Rachel Sussman (producer)

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Rachel Sussman is an American theater producer known for her work on Broadway and Off-Broadway productions with social justice themes. She is the co-founder of the industry initiative Business of Broadway [1] an organization that advocates for transparency and education in commercial theater producing. [2]

Contents

Early life and education

She is from Bloomfield Hills, Michigan and was involved in theater productions at Groves High School. [3] [4]

Career

Broadway producing credits include: Suffs (Tony and OCC Award), [5] Tony and Emmy Award winner Alex Edelman's Just for Us, [6] Parade (Tony, Drama Desk, OCC Award), [7] What the Constitution Means to Me (Tony nomination and Pulitzer Prize finalist), [8] and Prima Facie. [7] Off-Broadway: Lead Producer on the Obie Award-winning production of The Woodsman [9] and Natalie Maroglin's All Nighter . [10]

Advocacy and community work

Sussman volunteers at JQY (Jewish Queer Youth), [11] a nonprofit that advocates for LGBTQ+ Jewish youth from non-affirming communities, [12] and was honored at JQY's Gala in 2025 with the inaugural Jewish Queer Icon Award. [13]

She has produced and participated in events supporting organizations like Donor Direct Action, [14] Covenant House International, [15] the ACLU/NYCLU, [16] March For Our Lives, [17] and the CDC Foundation's Coronavirus Emergency Response Fund. [18]

She is an Artist Ambassador for the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU), [19] and sits on the Board for WP Theater [20] and Advisory Boards of Detroit Public Theatre [21] and the Broadway Women's Fund. [22]

Awards and honors

In addition to winning a Tony Award, Rachel was a WP Theater Lab Time Warner Foundation Fellow [20] and the recipient of the 2018-2019 Prince Fellowship in Creative Producing. [23] She has been recognized by Variety as "10 to Watch on Broadway". [24] She is a graduate of the Commercial Theater Institute, a former Columbia University Research Scholar, and a University Honors Scholar alumna of New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. [1]

References

  1. 1 2 "Rachel Sussman". THE BUSINESS OF BROADWAY. Retrieved May 26, 2025.
  2. "About". THE BUSINESS OF BROADWAY. Retrieved May 26, 2025.
  3. "A great place for theater". Detroit Free Press . November 4, 2007. p. 154. Retrieved June 3, 2025 via Newspapers.com.
  4. "Witch trials come to Groves stage in award-winning play". Detroit Free Press . March 25, 2007. p. 184. Retrieved June 3, 2025 via Newspapers.com.
  5. Paulson, Michael (October 18, 2023). "'Suffs' Heads to Broadway With Hillary Clinton as a Producer". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved May 26, 2025.
  6. Putnam, Leah (June 26, 2023). "Alex Edelman's Just For Us Opens Broadway Bow June 26". Playbill.com. Retrieved May 26, 2025.
  7. 1 2 "Tony Winners Rachel Sussman and Sammy Lopez Are Training Broadway's Next Generation of Producers". Playbill. Archived from the original on April 22, 2025. Retrieved May 26, 2025.
  8. Pearce, Michael (June 19, 2019). "Schmoozing with Rachel Sussman". thejewishnews.com. Retrieved May 26, 2025.
  9. "Broadway Podcast Network - Rachel Sussman is a RAD Woman". broadwaypodcastnetwork.com. Retrieved May 26, 2025.
  10. "All Nighter, With Kathryn Gallagher and Julia Lester, to Premiere Off-Broadway - TheaterMania.com". December 11, 2024. Retrieved May 26, 2025.
  11. Grisar, P. J. (May 20, 2025). "A gala for Jewish Queer Youth celebrates untold, queer Jewish stories". The Forward. Retrieved May 26, 2025.
  12. JQY. "Our Mission". JQY. Retrieved May 26, 2025.
  13. Sharpe, Josh. "Rachel Sussman to Receive Inaugural Jewish Queer Icon Honor". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved May 26, 2025.
  14. Gans, Andrew (December 10, 2012). "Intimate Apparel Benefit Reading Will Feature Quincy Tyler Bernstine, Ari Graynor, Joshua Henry, Tonya Pinkins". Playbill.com. Retrieved May 26, 2025.
  15. "Broadway x Covenant House: A Special Bond | Covenant House". www.covenanthouse.org. August 8, 2024. Retrieved May 26, 2025.
  16. Harms, Talaura (October 7, 2021). "Peppermint Will Host ACLU and NYCLU's Sing Out for Freedom Concert, Honoring Broadway for Racial Justice". Playbill.com. Retrieved May 26, 2025.
  17. Exchange, NiteLife (October 15, 2018). "Broadway Fights Back and March for Our Lives Concert Comes to The Town Hall on Monday, October 22nd -" . Retrieved May 26, 2025.
  18. "About". Saturday Night Seder. Retrieved May 26, 2025.
  19. "NYCLU Artist Ambassadors". NYCLU. Retrieved May 26, 2025.
  20. 1 2 "RACHEL SUSSMAN | WP Theater". wptheater.org. Retrieved May 26, 2025.
  21. "Staff/Board". Detroit Public Theatre. Retrieved May 26, 2025.
  22. "Team". Broadway Womens Fund. Retrieved May 26, 2025.
  23. "The Prince Fellowship - Fellows". princefellowship.com. Retrieved May 26, 2025.
  24. Cox, Gordon (September 29, 2023). "Clint Ramos, Kara Young, Rebecca Frecknall and Ingrid Michaelson Among Variety's 10 Broadway Stars to Watch for 2023". Variety. Retrieved May 26, 2025.