Right about now, you are probably asking yourself, what does this have to do with theater in Pittsburgh and theater in general? Actually, it turns out quite a lot. And this is a significant change for the primarily white male-dominated commercial theater industry.

Lauren Reid, Chair of the Broadway League and now President of The John Gore Organization

By way of background, the process and ecosystem that takes a play or musical through the development cycle, on to Broadway, then to touring productions, local professional productions, community theater, and ultimately high school musicals involves many organizations and individuals. Some very well know, some not so much.

The Gore Organization is involved in that process as both a producer and distributor of live theater in North America and a theater e-commerce company. 

The John Gore Organization (formerly known as Key Brand Entertainment) was founded in the UK in 2004 by 14-time Tony Award-winning Producer[1] John Gore, the company’s Chairman, CEO, and Owner. 

The Gore Organization owns the following brands:

• Broadway Across America (BAA), the major theater touring organization in North America acquired in 2008. With over 400,000 season subscribers, BAA has earned 248 Tony Awards in more than 35 years of producing and investing in Broadway shows. BAA owns and/or operates five theaters in Boston, Baltimore, and Minneapolis. 
• Broadway Across America represents all the shows in the 2021/22 Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh series.
• Broadway.com, the ticketing site and the number one source of information on Broadway Broadway.com, also hosts and presents the Broadway.com Audience Choice Awards annually.
• The Broadway Channel, a subscription streaming service 

Reid had previously served as Chief Operating Officer of the John Gore Organization and currently serves as chair of the Broadway League. In the newly created role of President, she will oversee John Gore’s company portfolio, including Broadway Across America, Broadway.com, Group Sales Box Office, BroadwayBox, and The Broadway Channel.

John Gore, owner of the John Gore Organization, will continue as chairman and chief executive of the company. 

“Re-starting a whole industry has to be the greatest business challenge any of us has ever faced. I would like to take this moment to acknowledge the role Lauren Reid has played in helping us weather this storm,” Gore said in a statement. “Our company, and our industry, are better positioned to re-emerge from this shut-down thanks to having Lauren at the helm, guiding all of us through this. So in recognition of the high esteem, I and the whole industry hold her in, I have made her President of the entire organization.”

Categories: Feature Stories