Founded: May 2003
WARNER BROS. THEATRE VENTURES is the live stage play division of Warner Bros. Entertainment and responsible for developing and producing first-class musicals and other stage productions for the Studio. With Warner Bros.’ vast library of iconic film and television properties from which to draw, as well as extensive relationships with top theatrical talent, Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures is well-positioned as a dynamic and resourceful creative entity in the live theater arena.
For the 2012-13 theatrical season, the division is readying a pair of high-profile projects: the highly anticipated musical adaptation of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” with Sam Mendes attached to direct in London; and the drama “Misery,” with Oscar-winner Bill Goldman adapting his 1990 screenplay for the Broadway stage.
The division is also prepping a return limited-engagement of the holiday hit “Elf” to Broadway for November 2012. First produced in 2010, “Elf,” an original musical based on the New Line Cinema release of the same name, broke box office records at the Hirschfield Theatre during its previous run. Tours and regional productions of the show are also planned.
Theatre Ventures also has a number of other plays in various stages of development, including co-productions with award-winning Broadway, film and television producers. The roster of upcoming projects includes dramas, comedies and musicals based on both library titles and original concepts.
Earlier Broadway productions mounted by Theatre Ventures include “Baby It’s You!,” the inspiring story of Florence Greenberg, the woman who changed the recording world forever when she discovered The Shirelles and created Scepter Records, and “Lestat,” based on Anne Rice’s “Vampire Chronicles” and featuring an original score by the legendary song writing team of Sir Elton John and Bernie Taupin. The division’s inaugural production, “Casablanca,” a dance-driven musical based on the classic film of the same name, was produced in Beijing in 2005.
The division also licenses third-party stage rights to the various properties held within the Studio’s vast media library, including such recent stage productions as “Light in the Piazza,” “The Wizard of Oz,” “The Color Purple” and “42nd Street” as well as the upcoming “Diner” and “Bridges of Madison County.”
Key Executives:
Mark Kaufman, Executive Vice President
Raymond Wu, Executive Vice President