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Sue Gilad

Broadway Producer, Co-Founder of In Fine Company
Sue Gilad
Background

About Sue Gilad

Broadway ProducingPitchingPartnershipLive EntertainmentAudience ResearchArts Leadership

Sue Gilad is a Broadway producer whose shows have earned 84 Tony Award nominations, 30 Tony Awards, and a Grammy Award. Her producing credits include The Outsiders, Merrily We Roll Along, Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Buena Vista Social Club, Company, and Angels in America, along with Funny Girl and Jagged Little Pill. She is the co-founder of In Fine Company. Her path started in the TKTS half-price line in New York, picking shows by whatever sounded good, and as an actor who discovered she preferred building the thing to performing in it.

Two decades in, Gilad is preparing to bring Prince's Purple Rain to the Majestic Theatre in spring 2027. She describes her real skill as casting — not only actors, but the who, what, when, why, how, and where of a production, including her own teams. She is an Angel and former Leadership Council Co-Chair for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, and supports the Stay Gold Initiative, which brings students from schools without arts funding to see The Outsiders for free. She also leads theatre-based leadership and communication programs and speaks internationally on Broadway in business, education, and community.

On The Daily Mastermind, Sue sat down with George Wright III for a conversation about what Broadway teaches anyone building something that doesn't exist yet. They covered the partnership with her producing partner Larry, the math of 399 rejections, why she watches the audience instead of the stage during out-of-town tryouts, and the one show she refused to close when the weekly numbers said she should. She also made the case that live theater — analog, collaborative, in person — is an antidote to AI.

Featured Conversation

Sue on The Daily Mastermind Podcast

The Business Behind Broadway Magic With Sue Gilad
Aug 28, 2026
The Business Behind Broadway Magic With Sue Gilad
Broadway producer Sue Gilad joins George Wright III on pitching ideas, surviving 399 rejections, and the business behind hits like The Outsiders and Purple Rain.
LISTEN TO THE EPISODE →
Key Insights

Key takeaways from Sue

01
A pitch only works when the project is genuinely yours.
Gilad says a show built off a checklist of good qualities gets no result, even if the product is strong. It has to be in your heart and soul, or the room feels the gap. Pair that conviction with real signals — like a crowd erupting when you announce the title.
02
Watch the audience, not the stage.
During out-of-town tryouts, her directors watch the performance and she watches the house. Leaning in, sobbing, laughing, fidgeting, glancing at each other — every reaction gets flagged and fixed. Her favorite focus group is the intermission bathroom line, where she finds the youngest person and asks.
03
No means not now, or a referral to your next yes.
Trained as an actor, Gilad learned the arithmetic: twenty auditions per callback, twenty callbacks per job. That's 399 rejections before a yes. She never hears no as final — it's a timing problem or a sign someone in her Rolodex is the actual door.
04
Name what you're bad at out loud, then cast for it.
Gilad's partner Larry can spot the evergreen theme in a rough sketch; she can shape a show near an audience and name the weak points nobody wants to name. When they started, they told everyone plainly they were inept, inadequate, and inexperienced — and managed expectations from there.
05
If more money goes out weekly than comes in, close the show.
Her honest failure was an off-Broadway production she loved and kept running because everyone was having a party. The tickets weren't there. She's equally direct with investors: if you want returns, stick with real estate and stocks.
Find Sue

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