05/01/2023
Rest in peace, Mr. Haimes.
"Todd Haimes passed away yesterday at the heartbreakingly young age of 66. The American theater has lost a giant, and New York has lost a cultural architect who helped define our city.
As the leader of Roundabout Theatre Company for 40 years, he took a small, almost bankrupt theater and helped it grow to become one of the most successful and powerful producing organizations America has ever seen. He acquired, built, and remodeled theaters from the American Airlines Theater to Studio 54 and the Stephen Sondheim Theater, and in this way revived an almost-forgotten tradition of producing serious theater on Broadway. Not since the Theater Guild was at its height in the 1940s and 1950s did an organization devoted to serious work make such an impact on Broadway. His pioneering work in creating non-profit productions in Broadway theaters helped revive Broadway and the non-profit sector alike. He was an artistic director with an MBA, a businessman with an artistic vision.
He was also one of the sweetest, kindest, most universally liked individuals in the New York theater. Unfailingly polite, deeply supportive of others, enamored of artists and the theater itself, he created an atmosphere of trust and support that is rare in our field. He was extraordinarily modest, never promoting himself, always promoting the art. He was a trusted partner. The Public moved many shows to Roundabout's theaters, from SWEAT to LATIN HISTORY FOR MORONS and our current production of FAT HAM. All of the experiences were easy and collegial. He was as supportive of other theaters as he was of the artists who made shows for Roundabout.
It was always a pleasure to talk to Todd; his honesty and lack of artifice were a delight in the often-posturing world of the theater. He welcomed me to New York in 2005 with genuine warmth and helped me find a place in the theatrical jungle of New York. His enormous achievements never seemed to swell his ego—although I know he took great pleasure in the shows he helped bring into the world. I will miss him more than I can say.
On behalf of our Board Chair Luis A. Miranda, Jr., Patrick Willingham, Mandy Hackett, Saheem Ali, Freedom Bradley-Ballantine, and the entire staff and Board of The Public, we extend our deepest condolences to Todd's family and the Roundabout Theatre Company." - Oskar Eustis