, crippling anxiety of opening night reviews, renovating his dream Upper West Side townhouse & more!  Jeffrey Seller's memoir THEATER KID is available now!  Jess' docu-series on the history, mystique & lore of Fire Island: Finding Fire Island IG: @jessxnyc 

It's been in development for five years and has at least a year to go. On the eve of its out-of-town debut, the actor playing Lincoln quit. And the producers still need to raise another $15 million to bring the show to New York. There really is no business like show business. (Part three of a three-part series.) SOURCES:Christopher Ashley, artistic director of La Jolla Playhouse.Debby Buchholz, managing director of La Jolla Playhouse.Carmen Cusack, actor.Quentin Earl Darrington, actor.Joe DiPietro, playwright and lyricist.Crystal Monee Hall, composer, singer, actor.Ivan Hernandez, actor.Michael Rushton, professor of arts administration at Indiana University.Jeffrey Seller, Broadway producer.Alan Shorr, Broadway producer.Daniel Watts, writer, choreographer, actor. RESOURCES:3 Summers of Lincoln (2025)."Review: Visceral ‘3 Summers of Lincoln' is thrilling and thought-provoking," by Pam Kragen (San Diego Union-Tribune, 2025)."What's Wrong with the Theatre is What's Wrong With Society," by Michael Rushton (ArtsJournal, 2023)."American Theater Is Imploding Before Our Eyes," by Isaac Butler (New York Times, 2023).The Moral Foundations of Public Funding for the Arts, by Michael Rushton (2023). EXTRAS:“How to Make the Coolest Show on Broadway,” by Freakonomics Radio (2024).“You Can Make a Killing, but Not a Living,” by Freakonomics Radio (2024).

A hit like Hamilton can come from nowhere while a sure bet can lose $20 million in a flash. We speak with some of the biggest producers in the game — Sonia Friedman, Jeffrey Seller, Hal Luftig — and learn that there is only one guarantee: the theater owners always win. (Part two of a three-part series.) SOURCES:Debby Buchholz, managing director of La Jolla Playhouse.Sonia Friedman, Broadway producer.Rocco Landesman, Broadway producer, former owner of Jujamcyn Theaters, former chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts.Hal Luftig, Broadway producer.Luis Miranda Jr., political strategist, founding president of the Hispanic Federation, the Northern Manhattan Arts Alliance, Viva Broadway, and The Public Theater.Michael Rushton, professor of arts administration at Indiana University.Jeffrey Seller, Broadway producer.Richard Winkler, Broadway producer.Stacy Wolf, professor of theater at Princeton University. RESOURCES:Theater Kid: A Broadway Memoir, by Jeffrey Seller (2025).Relentless: My Story of the Latino Spirit That Is Transforming America, by Luis Miranda Jr. (2024).Beyond Broadway: The Pleasure and Promise of Musical Theatre Across America, by Stacy Wolf (2019)."‘Hamilton' Inc.: The Path to a Billion-Dollar Broadway Show," by Michael Paulson and David Gelles (New York Times, 2016)."On the Performing Arts: The Anatomy of Their Economic Problems," by W.J. Baumol and W.G. Bowen (The American Economic Review, 1965). EXTRAS:“How to Make the Coolest Show on Broadway,” by Freakonomics Radio (2024).“You Can Make a Killing, but Not a Living,” by Freakonomics Radio (2024).

In May 2016, I surprised my daughter for her 18th birthday with a getaway to New York City to see her favorite play, Hamilton, in the Richard Rogers Theater with the original cast. We would fly out for a day and then fly back. It would cost way too much money, I'd get my wallet stolen, but I only had one daughter, and you only turned 18 once.We were both obsessed with Hamilton. We knew every word of every song. It lived inside of us. It wasn't just that it was brilliant, funny, moving, inventive and original. It also reminded all of us what this country's founding principles were about. Best of all, it made learning history fun and cool. It was Schoolhouse Rock for a new generation.When taking long road trips, we would blast the soundtrack, screaming every word. We'd start at the beginning and run through the entire play. Our inside jokes were witty asides from the play that we'd quote to each other so often that we had to force ourselves to stop because, after years of this, it was getting old.By casting so many diverse people to play historical figures and making it a hip-hop musical, Hamilton was a bridge to the Black communities that were so often excluded from the Broadway experience and elite culture in general. Hamilton was for everybody, I thought. That was eight years ago.As a devoted Obama supporter and, in 2016, a Hillary Clinton loyalist, I was overjoyed at the prospect of the first woman president to follow the first Black president. Heading into the election, I wrote this piece:I wrote:The election of Hillary Clinton is one of the most important battles in the war between two Americas. One America was built and maintained exclusively by and for white men. That demographic has awakened extremists on the left and right. The other America redeems the promise of possibility for everyone, no matter their status or skin color or class. That America has produced the nation's first black president who not only lasted one term, but two, and who now promises to make history by helping elect another Democrat to follow his two terms. Electing Hillary Clinton doesn't just say, “We're electing a woman for the first time in our country's history.” It also dares to say the first black American president was so successful he did the impossible by electing his chosen successor.I didn't notice back then that the Clinton campaign rented the entire Richard Rogers theater as a fundraiser. Tickets start at $2,700 a pop. I would never have thought twice about it. We were on the right side. It was an “all-of-society” effort to stop Trump. We were the good guys fighting the good fight, so why wouldn't Hamilton be used that way?Lin-Manuel Miranda's entire career exists only because of Barack Obama. 15 years ago, in 2009, in Obama's first year in office, Miranda performed this at the White House:Over the years, Obama would co-opt the reputations and careers of major artists like Bruce Springsteen, Tom Hanks, and, yes, Lin-Manuel Miranda. They would become ride-or-die for the president, which wasn't something I would have noticed back then.As Miranda's play exploded and became instantly profitable and popular, we all took that to mean that everyone wanted to be included in our America. It was the better, cooler America. But that changed when Trump won. Now, all we could see was a hostile country that just rejected us.Even when the cast called out Mike Pence during the performance to protest the Trump administration, I never thought about whether it was bipartisan or not. I knew it wasn't and I agreed with it. I couldn't see the line between art and propaganda.But now I can. All it took was this statement by the producer of Hamilton, Jeffrey Seller, wherein the play cancels itself, hiding behind the usual gaslighting and rationalizations so common on the left:Notice right off the language here. He is doing what all establishment Democrats and Republicans have done for eight years: ignore the voices of the people. Trump defeated them not once but twice. If you believe in the founding principles of this country, you must respect their voices. But they don't. The message they give is not for all Americans. It is only those Americans who agree with their ongoing delusions about Trump.What they can't stand is that Trump is now saying this culture does not belong only to them anymore. It belongs to all of us, even the unwashed masses all of them abandoned years ago and continue to demonize in films, in plays, in comedy, in journalism, in all of their award shows. We're to accept that this only goes one way. That they have a right to decide what our culture will be and Trump and his supporters do not.You did this. YOU did this. You forced Trump and his supporters to beat down the walls of the castle to be included in America's culture. This is YOUR fault. You politicized it. You pushed propaganda on all of us for years. And now, you can't stand it that you no longer control it, can you?Trump's second win was a complete and total humiliation and repudiation. They still refuse to learn that lesson. They refuse to move aside and allow this country to evolve into whatever it will be now. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sashastone.substack.com/subscribe

HAMILTON  Book, Music & Lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda | Based on Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow Works Consulted & Reference :Hamilton (Original Libretto) by Lin-Manuel MirandaHamilton: The Revolution by Jeremy McCarter & Liin-Manuel Miranda Alexander Hamilton by Ron ChernowMusic Credits:"Overture" from Dear World (Original Broadway Cast Recording)  | Music by Jerry Herman | Performed by Dear World Orchestra & Donald Pippin"The Speed Test" from Thoroughly Modern Millie  (Original Broadway Cast Recording) | Music by Jeanine Tesori, Lyrics by Dick Scanlan | Performed by Marc Kudisch, Sutton Foster, Anne L. Nathan & Ensemble"Why God Why" from Miss Saigon: The Definitive Live Recording  (Original Cast Recording  / Deluxe)  | Music by Claude-Michel Schönberg, Lyrics by Alain Boublil & Richard Maltby Jr.  | Performed by Alistair Brammer"Back to Before" from Ragtime: The Musical (Original Broadway Cast Recording)  | Music by Stephen Flaherty, Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens | Performed by Marin Mazzie"Chromolume #7 / Putting It Together" from Sunday in the Park with George (Original Broadway Cast Recording)  | Music & Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim | Performed by Mandy Patinkin, Bernadette Peters, Judith Moore, Cris Groenendaal, Charles Kimbrough, William Parry, Nancy Opel, Robert Westenberg, Dana Ivey, Kurt Knudson, Barbara Bryne"What's Inside" from Waitress (Original Broadway Cast Recording)  | Music & Lyrics by Sara Bareilles | Performed by Jessie Mueller & Ensemble"Wait for It" from  Hamilton (Original Broadway Cast Recording)  | Music & Lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda | Performed by Leslie Odom Jr.,  Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton"Maria" from The Sound of Music (Original Soundtrack Recording)  | Music by Richard Rodgers, Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II | Performed by Evadne Baker, Anna Lee, Portia Nelson, Marni Nixon"My Favorite Things" from The Sound of Music (Original Soundtrack Recording) | Music by Richard Rodgers, Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II | Performed by Julie Andrews"Corner of the Sky" from Pippin (New Broadway Cast Recording) | Music & Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz | Performed by Matthew James Thomas“What Comes Next?” from Hamilton (Original Broadway Cast Recording) | Music & Lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda | Performed by Jonathan Groff

Join HPR All Things Considered Host Dave Lawrence as he welcomes the original Hamilton Broadway Producer, Jeffrey Seller, as the hit show takes the stage at the Neal S. Blaisdell Concert Hall in Honolulu! Hear about the show, his inventive approach to ticketing during the debut era of Rent that revolutionized the theater industry, and he offers some fun stories of working with Sting on his production The Last Ship.

Sas Goldberg is a NY-based actress/writer/producer. Currently in rehearsals for Ana Nogueira's Here She Is, Boys at MCC Theater. Sas made her Broadway debut in 2017 to rave reviews, playing ‘Kiki' in Significant Other by Josh Harmon after originally playing the role in the off-Broadway production at The Roundabout Theater. In 2019, she starred in the off-Broadway run of Moscow, Moscow, Moscow, Moscow! at the MCC Theater. Sas can be seen alongside Will Ferrell and Paul Rudd in the Apple series The Shrink Next Door(Sas also wrote on staff) and Amy Schumer's upcoming Hulu series Life And Beth. Sas recurred on the Jenji Kohan produced series American Princess(Lifetime) and her other credits include Search Party(HBO Max), You're The Worst(FX), and Odd Mom Out(Bravo). As a writer, Sas is currently a Co-Producer writing in the room for the upcoming 5th season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel(Amazon). Sas has also sold and developed pilots at HBO, Freeform, FX, NBC, FOX, Warner Brothers, and Bravo working with producers such as Jake Kasdan/Melvin Marr, Lee Eisenberg, Jenni Konner, Andrew Rannells, Liz Tigelaar, The Lonely Island, Will Gluck, Jeffrey Seller, John Riggi and JAX Media. Her Instagram handle is @sasgoldie. Philanthropic/Activist Causes: Supporting female-founded businesses. Fostering female voices entering the typically male-dominated world of neon design.

Andy Señor Jr. was born and raised in Miami, Florida. In the summer of 2021 he made his film directorial debut with the HBO Original Documentary Revolution Rent, Executive produced by Neil Patrick Harris . He was the Associate Director of Gloria and Emilio Estefan's musical On Your Feet! on Broadway, Netherlands, and UK West End Productions as well as Roundabout Theatre Company's Broadway production of Irving Berlin's Holiday Inn. He served as Associate Director on the new musical FLY at Dallas Theatre Center w Jeffrey Seller. Andy made his professional debut in the Tony Award winning musical RENT as "Angel," playing the role on Broadway, London's West End, and US National and International Tours. Later he became the Assistant Director to Michael Greif on the RENT revival Off Broadway, and went on to re-stage the production in Tokyo, Japan and the historic production in Havana, Cuba. Most recently he directed two new Nilo Cruz plays, Tsunami and Farhad and the Secret of Being. He holds a BFA in Theatre from Florida International University who honored him with a Torch Award, noting him as a distinguished alumni, and further trained at The Public Theatre's Shakespeare LAB where he appeared in All's Well That Ends Well at the PUBLIC Theatre.

Ryan Hill, founder and C.E.O. of Apotheosis Events, joins Andy on The Wedding Biz today to talk about his career and his business! Apotheosis Events is a premier event planning firm located out of New York City and produces and designs star-studded premieres including lavish weddings and large Broadway and stage premieres such as Hamilton and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child! Ryan also handles strategic product launches, elegant galas, over-the-top afterparties, and even intimate personal celebrations. Clients of Ryan's have included but are not limited to The Rolling Stones, Ambassador Theatre Group, John Hardy, Cher, Sting, Denzel Washington, Scarlett Johansson, and Amy Schumer! Ryan enthusiastically shares details about his childhood and upbringing, revealing where his love for design and creativity comes from. He discusses his background in theatrical production and how that has impacted how he works with prospective clients and also what he learned from having been an associate producer for Jeffrey Seller and Kevin McCollum! He also highlights having produced the opening night event for Hamilton and how he ended up doing four more opening parties for it, how having been involved in Broadway productions taught him how to run a business, what he likes to do to unwind during free time, how he hopes to grow this year in 2022, and so much more! It was such a pleasure for Andy to have this wonderful conversation with Ryan, and he hopes that you enjoy listening in! Be sure to visit Ryan's website and his social media handles, and Andy would also appreciate it if you would share this interview with at least three good friends and/or colleagues who might benefit from and/or enjoy it and also if you would leave a top review of the podcast wherever you listen! Have you heard about Stop and Smell the Roses with Preston Bailey on The Wedding Biz Network? Listen as Preston shares the secrets, tools, and technologies behind his extraordinary ability to create a theatrical environment out of any space. Also, don't forget about Sean Low's podcast The Business of Being Creative, where Sean discusses the power of being niched, pricing strategies, metrics of success, and so much more. You can find both shows on The Wedding Biz Network.   SUPPORTING THE WEDDING BIZ Become a patron and support Andy and the show! If you are so inspired, contribute!   Time Stamps [0:46] – This episode's guest is revealed to be Ryan Hill of Apotheosis Events! [2:13] – Ryan delves into his childhood and how his grandmother inspired his love for design. [4:25] – Ryan reveals what he looks for in a designing team. [6:07] – Ryan reflects on what he learned working for Jeffrey Seller and Kevin McCollum. [8:34] – Ryan asserts that people do their best when they feel comfortable and taken care of. [10:39] – We learn about Ryan's general process when meeting with a client. [13:08] – Ryan details his three-step process with his clients. [14:27] – Ryan makes a case for the difference between a planner and a great planner. [15:41] – Ryan walks us through an example of a complex challenge. [18:00] – Learn about why trucks on load-in day being early can be problematic. [20:48] – Ryan gives an example of an unexpected challenge and how he overcame it. [24:30] – Andy and Ryan discuss Ryan having produced Hamilton's opening night. [26:46] – We hear what led to Hamilton's opening night having a fireworks show. [27:52] – Ryan details the soundtrack that played during the fireworks show. [31:07] – Ryan reflects on where he learned about how to run a business. [33:52] – Learn a little about Ryan's typical workday. [36:30] – Ryan reveals what he likes to do during downtime. [37:35] – We discover what Ryan's goals are for 2022. [39:10] – Ryan argues that the industry needs more camaraderie and collaboration. [41:51] – Discover where to find Ryan online.   RESOURCES The Wedding Biz Episode 188 CHRISTINA MATTEUCCI, Creating the Ultimate Collaborative Relationship Between #1s And Their #2sThe Wedding Biz Episode 360 CHRISTINA MATTEUCCI - Using Performance and Storytelling Techniques to Engage with ImpactExclusive planner at Kaatsbaan Cultural Park Find Ryan: Apotheosis Events - WebsiteApotheosis Events - Instagram PageApotheosis Events - PartySlate Page   Follow The Wedding Biz on Social: The Wedding Biz The Wedding Biz on Instagram: @theweddingbiz The Wedding Biz on Facebook: @theweddingbiz The Wedding Biz Network The Music Makers   Support The Wedding Biz by clicking here.   Title Sponsor: This episode is sponsored by Kushner Entertainment & PartySlate.

The McKinsey podcast is launching a new season with fresh content this Fall. In the meantime, we're featuring episodes from our other popular podcasts. Today, it's the McKinsey Global Institute's Forward Thinking podcast. Co-host Anna Bernasek is in conversation with Jeffrey Seller, producer of Broadway hits Hamilton, In the Heights, and Rent, about how Broadway and live performances have endured during the past tumultuous year-plus. Hear about: • Shutting down, pivoting, then staging a production in Australia during the pandemic • How digital streaming services like Disney+ and Spotify affected demand for performance tickets • Why he created an affordable ticket lottery to increase access to the magic of live, in-person performances • Why he's still an optimist, but one who's focused on resilience This conversation was recorded in May 2021. To read a transcript of this episode, visit: https://mck.co/jeffreysellerSee www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

The McKinsey podcast is launching a new season with fresh content this Fall. In the meantime, we're featuring episodes from our other popular podcasts. Today, it's the McKinsey Global Institute's Forward Thinking podcast. Co-host Anna Bernasek is in conversation with Jeffrey Seller, producer of Broadway hits Hamilton, In the Heights, and Rent, about how Broadway and live performances have endured during the past tumultuous year-plus. Hear about: • Shutting down, pivoting, then staging a production in Australia during the pandemic • How digital streaming services like Disney+ and Spotify affected demand for performance tickets • Why he created an affordable ticket lottery to increase access to the magic of live, in-person performances • Why he's still an optimist, but one who's focused on resilience This conversation was recorded in May 2021. To read a transcript of this episode, visit: https://mck.co/jeffreyseller Read more > Listen to the podcast (duration: 24:33) >

In this episode of the McKinsey Global Institute's Forward Thinking podcast, co-host Anna Bernasek speaks with Jeffrey Seller, producer of Broadway hits Hamilton, In the Heights, Rent, and more about the tumultuous year-plus Broadway and live performances have endured. Ahead of Broadway reopening in September 2021 and live performances coming back across the United States and other countries, the man is non-stop. Jeffrey took us inside the room where it happened, sharing his experiences, including: • Shutting down, pivoting, then staging a production in Australia during the pandemic • How digital streaming services like Disney+ and Spotify affected demand for performance tickets • Why he created an affordable ticket lottery to increase access to the magic of live, in-person performances • Why he's still an optimist, but one who's focused on resilience This conversation was recorded in May 2021. To read a transcript of this episode, visit: https://mck.co/jeffreyseller Follow @McKinsey_MGI on Twitter and the McKinsey Global Institute on LinkedIn for more.See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

In this episode of the McKinsey Global Institute's Forward Thinking podcast, co-host Anna Bernasek speaks with Jeffrey Seller, producer of Broadway hits Hamilton, In the Heights, Rent, and more about the tumultuous year-plus Broadway and live performances have endured. Ahead of Broadway reopening in September 2021 and live performances coming back across the United States and other countries, the man is non-stop. Jeffrey took us inside the room where it happened, sharing his experiences, including: • Shutting down, pivoting, then staging a production in Australia during the pandemic • How digital streaming services like Disney+ and Spotify affected demand for performance tickets • Why he created an affordable ticket lottery to increase access to the magic of live, in-person performances • Why he's still an optimist, but one who's focused on resilience This conversation was recorded in May 2021. To read a transcript of this episode, visit: https://mck.co/jeffreyseller Follow @McKinsey_MGI on Twitter and the McKinsey Global Institute on LinkedIn for more. Read more > Listen to the podcast (duration: 27:02) >

Andy Señor Jr. was born and raised in Miami, Florida. In the summer of 2021 he made his film directorial debut with the HBO Original Documentary Revolution Rent, Executive produced by Neil Patrick Harris . He was the Associate Director of Gloria and Emilio Estefan's musical On Your Feet! on Broadway, Netherlands, and UK West End Productions as well as Roundabout Theatre Company's Broadway production of Irving Berlin's Holiday Inn. He served as Associate Director on the new musical FLY at Dallas Theatre Center w Jeffrey Seller. Andy made his professional debut in the Tony Award winning musical RENT as "Angel," playing the role on Broadway, London's West End, and US National and International Tours. Later he became the Assistant Director to Michael Greif on the RENT revival Off Broadway, and went on to re-stage the production in Tokyo, Japan and the historic production in Havana, Cuba. Most recently he directed two new Nilo Cruz plays, Tsunami and Farhad and the Secret of Being. He holds a BFA in Theatre from Florida International University who honored him with a Torch Award, noting him as a distinguished alumni, and further trained at The Public Theatre's Shakespeare LAB where he appeared in All's Well That Ends Well at the PUBLIC Theatre Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jeffrey tells stories of grit, brilliance and tragedy behind the making of the smash hit musicals 'Rent' and 'Hamilton'

RENT Book, Music & Lyrics by Jonathan LarsonEpisode Segments:1:51 - Speed Test 4:11 - Why God Why6:17 - Back to Before24:28 - What's Inside 48:04 - How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?1:11:58 - Our Favorite Things1:17:27 - Corner of the Sky 1:22:21 – What Comes Next?Works Consulted:Rent (Original Libretto) by Jonathan LarsonRent by Jonathan Larson | Interviews and Text by Evelyn McDonnell with Katherine SilbergerThe Happiest Corpse I've Ever Seen: The Last 25 Years of the Broadway Muscal by Ethan MorddenWithout You by Anthony RappMusic Credits:"Overture" from Dear World (Original Broadway Cast Recording)  | Music by Jerry Herman | Performed by Dear World Orchestra & Donald Pippin"The Speed Test" from Thoroughly Modern Millie  (Original Broadway Cast Recording) | Music by Jeanine Tesori, Lyrics by Dick Scanlan | Performed by Marc Kudisch, Sutton Foster, Anne L. Nathan & Ensemble"Why God Why" from Miss Saigon: The Definitive Live Recording  (Original Cast Recording  / Deluxe)  | Music by Claude-Michel Schönberg, Lyrics by Alain Boublil & Richard Maltby Jr.  | Performed by Alistair Brammer "Back to Before" from Ragtime: The Musical (Original Broadway Cast Recording)  | Music by Stephen Flaherty, Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens | Performed by Marin Mazzie"What's Inside" from Waitress (Original Broadway Cast Recording)  | Music & Lyrics by Sara Bareilles | Performed by Jessie Mueller & Ensemble"One Song Glory” from Rent (Original Broadway Cast Recording) | Music & Lyrics by Jonathan Larson | Performed by Adam Pascal "Maria" from The Sound of Music (Original Soundtrack Recording)  | Music by Richard Rodgers, Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II | Performed by Evadne Baker, Anna Lee, Portia Nelson, Marni Nixon"My Favorite Things" from The Sound of Music (Original Soundtrack Recording) | Music by Richard Rodgers, Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II | Performed by Julie Andrews"Corner of the Sky" from Pippin (New Broadway Cast Recording) | Music & Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz | Performed by Matthew James Thomas“What Comes Next?” from Hamilton (Original Broadway Cast Recording) | Music & Lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda | Performed by Jonathan Groff

Pappy, Brett, Stevie, Josh, $ Mikey, and Pixie Bomber Rene review Lin-Manuel Miranda's Hamilton featured on Disney Plus! The original Broadway production of the award-winning musical that tells the story of Alexander Hamilton, first secretary of the treasury, blending hip-hop, jazz, R&B and Broadway styles, filmed from the Richard Rogers Theater in New York. Initial release: July 3, 2020 Director: Thomas Kail Music composed by: Lin-Manuel Miranda Language: English Producers: Lin-Manuel Miranda, Thomas Kail, Jeffrey Seller, Chris Rouchard

Katherine McNamara, named one of Vanity Fair's "Breakout Bunch," is an accomplished actor, dancer, singer/songwriter and was awarded the 2018 People's Choice Award for Top Female Television Actress for her leading role of 'Clary Fray' in the Freeform series, Shadowhunters (2016) ; a book-to-screen adaptation of the bestselling "The Mortal Instruments." The series premiered to stellar ratings, being the #1 series debut in more than two years, and helped launch the re-brand of the channel alongside fan favorite Pretty Little Liars (2010). Kat was nominated twice for a Teen Choice Award for "Choice Sci-Fi TV Actress" and won the People's Choice Top Television Actress Award on the The E! People's Choice Awards (2018). In 2015, McNamara closed out a lightning year, portraying another fierce female role as 'Sonya' in the second installment of Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials (2015) trilogy, Maze Runner: The Death Cure (2018) (2018) alongside Dylan O'Brien and Kaya Scodelario. Most recently, she was cast as Mia, a tough street fighter, in the CW series Arrow (2012) with Stephen Amell and Emily Bett Rickards. McNamara began her professional career on Broadway, at the age of 13, as the principle character "Fredrika Armfeldt" in Stephen Sondheim's "A Little Night Music", starring opposite Catherine Zeta-Jones and Angela Lansbury. She was fortunate to continue on as "Fredrika" with the second ALNM Broadway cast of Bernadette Peters and Elaine Stritch. Her other theater roles include "Esther Jane" in the per-Broadway world premiere of "A Christmas Story, the Musical!", as well as "To Kill a Mockingbird", "The Crucible", "Inherit the Wind", "Annie", "The Secret Garden" and "Galileo". She has also been cast in a number of Equity workshops/readings, including "Little Dancer" and "Pan" (aka "Fly") with Laura Osnes, which was created by the "In the Heights" creative team - Jeffrey Seller, Alex Lacamoire, and Andy Blankenbuehler. McNamara's love for acting stretches beyond the stage, with credits in television and film productions. Television credits include Happy Together (2018) (2018), Glee (2009) (2009), Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999) (1999), Drop Dead Diva (2009) (2009), 30 Rock (2006) (2006), Late Show with David Letterman (1993) (1995), Good Morning America (1975) (1975) and PBS's Great Performances: Sondheim! The Birthday Concert (2010) . McNamara starred in Disney Channel's Girl Vs. Monster (2012) with Olivia Holt which attracted more than 5 million viewers and had recurring roles on Jessie (2011) as "Bryn Breitbart" and on Kickin' It (2011) as the mean girl from Swathmore Academy, "Claire". She filmed the much anticipated Disney pilot, Madison High (2012), where she portrayed "Cherri O'Keefe", resident fashionista and creator of Madison High's popular gossip blog. She can also be seen in the highly acclaimed Freeform series, The Fosters (2013). McNamara made her big screen debut film in Warner Brothers picture New Year's Eve (2011), where she portrays "Lily Bowman". Besides the Maze Runner series, Kat also starred in Universal's R.L.Stein film R.L. Stine's Monsterville: Cabinet of Souls (2015) opposite Dove Cameron as well as the independent bullying film, Contest (2013) with Kenton Duty . The film dives into the dark world of high school bullying and found a home on Cartoon Network as part of their anti-bullying initiative. Other film projects include Katherine starring as "Becky Thatcher" in the re-make of Tom Sawyer & Huckleberry Finn (2014), alongside Joel Courtney and Jake T. Austin, which was released in 2013, Disney's family-friendly Little Savages (2016), A Sort of Homecoming (2015) opposite Laura Marano, Is That a Gun in Your Pocket? (2016) with Cloris Leachman, Natural Selection (2016) with Anthony Michael Hall, A Wife's Nightmare (2014) with Jennifer Beals and Indiscretion (2016) with Mira Sorvino, Christopher Backus and Cary Elwes. She recently finished filming a cameo in the new Charlie Day comedy, El Tonto. The triple threat has added music to her resume. Katherine plays the guitar and piano and enjoys singing and songwriting. She has several songs featured in films/television, including her original song "Chatter" on the "Contest" soundtrack, "Wait for You" in "A Sort of Homecoming" and "Ember" in the Shadowhunters series. Besides working on music, McNamara wants to expand her creative repertoire to include directing. Katherine is also an advocate for education. At the age of 14, McNamara graduated with top honors from high school and then quickly graduated Summa Cum Laude with a degree in Business (emphasis in Finance) from Drexel University's Le Bow School of Business at the age of 17. She is now pursuing a Master of Science in Literature at John Hopkins University as part of their Advanced Academics Graduate Degree program. McNamara is an award winning dancer and has a passion for all forms including ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, lyrical, waltz and even hula. She was a member of the Actors Equity Young Performers Committee and is a reader for the Blank Theater's New Play Development Reading Committee and recurring performer in their Living Room Series. Katherine is committed to giving back to the community as well. She is an ambassador for Girl Up, the United Nation's girl empowerment organization, a spokesperson for Stomp Out Bullying, an avid supporter of the MS Society, a member of the Lollipop Theater Network, a lifetime Girl Scout and a volunteer for the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles. She also supports St. Jude's Children's Hospital, the Big Slick benefiting Kansas City Children's Hospital, and Michelle Obama's Global Girls' Alliance, an organization that helps young women around the world achieved their potential. She currently resides in Los Angeles and her hometown is Kansas City, Missouri.

Katherine McNamara, named one of Vanity Fair's "Breakout Bunch," is an accomplished actor, dancer, singer/songwriter and was awarded the 2018 People's Choice Award for Top Female Television Actress for her leading role of 'Clary Fray' in the Freeform series, Shadowhunters (2016) ; a book-to-screen adaptation of the bestselling "The Mortal Instruments." The series premiered to stellar ratings, being the #1 series debut in more than two years, and helped launch the re-brand of the channel alongside fan favorite Pretty Little Liars (2010). Kat was nominated twice for a Teen Choice Award for "Choice Sci-Fi TV Actress" and won the People's Choice Top Television Actress Award on the The E! People's Choice Awards (2018). In 2015, McNamara closed out a lightning year, portraying another fierce female role as 'Sonya' in the second installment of Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials (2015) trilogy, Maze Runner: The Death Cure (2018) (2018) alongside Dylan O'Brien and Kaya Scodelario. Most recently, she was cast as Mia, a tough street fighter, in the CW series Arrow (2012) with Stephen Amell and Emily Bett Rickards. McNamara began her professional career on Broadway, at the age of 13, as the principle character "Fredrika Armfeldt" in Stephen Sondheim's "A Little Night Music", starring opposite Catherine Zeta-Jones and Angela Lansbury. She was fortunate to continue on as "Fredrika" with the second ALNM Broadway cast of Bernadette Peters and Elaine Stritch. Her other theater roles include "Esther Jane" in the per-Broadway world premiere of "A Christmas Story, the Musical!", as well as "To Kill a Mockingbird", "The Crucible", "Inherit the Wind", "Annie", "The Secret Garden" and "Galileo". She has also been cast in a number of Equity workshops/readings, including "Little Dancer" and "Pan" (aka "Fly") with Laura Osnes, which was created by the "In the Heights" creative team - Jeffrey Seller, Alex Lacamoire, and Andy Blankenbuehler. McNamara's love for acting stretches beyond the stage, with credits in television and film productions. Television credits include Happy Together (2018) (2018), Glee (2009) (2009), Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999) (1999), Drop Dead Diva (2009) (2009), 30 Rock (2006) (2006), Late Show with David Letterman (1993) (1995), Good Morning America (1975) (1975) and PBS's Great Performances: Sondheim! The Birthday Concert (2010) . McNamara starred in Disney Channel's Girl Vs. Monster (2012) with Olivia Holt which attracted more than 5 million viewers and had recurring roles on Jessie (2011) as "Bryn Breitbart" and on Kickin' It (2011) as the mean girl from Swathmore Academy, "Claire". She filmed the much anticipated Disney pilot, Madison High (2012), where she portrayed "Cherri O'Keefe", resident fashionista and creator of Madison High's popular gossip blog. She can also be seen in the highly acclaimed Freeform series, The Fosters (2013). McNamara made her big screen debut film in Warner Brothers picture New Year's Eve (2011), where she portrays "Lily Bowman". Besides the Maze Runner series, Kat also starred in Universal's R.L.Stein film R.L. Stine's Monsterville: Cabinet of Souls (2015) opposite Dove Cameron as well as the independent bullying film, Contest (2013) with Kenton Duty . The film dives into the dark world of high school bullying and found a home on Cartoon Network as part of their anti-bullying initiative. Other film projects include Katherine starring as "Becky Thatcher" in the re-make of Tom Sawyer & Huckleberry Finn (2014), alongside Joel Courtney and Jake T. Austin, which was released in 2013, Disney's family-friendly Little Savages (2016), A Sort of Homecoming (2015) opposite Laura Marano, Is That a Gun in Your Pocket? (2016) with Cloris Leachman, Natural Selection (2016) with Anthony Michael Hall, A Wife's Nightmare (2014) with Jennifer Beals and Indiscretion (2016) with Mira Sorvino, Christopher Backus and Cary Elwes. She recently finished filming a cameo in the new Charlie Day comedy, El Tonto. The triple threat has added music to her resume. Katherine plays the guitar and piano and enjoys singing and songwriting. She has several songs featured in films/television, including her original song "Chatter" on the "Contest" soundtrack, "Wait for You" in "A Sort of Homecoming" and "Ember" in the Shadowhunters series. Besides working on music, McNamara wants to expand her creative repertoire to include directing. Katherine is also an advocate for education. At the age of 14, McNamara graduated with top honors from high school and then quickly graduated Summa Cum Laude with a degree in Business (emphasis in Finance) from Drexel University's Le Bow School of Business at the age of 17. She is now pursuing a Master of Science in Literature at John Hopkins University as part of their Advanced Academics Graduate Degree program. McNamara is an award winning dancer and has a passion for all forms including ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, lyrical, waltz and even hula. She was a member of the Actors Equity Young Performers Committee and is a reader for the Blank Theater's New Play Development Reading Committee and recurring performer in their Living Room Series. Katherine is committed to giving back to the community as well. She is an ambassador for Girl Up, the United Nation's girl empowerment organization, a spokesperson for Stomp Out Bullying, an avid supporter of the MS Society, a member of the Lollipop Theater Network, a lifetime Girl Scout and a volunteer for the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles. She also supports St. Jude's Children's Hospital, the Big Slick benefiting Kansas City Children's Hospital, and Michelle Obama's Global Girls' Alliance, an organization that helps young women around the world achieved their potential. She currently resides in Los Angeles and her hometown is Kansas City, Missouri.

Theatre has the power to impact lives – and to leave a lasting mark, Jeffrey Seller, the four-time Tony Award-winning producer of Rent and Hamilton, told the Detroit Economic Club Wednesday. In a fireside chat led by WDIV News Anchor Devin Scillian, Seller talked about how his role as a producer also includes being a nurturer to every facet of the production. When it comes to selecting the production, however, Seller chooses from the heart. “When people ask me, ‘Well, how do you choose?’, I choose from the heart,’” expressed Seller. “I don’t know what is going to sell tickets. And I only choose to please me and then I hope others will come along for the ride." In addition to breaking barriers on the stage with Rent and Hamilton, Seller also was integral in legislation against bots and the creation of theatre lottery systems in an effort to bring people together. “I think that the digital revolution has played an interesting role in helping us play a better marketer in the theatre, in helping us deliver the lottery to you, in helping me advertise to the right people. I think it has actually been a boom for us to sell tickets,” he said. “I think that it is creating a world where we want to go out, right?” Creativity – whether through theatre or any area of life and business – is a way to find meaning in life and sharing experiences, Seller added. “From Grease to Stagecrafters, I make sense of my life by making stuff. Which is why I am making four new things, because that is how I say, ‘I was here.’”  

A ritual of regional togetherness is no more. The annual “Big Four” gathering of the Detroit Mayor and the three county executives from Wayne, Oakland and Macomb will not happen this year around the North American International Auto Show. (Oakland Press) The Seller-Lehrer Family Foundation, founded by Detroit native and Broadway producer Jeffrey Seller and his partner Josh Lehrer, has given the Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit a $1 million grant. It’ll fund their Summer Camp and Mosaic Experience Empowerment Program. Yesterday we brought you the bizarre tale of a 48-year-old Novi resident arrested in Russia on accusations of spying. Today there’s word that Paul Whelan has been indicted on espionage charges. A couple bits of news from General Motors. On Thursday, the automaker named Mark Reuss its new president to oversee autonomous and electric vehicle development. Also, GM has hit a milestone of 200,000 cumulative electric vehicles sold. That’s the threshold where a 75-hundred-dollar federal tax credit for purchasing EVs starts to phase out. The credit will drop to $3,750 starting in April, to $1,875 in October and then disappear completely by April 2020. Embattled Detroit City Councilman Gabe Leland may face a recall effort. And... Legendary counterculture figure and marijuana advocate John Sinclair has opened a new coffee shop in Detroit.  Have questions? Tips? Ideas? Email us at dailydetroit@gmail.com. Really like what we're doing? Become a monthly supporter on Patreon.

A hip-hop musical about America’s founding fathers with a virtually all minority cast. A reimagining of La bohème as a rock musical uncovering the AIDS crisis in New York City. A coming-of-age musical about the anxieties of entering adulthood told through cartoons. These are just a few of the radically relevant and compelling concepts that Tony Award-winning producer Jeffrey Seller has turned into Broadway gold. In this episode, David Rubenstein, co-founder of the Carlyle Group, interviews Seller (Hamilton, Rent, Avenue Q) about his childhood, democratizing theater, diversifying history, and putting on a really good show. Show Notes Listen to the Aspen Ideas to Go episode, Takeover 3: Susan Page Interviews Jeffrey Seller & Others. Follow our show on Twitter @aspenideas and Facebook at facebook.com/aspenideas. Email your comments to aspenideastogo@gmail.com. The views and opinions of the speakers in the podcast do not necessarily reflect those of the Aspen Institute.

"Rise," inspired by a real-life teacher, stars Josh Radnor as Lou, a teacher going through a bit of a midlife crisis. He decides the answer to his woes is to jazz up the school's lackluster theater department. One problem: It's already run by Tracey, played by Rosie Perez. Jason Katims was the executive producer behind FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS and PARENTHOOD, and HAMILTON producer Jeffrey Seller, are behind the new NBC drama. Perez and Katims stopped by IndieWire to discuss their inspirations for RISE, including what convinced Katims to return to high school — and why Perez finally started doing TV after years of avoiding the small screen.

We're kicking off season two with 2 episodes about the Tony and Pulitzer Prize winning musical Hamilton. Featuring Lin-Manuel Miranda, Director Tommy Kail, Producers Jeffrey Seller & Oskar Eustis, Alex Lacamoire, David Korins, Renee Elise Goldsberry, Phillipa Soo, and more, these episodes will dazzle both the Hamilton super-fans and the casual ones as we find out how the show developed from a vacation beach read to a genre-bending international phenomenon.  Part 1 takes us all the way back to 2008 when Lin-Manuel Miranda picked up Ron Chernow's book for the first time and, as Lin says, heard hip hop songs rising off the pages. From there, Lin begins work on a concept album called The Hamilton Mixtape. After a fateful performance of the Mixtape, the wheels are set in motion to develop the album into an off-Broadway musical in partnership with The Public Theater. As the off-Broadway production approached opening night, the creative team knew the work was good, but as The Public Theater's Oskar Eustis says, anybody who says they knew what Hamilton would become is lying.   Download the TodayTix app in googleplay or the app store or visit todaytix.com to see what's playing this month and treat yourself to a show. And use the code BACKSTORY to save $15 on your first purchase.  Visit our brand new website todaytix.com/broadwaybackstory to check out the unedited full interviews with David Korins, Jeffrey Seller, and Oskar Eustis.  

We're kicking off season two with 2 episodes about the Tony and Pulitzer Prize winning musical Hamilton. Featuring Lin-Manuel Miranda, Director Tommy Kail, Producers Jeffrey Seller & Oskar Eustis, Alex Lacamoire, David Korins, Renee Elise Goldsberry, Phillipa Soo, and more, these episodes will dazzle both the Hamilton super-fans and the casual ones as we find out how the show developed from a vacation beach read to a genre-bending international phenomenon.  Part 2 picks up on the opening night of Hamilton at The Public Theater. The reviews were ecstatic and the creative team began to plan for a Broadway transfer. Hamilton moves uptown and opens at the Richard Rodgers Theatre just 70 days after closing at The Public. Hamilton becomes the hottest ticket in generations, The #Ham4Ham show is born, and Hamilton earns more Tony nominations than any show in history.  Download the TodayTix app in googleplay or the app store or visit todaytix.com to see what's playing this month and treat yourself to a show. And use the code BACKSTORY to save $15 on your first purchase.  Visit our brand new website todaytix.com/broadwaybackstory to check out the unedited full interviews with David Korins, Jeffrey Seller, and Oskar Eustis.  

Susan Page, Washington Bureau Chief of USA Today, takes over the podcast by interviewing a panel of DC outsiders. Nobody thinks Washington is working well these days. Page turns to unexpected sources — Liz Dozier, an award-winning educator from Chicago; Jeffrey Seller, a celebrated theatrical producer from New York; and Joshua Greene, an exceptional psychologist from Harvard — to brainstorm on what advice other disciplines might have to offer the world of politics. What are the lessons from studying the neuroscience of moral judgement? From Chicago high schools? From Broadway? You won’t want to miss this takeover episode!

How does tolerance play a role in small business? It might not seem like tolerance is the root for success, but if you dig deeper, you'll find that small businesses struggle without the core concepts of tolerance. So how does tolerance play a part in something like a successful artwork, or music, or the next product or course you produce? Let's find out in this podcast. ------------- In this episode Sean talks about Part 1: The Tolerance for Success and Failure Part 2: The Tolerance to Learn Part 3: The Tolerance for the Long Haul Read it online: https://www.psychotactics.com/lack-tolerance-effect/ ------------- In September 2013, Renuka and I were headed to Cape Town, South Africa. Whenever we leave, we always ask our nieces, Marsha and Keira what they'd like as gifts. Keira was pretty clear about her gift. “Bring me an elephant”, she said emphatically. Now Keira was just four at the time, and an elephant seemed like a pretty plausible gift. She wasn't taking no for an answer, even when we told her that the elephant might not fit in her house. But then I brought up a point that stopped her cold in her tracks. After she had heard what I had to say, she wasn't keen on the elephant anymore. So what did I tell her? I said, the elephant is a big animal and all animals poo. The larger the animal, the greater the volume of poo. Keira didn't need much convincing She wanted nothing to do with the elephant or the poo for that matter. And this is the battle we have to deal with every single day. We all want our businesses to grow bigger than ever before. What we don't always think of, is poo. The bigger the business, the bigger the poo And in business terms, you could call the poo, tolerance. You need an enormous amount of tolerance to keep the business going. Which is why people struggle so much when they get into a business. They don't see the factor of tolerance needed to keep the business going. Let's look at the factor of tolerance in three shades, shall we? —The Tolerance for Success and Failure —The Tolerance to Learn —The Tolerance for the Long Haul Part 1: The Tolerance for Success and Failure In August 2015, a musical made its debut on Broadway It wasn't just any old musical. A few months earlier in February of that year, the off-Broadway engagement was totally sold out. And in 2016 itself, it received 16 Tony nominations and won 11. That musical goes by the name of Hamilton; a hip-hop musical is about the life of American founding father Alexander Hamilton and the American Revolution. And the musical's producer, Jeffrey Seller is passionate about the need for tolerance. “People don't have the tolerance”, says Seller who's seen more than his share of failures. “The tolerance for anxiety, fear, bewilderment and pain. In the book “Originals” by Adam Grant, there's a list of high profile failure You're likely to have heard about William Shakespeare's work in plays such as Macbeth, King Lear and Othello. But it's normal when you fail to recognise names of plays such as Timon of Athens or All's Well That Ends Well. Those two in particular rank among the worst of his plays and have been considered to be completely underbaked. But that's not unusual, is it? A writer does bad work and then produces better work as time goes on. What's interesting about these plays is that he produced them in the same five-year window as some of his best plays. Shakespeare is known for his amazing plays, but most people fail to realise that he turned out a grinding 37 plays and 154 sonnets. His tolerance for getting into the heart of failure and getting out of it, was, as it turns out, consistent with any other successful person. Hamilton basks in incredible success today, but its producer Jeffrey Seller clearly defines success through the eyes of failure. Success feels good. Success is in its own way easy. It’s easy on my stomach and in my heart. It is also true that failure; the feelings that failure evokes are so much worse than the positive feelings that success evokes. I’ve heard of tennis players who say, “I never feel as good winning as badly I feel when I’m losing.” “You can't cherry pick” We must not cherry-pick because it will never get it right. If I lose money in one show and then say, “Oh, I better not do it in the next,” I’m going to be in big trouble if the next one’s the hit. I’ll give you an example. I did an Opera on Broadway in 2002. We did La Bohème on Broadway in Italian. It was a beautiful production conceived and directed by the filmmaker Baz Luhrmann. I had persuaded this group of Korean investors who I’ve done some other business with, to invest a whopping million dollars. They lose 900 of the million. I asked them to invest in this little show with puppets called Avenue Q. They passed. Avenue Q goes on to make over $30 million of profit for all of its investors. They cherry-picked. They used the fear that losing money in La bohème generated to guide their next decision. Picasso didn't cherry pick We look at Picasso's greatest paintings but what we don't see is the sheer volume that's almost too well hidden. By the time he died in 1973, Pablo Picasso has done over 1800 paintings, 1200 sculptures, 2800 ceramics and a staggering 12,000 drawings. Only fifteen or sixteen of Leonardo da Vinci's paintings are said to exist, yet in his surviving notebooks alone, we have a staggering 7000 detailed drawings. It's called elephant poo. If you want to get the elephant you get the poo as well. And success, the success so many of us crave, is just a tonne of fighting through a mountain range of poo. In reality, success is far less frequent that failure. “The tolerance for anxiety, fear, bewilderment and pain. But what's really happening when we get into this failure zone? What's happening is we're rooting out the mistakes. Talent, or success, is just a reduction of errors. Mozart is known for a few great works, but he barrelled through 600 of them before his death. Beethoven was no slouch either, producing over 650 in his lifetime. Mahatma Gandhi tried an endless number of ways to get the British out of India when he finally hit upon the “Salt March” in 1930 that would set the momentum for Indian Independence. The tolerance for fear is the greatest one them all. But it doesn't stop there. We need the tolerance to learn and learn progressively. Part 2: The Tolerance to Learn I know, you're probably laughing at me because this system sounds so ridiculous And it may or may not be ridiculous. It's hard to measure what you can remember, but after years of trying to speed things up, I realised one important fact. I need to slow down. I need to have a higher tolerance for learning. So what is a higher tolerance for learning? In my opinion, it's a method of slowing down, rather than speeding up. When I get a book to read, I rarely ever read the book. I'll read a bit, and then dig in my Moleskine bag for my pen and Moleskine diary (yes, I am a Moleskine nut). And then I'll make notes or mind maps. Not every book makes the cut, but when I get a good book, like “Originals” by Adam Grant, I'll read the book, listen to the audio version, make notes and then write articles and possibly do a podcast too. So why go through all of this trouble? It's the opposite of the TV dinner. It's like a chef that lavishes time and effort to get a meal ready for dinner. It allows me to get to the very core of what's being stated in the book. Or at least that's what I think. My memory is like a sieve, sometimes I remember going back to listen to an audio book after many years. I knew I'd listened to it because it was on my Audible app. I did remember some of the material, but even so, it was like a brand new book. I understood the book at such a great depth, and it astounded me that I hadn't figured out what the author was saying in my earlier reading. This level of tolerance for reading is not common because it seems so very trendy to say you read many books. To this day if you go to the About Us page on the Psychotactics website, you'll see how I proudly mention that I read 100 books a year. Well, that's hardly possible now, at this slow pace, is it? Don't get me wrong; I crave books Just like someone longing for a great meal, I look at all the books I've missed, and there's a definite sense of regret. Even so, it's important to have a tolerance for slow learning. And with slow learning, it's also important to cross-pollinate your learning (which in turn makes it seem even slower). This cross-pollination means you're reading a series of books that often have little resemblance to each other. At this moment, I'm reading “The Man Who Knew Infinity” a book about Srinivas Ramanujan (we'll get to know him better in the next section). There's a book by Adam Grant about “Originals”. And a book specifically about the David statue sculpted by Michelangelo. While poring through these books at a snail's pace, I'll watch videos about thermohaline currents and ponder over the information I get about high and low entropy in the universe. All of this learning takes a mind-boggling amount of time It's easy to feel you always need to be in a hurry. You still could be voracious in your learning. I listen to podcasts and audio almost all the time, while on the move. I'll read when I can, but reading requires you to be focused on what you're doing. And then there's the writing, endless amounts of writing about what I'm learning. This is what I'd say is the tolerance for learning To slow down, not speed up. However it's not necessarily about doing less, but instead, abut going deeper into the information and cross pollinating it in a way that makes you far more creative; far more open to seeing things in a way that others simply can't see. But why go so far? So many people take the easiest way possible. They say they have no time to read. If you ask them to listen to audio, they say they can't remember anything. And that's not the point of learning. Education comes in layers. I can't remember a lot of what I learn in audio, but if I don't listen to audio, I will miss out on about 300-450 hours of education in a single year (that's because I go for a walk every day and listen to audio). The tolerance for learning has to be high. Speed is not the answer. Speed reading is more like a TV dinner—a quick, yet deeply unsatisfying experience. Slow down and absorb the information and that's what leads you to a greater level of understanding and success. Tolerance to failure is critical. Tolerance to learning is also extremely vital. But we still have one factor of tolerance that's needed: the tolerance for the long haul. Part 3: The tolerance for the long haul If you could buy Google for US$1.6 million, would you buy it? Google in April 2017, was worth $560 billion. But back in 1997, Google was still a dream in CEO, Larry Page's brain. While at Stanford University, he created a search engine called BackRub. He tried to sell that search engine to another search engine company called Excite. But Excite's primary investor made a counter offer of $750,000. And Larry Page thought BackRub was worth a lot more. The short story is that today, 20 years later, Google is the most valuable company in the world. A story that contrasts completely with what you're likely to run into on the Internet. About a month ago, an ad on Facebook caught my interest. This person was promising you could get hundreds of clients signing up to an e-mail list, per day. And usually that kind of bombastic language just bores me to pieces, but on this morning, I was playing around with my watercolours, and it seemed like a fun idea to sit through this webinar. The pitch was predictable The story was about how he struggled to make any income at all. And the rags to riches story went nothing to several hundred million dollars. And before we know it, this person is hobnobbing with big shots including Sir Richard Branson. So why am I giving you the run down of this webinar? I'll tell you why. It's because the webinar talks about hard work as the enemy. How we all work hard and how it never changes our life. And how this person's seemingly magic system will change everything. What he continues to suggest is that you can get the elephant—without the poo. And that's the reality we know is untrue But we're often so sick and tired of being tethered to a job, or even feeling like we should be doing so much better in business, that we take the bait. We reject the tolerance for the long haul. We hope somehow there is a magic pill that will solve our troubles. Larry Page almost took that pill back in 1997. He had his reasons, of course, but it's the long haul that has gotten Google to where it is today. So why is the tolerance for the long haul so critical for success? The answer is encapsulated in a single word: drudgery. Let's say you are nuts about coffee. You know the beans, you're over obsessed over the roasting process, and you dream of opening a cafe for coffee-snobs. For the first fifty or hundred days, you're probably running on the aroma of the coffee alone, but then one day you feel like sleeping in. Now imagine your client showing up to the cafe only to find closed doors. Every business has days of drudgery You may adore your work, and should, but there are days when you simply don't feel like going to work. And ideally someone should and will step in to help, but the core of the issue is that no matter whether you're Google or that guy selling pipe dream webinars, it's all hard work and there are days of pure drudgery. Days that you'll get over if you take a break. But if you don't have tolerance for the long run, you'll give up. You'll give up that podcast series you started; you'll give up on the blog posts, you'll give up when hardly anyone turns up to your workshop because you think you've failed. Our membership site at 5000bc started in 2003 I've personally written 49,945 posts so far. Divide that by the number of years we've been running the site, and that's around 3,500 posts per year. It includes answers to clients, articles in response to questions, etc. With the courses, I've also finished over 50,000 posts. Add the podcasts, the books, all the workshops, etc. and you have a long list of stuff that needs to be done, and which I'm happy doing. But if you think the work stops, it doesn't William Shakespeare, Pablo Picasso, Hamilton's producer, Jeffrey Seller, Mahatma Gandhi, Leonardo da Vinci—they all realised that they're in the long game. That if you think you're just going to get into a business and the business will run itself, well, that's like buying into a webinar and paying a small fortune to get a magic pill. A magic pill that for the most part, is unlikely to work because it too will involve work. Which is why you need to get involved in something you love I love what I do. I love writing; I love making podcasts. I adore answering thousands of posts in the courses and in 5000bc. I didn't get into this business to simply walk away. I will take my weekends off, and I will take three months off every year. That's my way to get rid of the drudgery factor and come back fresh and rested. But I know that I—and you—we both need a tolerance factor for the long haul. As Keira learned at the tender age of four, you can have your elephant, but it comes with poo. The bigger the elephant the greater the poo. If you want to build a business get the poo tray out because you're going to need the tolerance for failure, learning and most importantly the long haul. How do you Get Smart (And Stay Smart)? Many of us believe that smartness comes from learning the skills in our own field. And yet, that's only partially true. We can never be as smart as we want to be, if we only have tunnel vision. So how do we move beyond? Click here to find out: How to find the time to do all of this learning? 

What does it take to achieve wild success? On this special episode, I speak with Jeffrey Seller, Tony-award-winning producer of Hamilton, Rent, and Avenue Q.

"Hamilton" lead producer Jeffrey Seller talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about how the hit Broadway musical goes forward now that three of its stars — Lin-Manuel Miranda, Leslie Odom Jr. and Phillipa Soo — have taken their final bows. Seller says he avoids or doesn't understand much of Silicon Valley's tech obsessions, and praises the power of live theater as an antidote to gadget addiction. He explains how "Hamilton" and Ticketmaster have tried to thwart ticket-buying bots behind the scenes, and reflects on some of his other Broadway productions, including "Rent" and "In the Heights." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Robyn Goodman is a producer and actress, known for The Rehearsal (1974), One Life to Live (1968) and Smash (2012). She won Tony Awards for Best Musical as producer of Avenue Q and In the Heights. Her other Broadway productions include Metamorphoses and West Side Story. She is a producer of Avenue Q at New World Stages, and produced Altar Boyz Off-Broadway. She is a founding Board member of The Ride and Artistic Consultant to Roundabout Theatre Company. She was co-founder of Second Stage Theatre, serving as artistic director for 13 years. In this week’s podcast, Robyn talks about producing partnerships (including her very successful ones with Co-Producers Kevin McCollum and Jeffrey Seller) and a bunch more including: How she (literally) survived her first producing project.  (Wait until you hear what the Playwright wanted to do to her.) How she convinced the Writers of Avenue Q to skip the screen and take the show to the stage . . . and to let her be the one to help. The delicate art of giving notes to Authors (and let me tell you – Robyn is a master of this!). What she does when a show doesn’t work. What it’s like being a powerful female Producer in the “old boys’ club” of Broadway. Keep up with me: @KenDavenportBway www.theproducersperspective.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is the role of a producer? That was the question that started the discussion among four of Broadway's top producers - Roger Berlind, Margo Lion, Jeffrey Richards and Jeffrey Seller - as the conversation turned to whether they produce for profit or passion and how they balance between the two; what the shows they produce reveal about themselves; what the opportunities are for new producers; the increased role the internet and other new media plays in theatre today; the escalating cost of producing a show on Broadway today; and what they feel are the major issues facing theatre producers as they look to the future.

What is the role of a producer? That was the question that started the discussion among four of Broadway's top producers -– Tony Award Winners Roger Berlind (2005 Best Play for Doubt and 2006 Best Play for The History Boys), Margo Lion (for Hairspray in 2003 and Elaine Stritch at Liberty in 2002), Jeffrey Richards (2008 for Best Play with August: Osage County and for the 2009 revival of Hair) and Jeffrey Seller (Best Musicals for Avenue Q and In the Heights) -- as the conversation turned to whether they produce for profit or passion and how they balance between the two; what the shows they produce reveal about themselves; what the opportunities are for new producers; the increased role the internet and other new media plays in theatre today; the escalating cost of producing a show on Broadway today; and what they feel are the major issues facing theatre producers as they look to the future.

Members of the Tony Award-winning creative team of the Tony-winning musical Avenue Q -- Robert Lopez (Tony Award as Composer/Lyricist), Rick Lyon (Puppet Designer/Actor), Jeff Marx (Tony Award as Composer/Lyricist), and Jeff Whitty (Tony Award as Book Writer) -- along with producers Robyn Goodman (Tony Award for the show) and Jeffrey Seller (Tony Award for the show as well as for Rent, In The Heights and Hair, to name a few) explain how the pieces came together to create this unique puppet musical, the journey from its early days at the BMI Workshop and the O'Neill Theater Center to the Vineyard Theatre/New Group production to Broadway, including the challenge of expanding a show in scale when the central characters, namely the puppets, can't grow along with the size of the theatre.

Members of the creative team of the Tony-winning musical "Avenue Q" -- Robert Lopez (Composer/Lyricist), Rick Lyon (Puppet Designer/Actor), Jeff Marx (Composer/Lyricist),and Jeff Whitty (Book Writer) -- along with producers Robyn Goodman and Jeffrey Seller explain how the pieces came together to create this unique puppet musical, the journey from its early days at the BMI Workshop and the O'Neill Theater Center to the Vineyard Theatre/New Group production to Broadway, including the challenge of expanding a show in scale when the central characters, namely the puppets, can't grow along with the size of the theatre.