Jeffrey Richards

Jeffrey Richards (born March 16, 1947) is an American Broadway theatre producer who has presented both new and revived works for the Broadway stage. His most notable productions include Spring Awakening, August: Osage County, Will Ferrell's You're Welcome America, and Porgy and Bess, as well as numerous premieres by Tracy Letts and David Mamet. He is the recipient of nine Tony Awards.

Richards was nominated for a 2020 Primetime Emmy Award as one of four executive producers of the dramatic film American Son, an adaptation of the 2018 Broadway play of the same title. The film premiered in 2019 at the Toronto International Film Festival, debuted in November 2019 as a television drama, and was nominated for the 2020 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Television Movie.

Early life Born and raised in New York City, Richards' mother, Helen Stern Richards, worked as a press agent and manager of many Broadway shows, a long list of which included notable musicals such as West Side Story and Shenandoah.

He attended Wesleyan University and Columbia Journalism School with the intention of becoming a journalist but changed direction, and chose instead to work a public relations job which led to his working on the revival of The Pajama Game (1973).

Career

Richards initially worked as a press agent on and off Broadway for nearly two decades, and in 1995, ventured into theatrical production with the initial Off-Broadway production of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged).

In 2000, Richards presented his first production on Broadway with a revival of Gore Vidal's The Best Man. He has since produced over 50 shows on Broadway (many in partnership with producer Jerry Frankel), receiving Tony Awards for his productions of David Mamet's Glengarry Glen Ross (2005); The Pajama Game (2006), Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater's Spring Awakening (2007), Tracy Letts's August: Osage County (2008), Hair (2009), Porgy and Bess (2012), Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (2013), and Robert Schenkkan's All The Way (2014). He has been nominated for an additional 14 Tony Awards.

Richards was one of four executive producers who presented the 2019 American dramatic film, American Son, along with Rebecca Gold, and Kerry Washington and Pilar Savone under their Simpson Street banner. The film is an adaptation of the 2018 Broadway play of the same title, written by Christopher Demos-Brown. The movie premiered in 2019 at the Toronto International Film Festival, and made its television debut on Netflix in November 2019 as a "Netflix Television Event". it was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Television Movie.

Broadway stage

+ Broadway productions and awards Year Production Awards Nominations 2000 The Best Man Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival of a Play 2001 A Thousand Clowns 2003 Enchanted April 2005 Glengarry Glen Ross Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival of a Play 2006 Spring Awakening Tony Award for Best Musical, Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Musical 2006 The Caine Mutiny Court Martial Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival of a Play 2006 The Pajama Game Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical 2007 August: Osage County Tony Award for Best Play, Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play 2007 Radio Golf Tony Award for Best Play, Drama Desk Award for Best Play 2007 Talk Radio Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play, Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival of a Play 2007 The Homecoming Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play 2008 November 2008 Speed-the-Plow 2009 Blithe Spirit Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival of a Play 2009 Desire Under the Elms 2009 Hair Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical, Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival of a Musical 2009 Race 2009 Reasons To Be Pretty Tony Award for Best Play, Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play 2009 Superior Donuts 2009 You're Welcome America Tony Award for Best Special Theatrical Event 2010 A Life in the Theatre 2010 All About Me 2010 Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson 2010 Enron 2010 The Merchant of Venice Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play, Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival of a Play 2011 Bonnie and Clyde Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Musical 2011 Chinglish Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play 2012 Glengarry Glen Ross 2012 Porgy and Bess Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival of a Musical 2012 The Anarchist 2012 The Best Man Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play, Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival of a Play 2012 Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play, Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival of a Play 2013 The Glass Menagerie Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play 2014 All The Way Tony Award for Best Play, Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play 2014 Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill 2014 The Bridges of Madison County Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Musical 2014 The Realistic Joneses 2014 You Can't Take It with You Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play 2015 China Doll 2015 Fiddler On The Roof Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical, Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival of a Musical 2015 Sylvia 2015 The Heidi Chronicles 2016 American Psycho 2017 Significant Other 2017 Sunday In The Park With George 2018 American Son 2018 The Lifespan of a Fact 2019 Beetlejuice Tony Award for Best Musical 2019 The Great Society 2019 The Sound Inside 2022 American Buffalo Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play 2022 The Minutes Tony Award for Best Play 2022 Ohio State Murders Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival of a Play 2023 Pictures from Home 2023 Purlie Victorious Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play 2024 Maybe Happy Ending Tony Award for Best Musical