Following a nearly year-long search, the Broadway League has revealed its new president. Jason Laks will lead the trade association that represents the Broadway industry’s producers, theater owners, general managers and presenters. Laks spent the past 10 months as the League’s interim president and general counsel, succeeding longtime president Charlotte St. Martin, who stepped down in February after an 18-year tenure. Laks will officially begin in the new position during the first week of December.
No stranger to the organization that represents 830 members, Laks joined the League’s labor department in 2012 and served as director of labor relations from 2014 to 2017. Laks returned to the League in 2021 as general counsel and executive vice president of labor relations. During this time, Laks oversaw negotiations between the League’s members and the myriad unions that work on Broadway. Prior to his time at the League, Laks served as senior counsel, director of labor law for the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company; between 2017 and 2021 he served as senior vice president of labor relations for NBCUniversal.
Laks will step into the role as the industry continues to focus on bringing audiences back to the theater after the pandemic-induced shutdown, which shuttered an industry that contributes an estimated $14.7 billion annually to New York city’s economy. Attendance and weekly gross revenue, while not quite back to the record-high figures seen pre-pandemic, are on the upswing (attendance to date is up 12.3 percent, while aggregate gross is up 11.8 percent, as of week ending Nov. 24).
Laks acknowledged the League must continue audience growth efforts, in addition to applying focus on other agenda items. “Growing and diversifying our audiences has to be top-priority for the League,” Laks told Broadway News exclusively. “We’ve painstakingly built back since the pandemic but we can’t rest on our laurels. One of the first initiatives I’ll be working on is developing a new strategic plan for the organization, focused on growth and innovation. We’re going to build a new roadmap to guide the next chapter of the League. That starts with listening to people at every level of the industry to get their wisdom and buy-in.”
Laks’ appointment follows a search conducted by a steering committee, created by the League’s board of governors. Chaired by Sue Frost, the committee included League board chair Kristin Caskey, Maggie Brohn, Rashad Chambers, Jeff Daniel, Jon Ekeberg, Andrew Flatt, Colleen Jennings-Roggensack, Aaron Lustbader, Jimmy Nederlander Jr., Lauren Reid (president of the John Gore Organization, parent organization of Broadway News), Christina Selby and David Stone. The search was led by executive search firm Russell Reynolds Associates. League members and staff alike provided input for the president’s role within the organization and League priorities.
“Over the past 10 months, we have embarked on a thoughtful and thorough process around this very important decision,” Caskey said in a statement. “After a national search and extensive interview process, we believe Jason is the right leader for the League at this critical time in our industry. Jason’s detailed knowledge of the industry, rich relationships with membership and steadfast commitment to the health of Broadway — both in New York and on the road — make him an ideal choice.”
