Michael Jackowitz
Michael Jackowitz, Founder & President
Michael started working in the commercial theater in 1995 with The Food Chain, by Nicky Silver at Westside (Arts) Theater. Over the years he has produced many other commercial ventures, non-profit productions and an opera. In 2013, he founded WitzEnd Productions to create and develop new works in the theater.
CURRENT PRODUCTIONS: Some Like it HOT ( recently ended run at Shubert Theater, Broadway, National Tour launch Sept 2024), A Beautiful Noise, the Neil Diamond Musical (Broadhurst Theatre and tour), 1660 Vine, a digital theater film (Streaming Musicals), Estella Scrooge a modern re-telling of A Christmas Carol by John Caird and Paul Gordon (Streaming Musicals).
UPCOMING (WitzEnd Projects): The Hawaiian Goddess (Honolulu) by Roslyn Catracchia and Patrick Makuakane. Dark of the Moon, by Jonathan Prince, Lindy Robbins and Dave Bassett and Steve Robson. An adaptation of All the Broken Places by John Boyne. Poseidon by Jonathan Prince and Andrew Lippa.
PAST PRODUCTIONS:Harmony, the musical by Barry Manilow (Barrymore Theater), How to Dance in Ohio (Belasco Theater), Once on This Island, 2018 TONY AWARD Best Revival of a Musical (Circle in the Square Theater and National Tour) and Escape to Margaritaville by Jimmy Buffett (Broadway and National Tour). Diana (Longacre Theatre and Netflix 2021). Michael was a lead producer on Tuck Everlasting (Broadhurst Theatre April 2016) directed by Casey Nicholaw, and Daddy Long Legs having completed a successful Off-Broadway run at the Davenport Theater in New York after an 18 city tour including Tokyo, London, Chicago, Los Angeles, Manitoba and Seoul, Korea (multiple Best Musical Awards) by John Caird (Les Miserables) and Paul Gordon. It was the first show ever to be live-streamed from New York in 2015 and continues to be a fan favorite on BroadwayHD. He was also the Executive Producer of Séance on a Wet Afternoon the opera by Stephen Schwartz, World Premiere Opera Santa Barbara (2009), New York City Opera/Lincoln Center (2011) with upcoming Chamber version in development. Gettin’ The Band Back Together recently completed run at Belasco Theater. Lifespan of a Fact starring Daniel Radcliffe, Cherry Jones and Bobby Cannavale recently completed run at Studio 54.
He was a producer of the 50th Anniversary revival of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying on Broadway starring Daniel Radcliffe, Darren Criss and Nick Jonas (8 Tony Award Nominations, including BEST MUSICAL REVIVAL 2011), PIPPIN at the Menier Chocolate Factory in London 2011-12 , The Best Is Yet To Come: The Music of Cy Coleman devised and directed by David Zippel, Rubicon Theatre Company/59E59 Off-Broadway (2012 DRAMA DESK AWARD for BEST REVIEW), My Fairytale the Hans Christian Andersen musical by Stephen Schwartz, American Premiere PCPA 2009, My Antonia, an adaptation of the Willa Cather novel by Scott Schwartz at Rubicon Theatre Company and Pacific Resident Theatre Company in Los Angeles (2008 LA Weekly Nominee, Best Production), It’s Only Life (2008 LA Ovation Award: Best Book/Music/Lyrics of an original work), by John Bucchino directed by Daisy Prince (2008 Santa Barbara Independent Award: Best Director), with vocal arrangements by Jason Robert Brown World Premiere at Rubicon Theatre Company, and tick, tick…BOOM!, by Jonathan Larson directed by Scott Schwartz, at the Coronet Theatre in Los Angeles following its successful run at the Rubicon Theatre in Ventura, CA (2005). As noted above, Michael started his career in commercial theater with The Food Chain by Nicky Silver directed by Robert Falls and starring Hope Davis and Phyllis Newman followed by AVOW by Bill C. Davis (Mass Appeal) at the Century Theater and I, Do, I Do at Queens Theater in the Park with Donna McKechnie. He produced a regional production of Abyssinia at Lyric Stage in Dallas with Josephine Abady directing in 2000.
Michael served as the Musical Theater Liaison for the Harold Prince Musical Theater Program at The Directors Company in New York in 1993. He is a graduate of the Commercial Theater Institute’s Producing Seminar, class of 1996 and continues to serve as Rubicon Theatre’s Director of New Work in California.