Jordan Roth

Jordan Roth (born November 13, 1975) is an American theater producer. He is the president and majority owner of Jujamcyn Theaters in New York City. Roth oversees five Broadway theatres including the St. James, Al Hirschfeld, August Wilson, Eugene O'Neill, and the Walter Kerr.

Early life

Born in New York City, Roth spent his elementary years in Ridgewood, NJ with his parents and older sister. He returned to New York in middle school to attend the Horace Mann School. Throughout high school he performed in plays and frequently attended Broadway shows with his mother, to whom he credits his early exposure to theater.

Roth graduated with degrees in philosophy and theater from Princeton University. He later received an MBA from Columbia Business School.

After graduating, Roth returned to New York City. In 1999, he produced, The Donkey Show an interactive Midsummer Night’s Dream set to disco music. The production, a disco club event combining elements of both theater and nightlife, ran for six years off Broadway, toured internationally, and runs weekly at the Oberon Theater in Cambridge, MA. The show was described by The New York Times as, "a lark, an exuberant and witty splicing of disparate sources.”

Career

In 2001, Roth staged a musical revival of the 1975 Broadway hit, The Rocky Horror Show, which ran until 2002. Through the course of the run, the cast included Dick Cavett, Joan Jett, Luke Perry, Ana Gasteyer, and a rotation of guest narrators. The show was nominated for four Tony Awards including Best Musical Revival in 2001, five Drama Desk Awards, two Outer Critics Circle Awards, and a Drama League Award.

In 2005, Roth joined Jujamcyn Theaters as a resident producer and was promoted to vice president in 2006. As vice president, Roth booked shows on Broadway including Tony award winners Spring Awakening and Hair. In 2009, while still at Jujamcyn, he began an MBA program at Columbia University. In September 2009 he became the company's president and co-owner when his predecessor was appointed by President Obama to run the National Endowment for the Arts. At 33, he became the youngest theater owner on Broadway.

Roth has appeared on television as the Broadway correspondent to MSNBC's Morning Joe and has played himself in a recurring role on the NBC television series Smash. Roth is a haute couture collector. He journaled the Spring 2019 Paris fashion week for Vogue magazine. The New York Times, said Roth has become a “red carpet magnet,” due to his “penchant for avant-garde couture.”

Roth hosts an interview series "Broadway Talks" at the 92nd Street Y, facilitating one-on-one discussions with Broadway actors. He also produced and starred in the YouTube animated series, “The Birds and the BS,” a comedic series addressing American culture in the Trump era; and publishes the online newsletter, Warmly Jordan. Previously, Roth founded the social network website Culturalist, which aggregated “Top 10” lists from users.

Awards and honors

Roth is a four-time Tony Award winner and produced the 11-time Tony-nominated show Angels in America, which won the Tony for Best Revival of a Play in 2018. Jujamcyn theaters has presented numerous award-winning productions, garnering over 50 Tonys in total since Roth's joining, including 2013 Best Musical winner for Kinky Boots, 2018 Best Musical nominee for both Frozen and Mean Girls, and 2019 Best Musical winner, Hadestown. On February 2, 2019, Roth received the HRC Legacy Award, awarded by the Human Rights Campaign, an organization that raises funds in the fight for LGBT equality.

Philanthropy

In 2007, Roth created Givenik.com, a service allowing theater-goers to buy discounted tickets and give 5% of their ticket price to the charity of their choice. Givenik.com supports over 500 charitable organizations.

Roth supports organizations working for the arts, the city and for LGBTQ equality. He serves on the Board of Trustees for Freedom To Marry and Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and the Board of Governors for the Broadway League. He also supports the LGBTQ+ Suicide Prevention Hotline and The Trevor Project, a hotline for young people in crisis.

Personal life

Roth is the son of New York real estate developer Steven Roth and theater producer Daryl Roth.

In June 2003, he met Richie Jackson, a talent manager and executive producer. They married in September 2012. He is co-parent of Jackson Foo Wong, Jackson's son with his former partner, B.D. Wong. Roth's son with Jackson, Levi Emmanuel Roth, was born through surrogacy in 2016.