THE PRODUCERS
Paul Boskind (Producer)
Is the Founder and CEO of Deer Oaks – A nationwide Behavioral Health Organization headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. As owner/producer of the Church Theatre in San Antonio, Paul discovered the power of using the theatrical arts to inspire, educate and touch lives on issues of equal rights for the GLBT community, prompting him to expand his interest to Broadway. As a result, he has produced several gay oriented, equality based shows, including The Tony® Award-winning play The Normal Heart (2011); Gore Vidal’s The Best Man (Tony® Nomination, 2012); Priscilla Queen Of The Desert, and On A Clear Day You Can See Forever starring Harry Connick, Jr. Off-Broadway credits include: BASH’d!, an award-winning musical about marriage equality and gay bashing; and The Temperamentals, a play focusing on the early gay rights movement in the late 1950’s. Paul is a psychologist, gay activist and philanthropist who serves on pro-equality national and state Boards, and is a Co-Owner of Martian Entertainment. He serves on the National Finance Committee of the DNC, and is a committed fundraiser for President Obama’s re-election. Upcoming projects include the new rock musical Bare. Paul has found that producing theatre in Chicago, and the collaborative process with the playwright and the director on this show has been exhilarating. www.MartianEntertainment.com
Ruth Hendel (Producer)
Ruth has been on the producing teams of numerous plays and musicals on and Off-Broadway, including: FELA! (Broadway, London, Nigeria and World Tour); Priscilla, Queen of the Desert; American Idiot; The Motherf**ker with the Hat; House of Blue Leaves; Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo; Driving Miss Daisy; Red (Tony); Hamlet; A View From The Bridge; All My Sons; 33 Variations; In The Heights {assoc}; Legally Blonde; Caroline, or Change; Raisin in the Sun; Golda’s Balcony; Metamorphoses; Altar Boyz; Our Lady of 121st Street; and The Exonerated. Many of these acclaimed productions have earned numerous Tony, Drama Desk, and Lortel nominations and awards. Her most recent Broadway productions include Death of a Salesman and Clybourne Park. Ruth also serves on the boards of the LAByrinth Theater, The Play Company and the Yale School of Drama Advisory Board. She is also vice-chair of the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center in Waterford, CT. Ruth’s honors and awards include the University of Connecticut School of Fine Arts Alumni award (2006), the Michael Mendelson award for commitment to excellence in theater from The New Group (2007), and the Louis B. Marshall award from the Jewish Theological Seminary (2010). Ruth graduated with honors from the University of Connecticut with a B.F.A. in Theater and received her Masters in Communications from Northwestern University.
Stephen Hendel (Producer)
Mr. Hendel is a co-conceiver and lead producer (along with Ruth) of the Broadway musical FELA!, which premiered on Broadway in November 2009 and was also presented at the National Theater in London in November 2010. FELA! later began a world tour after a stop in Nigeria. FELA! is currently touring the United States. Mr. Hendel serves on several boards, including: the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center (Treasurer), the New Group, the Culture Project, St. Ann’s Warehouse, and Afropop.org and serves on various advisory committees at Yale University including the Board of Advisors to the Yale School of Music and the University Council and the Board of the African Museum for Art.
About Face Theatre (Associate Producer, Bonnie Metzgar, Artistic Director and Jason Held, Executive Director)
creates exceptional, innovative and adventurous plays to advance the national dialogue on gender and sexual identity and to challenge and entertain audiences in Chicago, across the country, and around the world. Founded in 1995 by Kyle Hall and Eric Rosen, About Face Theatre has emerged as a major force in Chicago theatre and is among the nation’s most respected companies dedicated to the exploration of gender and sexuality. Since its inception, About Face has developed and produced 50 new productions for Chicago audiences, including 45 world premieres. Plays developed at About Face have been seen across the country to critical acclaim and major recognition, including the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the Tony Award for Best Play, 2 Black Theater Alliance Awards, 13 Joseph Jefferson awards, and 14 After Dark awards. Other Community honors include the Human First Award, the GLSEN Pathfinder Award, a Presidential Citation from the American Psychological Association, the Cook County Community Empowerment Award, induction into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame, and the 2007 Equality award from the Human Rights Campaign. In addition to its award-winning mainstage performances, About Face is home to the nationally recognized About Face Youth Theatre, dedicated to the empowerment of LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, and questioning) youth and their allies through the creation of original productions and touring shows that reach up to 5,000 young people across the region each year. For more information, visit www.aboutfacetheatre.com or call 773-784-8565.
