The Business Of Broadway

A conversation with the producers of “Eclipsed”

- TNJ Staff

In June, just before Tony Award nominations were announced, the Council of Urban Professionals held a“Business of Broadway” panel discussion as part of its Distinguished Leadership Series. The panel comprised Stephen C. Byrd, founder of Front Row Productions and lead producer of the multiple award-winning Broadway hit “Eclipsed”; Alia Jones-Harvey, a partner in Front Row Productions and also a lead producer of “Eclipsed”; and Kenny Ozoude, co-producer of “Eclipsed.” It was moderated by Lisa E. Davis, Esq., a partner in the Entertainment Group at Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz P.C., representing businesses and celebrities in film, television, publishing, music, theater and sports. In the edited excerpt below, the panelists discuss their journey to Broadway, the challenges they faced, and why “Eclipsed” was backed by Black money.

Davis: What led you to want to be Broadway producers?