KURT DEUTSCH

Grammy Award winner and founder of Sh-K-Boom and Ghostlight Records, Deutsch is credited with reinventing the musical theatre recording landscape by preserving countless shows in high-quality albums through close partnerships with Broadway’s top producers, as well as working hand-in-hand with the new generation of theater artists and composers to merge them with the popular culture at large.

Prior to entering the music business, Deutsch worked as an actor for over 15 years on and off Broadway, TV, and in film. Deutsch founded Sh-KBoom Records in 2000 with the mission of bringing passionate, fresh artists and their music to a new audience. To serve the ever expanding mission of the label, the Ghostlight imprint was created in 2004 to include cast recordings and more traditional musical theater albums.

In 2017, Deutsch joined Warner Music Group and is currently Senior VP of Warner Music Entertainment and Theatrical Ventures. At WMG he has been part of the producing team on Broadway and West End of the musicals Tina - The Tina Turner Musical, The Cher Show, Beetlejuice, and David Byrne’s American Utopia. American Utopia was honored with a special Tony Award and the subsequent film directed by Spike Lee, earned Emmy and Grammy nominations. Deutsch was the lead producer of Ross Golan’s The Wrong Man, which premiered to acclaim at MCC, and – with Kevin McCollum –the Broadway-bound musical adaptation of The Notebook.

Deutsch also produced the acclaimed film version of The Last Five Years, written and directed by Richard LaGravenese and starring Anna Kendrick and Jeremy Jordan.

THE ABOMINABLES, 2017 www.GhostlighRecords.com

Mormon, In the Heights, Beautiful – The Carole King Musical, and The Band’s Visit) and is a frequent nominee, most recently for the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning A Strange Loop. Other notable releases include the viral sensations Be More Chill, Beetlejuice, and Eleri Ward’s two acoustic folk Stephen Sondheim albums, A Perfect Little Death and Keep A Tender Distance.

The label is currently represented on Broadway with the acclaimed musical Kimberly Akimbo, featuring a score by Jeanine Tesori and David Lindsay-Abaire.

Sarnak, Zack Zadek, Drew Gasparini and the late Michael Friedman, Jonathan Larson and Liz Swados.

Since 2017, Ghostlight has partnered with the new Arts Music division at Warner Music Group.

THIS EVENING’S SPONSORS

Gold Sponsors

Hesu Coue-Wilson & Edward Wilson

Carolyn & John Friedman

Marion Friedman Young & Brian Young

Ghostlight Records

Armen Nercessian

Silver Sponsors

Rebecca Burton and Michael Abrahams

Suany Chough and Eckart Graeve

Jennifer Copaken and Todd Yellin

David Cosson

Susan and Henry Donahue

Elizete and Alain Groenendaal

Claire Werner & Justus O’Brien

(I AM) NOBODY’S LUNCH, 2006

Production Team

Announcer Stephen Plunkett

Music Director/Piano Wiley DeWeese

Guitar ................................................................................................................................. Tonie Nguyen

Bass.................................................................................................................................... Dave D’aranjo

Drums Jeff Fernandes

Producer Melissa Hardy

Stage Manager ............................................................................................................... Terri Kohler

Assistant Stage Manager ..................................................................................... Kelsy Durkin

Video and Projections Designer Attilio Rigotti

Special Thanks

The Civilians Board of Directors, Associate Artists, the staff of City Winery, including Emily Piuggi, Matthew Schwalm and Lauren Taylor, and everyone who contributed to tonight’s production.

A very special thank you to those who made this project possible: the over 100 artists involved, our community members who contributed to the Legacy Fund back in 2018, and the generous support from Peter Friedland, Will Frears, and Mimi Brown.