Attorney John Breglio Chats 'I WANNA BE A PRODUCER' Book on THEATER TALK Today

On this week's THEATER TALK, John Breglio, one of Broadway's most prominent go-to theatrical attorneys, who later added Broadway producer to his resume - talks about his new book, I Wanna Be A Producer: How to Make A Killing on Broadway...or Get Killed. Breglio tells co-hosts Michael Riedel of the New York Post and Susan Haskins that he wrote the book because so few people understand what a producer does - and must do - for a new musical or play.

Breglio has worked closely with such Broadway greats as Michael Bennett, Andrew Lloyd Webber, "The Shuberts" (Gerald Schoenfeld and Bernard Jacobs), "The Nederlanders" (James M. and his son James L.), mogul Robert Stigwood, (producer of the films Saturday Night Fever and Grease), and many other talents.

At various times in the interview, describing the jobs and roles producers must play, Breglio uses words like "acquire, supervise, micro-manage," and "intervene" - all in service to a true collaboration among all of the artists and designers involved in the creation of a show. He emphasizes that the producer must understand the financials behind recouping an investment and, it is hoped, distributing a profit. As an example, he cites working on the musical version of the hit film Victor Victoria with clients Julie Andrews and Blake Edwards and how he saved them from creating a sure-fire money pit. He also pays homage to beloved producers Elizabeth McCann and Nelle Nugent, and the gutsy entrepreneurship of Stigwood. As Riedel acknowledges early in the show, producing "may be the hardest job in the theater."

The John Breglio episode of THEATER TALK premieres today, February 10 (2017) on PBS station Thirteen/WNET at 1:30 AM (Saturday morning) and repeats there on Sunday 2/12 at 11:30 AM; it re-airs on CUNY TV* Saturday 2/11 at 8:30 PM, Sunday 2/12 at 12:30 PM, and Monday 2/13 at 7:30 AM, 1:30 PM, and 7:30 PM; and also airs on WLIW/21 on Monday 2/13 at 5:30 PM and on NYCLife/25 on Thursday 2/16 at 11 PM.

THEATER TALK is jointly produced by the not-for-profits Theater Talk Productions and CUNY TV. The program is taped in the Himan Brown TV and Radio Studios at The City University of New York (CUNY) TV in Manhattan, and is distributed to 100+ participating public television stations nationwide. THEATER TALK is made possible in part by The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, The CUNY TV Foundation, and The Friends of THEATER TALK.

*CUNY TV, the City University of New York television station, is broadcast in the NYC metropolitan area on digital Ch. 25.3 and cablecast in the city's five boroughs on Ch. 75 (Time Warner & Optimum Brooklyn), Ch. 77 (RCN), and Ch. 30 (Verizon FiOS). THEATER TALK episodes are available online anytime at www.cuny.tv and www.theatertalk.org and via iTunes.

Pictured: Attorney/Producer/Author John Breglio on THEATER TALK (Image courtesy Theater Talk Prod./CUNY TV); Book cover, I Wanna Be A Producer (courtesy Applause Books).