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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

JON B. PLATT TO BE PRESENTED THE COMMERCIAL THEATER INSTITUTE’S ROBERT WHITEHEAD AWARD
February 13, 2012
FOR “OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN COMMERCIAL THEATRE PRODUCING”

AWARD RECEPTION TO TAKE PLACE AT SARDI’S ON MARCH 13, 2012

Five time Tony® award-winning Broadway producer, Jon B. Platt, will be presented The Commercial Theater Institute's Robert Whitehead Award for “outstanding achievement in commercial theatre producing” at a reception at Sardi's on Tuesday, March 13, 2012. David Stone, Stuart Thompson, and Bob Wankel will present the award.

Spanning just over two decades, Jon B. Platt has produced 28 Broadway productions. Angels in America: Millennium Approaches and Perestroika , won seven Tony Awards and the Pulitzer Prize, and he won the Best Play Tony Award for Copenhagen , God of Carnage and his most recent for The Book of Mormon , winner of 9 Tony Awards. In addition to being nominated for 14 Tony Awards and winning 5, Jon has received 8 Drama Desk Awards and 6 New York Outer Critics Circle Awards.

This season Jon is represented on Broadway by Wicked , which continues to sell out in its 9th record-breaking year at the Gershwin Theatre, Venus In Fur, Death of a Salesman, Clybourne Park, An Evening with Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin, The Book of Mormon, and Nice Work If You Can Get It . His West End roster has included Wicked - now in its 6th year, The Children's Hour, and Driving Miss Daisy . And Jon is credited for touring Blue Man Group outside of New York, now in its 17th year playing Boston's Charles Playhouse.

CTI is the nation's only formal program, which professionally trains commercial theatre producers. A joint project of The Broadway League and Theatre Development Fund, CTI was founded in 1981 by the late Frederic B. Vogel. The current program director, Jed Bernstein, took on leadership of the program in 2006. The five decade long career of legendary producer Robert Whitehead, who died in 2002, inspired this award.

“Robert Whitehead loved his fellow producers who recognized great art and were willing to stand behind it, both financially and artistically. That's the kind of producer Jon Platt is,” said Jed Bernstein, CTI's Program Director.

“Jon Platt's contribution to the American theatre is astounding. Not only has he chosen wisely in his producing career, he is a Renaissance man who gives freely of his time and money to charities near and dear to his heart such as the Genessee House for victims of domestic abuse and the Big Brothers and Big Sisters Association ,” commented Charlotte St. Martin, The Broadway League's Executive Director.

"Jon Platt is a welcome addition to the talented group of producers who have been presented with The Robert Whitehead Award which honors the legacy of one of the greatest theatre producers of the 20th Century,” said Victoria Bailey, executive director of Theatre Development Fund.  “Jon is an inventive producer who has presented an exciting and diverse roster of new plays, new musicals and first-rate revivals.”   

The Commercial Theater Institute presented the first Robert Whitehead Award in 1993 to Benjamin Mordecai (seven August Wilson plays on Broadway) and Susan Quint Gallin (Angels in America , Monty Python's Spamalot). Subsequent honorees include: Dennis Grimaldi (Other People's Money, Annie Warbucks) in 1994; Kevin McCollum (Rent, West Side Story) in 1995; Randall L. Wreghitt (The Miracle Worker, Grey Gardens) in 1996; Marc Routh (A Little Night Music, The Norman Conquests) in 1997; Liz Oliver (Wait Until Dark , Last Night of Ballyhoo) in 1998; Eric Krebs (The Dinner Party, Electra) in 1999; Anne Strickland Squadron (Bill Maher: Victory Begins at Home, The Herbal Bed) in 2000; David Binder (A Raisin in the Sun, 33 Variations) in 2004; Nick Scandalios (Executive VP of the Nederlander Organization: Wicked, In the Heights) in 2008; Dori Berinstein (Legally Blonde: The Musical, Thoroughly Modern Millie) in 2009; Stuart Thompson (A View from the Bridge, God of Carnage) in 2010; and Jill Furman (In the Heights, West Side Story) in 2011.

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THE COMMERCIAL THEATER INSTITUTE (CTI), now in its 31st year, is a project of Theatre Development Fund (TDF) and The Broadway League. The nation's only formal program, which specifically trains commercial theatre producers, CTI provides resources and guidance to individuals interested in the various paths one can take towards creating commercial productions for the stage. For details and schedules of all CTI programs, visit www.commercialtheaterinstitute.com or call 212.586.1109. Facebook: become a fan of CTI and follow on Twitter @CTIPrograms

THE BROADWAY LEAGUE, founded in 1930, is the national trade association for the Broadway industry.  The League's 700-plus members include theatre owners and operators, producers, presenters, and general managers in over 240 North American cities, as well as suppliers of goods and services to the theatre industry. Each year, League members bring Broadway to nearly 30 million people in New York and on tour across the U.S. and Canada. For more information, visit www.BroadwayLeague.com, or follow The Broadway League on Twitter @TheBwayLeague or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/BroadwayLeague. Download the free ILoveNYTheater app and free IBDB app for iPhone, iPad,and iTouch on iTunes.

Broadway theatres are filled with an exciting array of new and classic musicals and plays, providing the perfect experience for every audience. Great seats are available at every price point and are easy to buy online, by phone, or in person at theatre box offices. It's always the perfect time to see a show.  Broadway performs every day of the week at multiple curtain times to accommodate every schedule, www.ilovenytheater.com.

THEATRE DEVELOPMENT FUND (TDF), which recently received a 2011 Mayor's Award for Arts and Culture, is the largest nonprofit performing arts service organization in the United States, returning over $130 million to hundreds of productions annually through a variety of programs. It is dedicated to developing diverse audiences for live theatre and dance and strengthening the performing arts community in New York City. Created in 1968, TDF's programs have provided over 80 million people with access to performances at affordable prices.  Best known for its TKTS Discount Booths, TDF's membership, outreach, access and education programs – as well as its Costume Collection – help to make the unique experience of theatre available to everyone. For more information about TDF go to www.tdf.org
Facebook: become a fan of Theatre Development Fund and follow on Twitter @TDFnyc

Press Contacts:
David LeShay, Theatre Development Fund, dleshay@tdf.org
Elisa Shevitz, The Broadway League, eshevitz@broadway.org