Meet St. Louisan John O'Brien: The Fabulous Fox Theatre's Vice President of Programming and Marketing

On Friday, May 10th, season packages go on sale to new subscribers for The Fabulous Fox Theatres ‘24-’25 Broadway Series. The 8-show season includes all the biggest musical hits from last season on Broadway, including the Tony Award Winning Best Musical KIMBERLY AKIMBO, the box office sensation & JULIET, the phenomenal SOME LIKE IT HOT, the ridiculously funny SHUCKED, and the triumphant return of St. Louis favorite SIX. 

Building an epic season for Fox subscribers takes years in the making. Vice President of Program and Marketing at the Fox Theatre, John’ O’Brien, and his staff work painstakingly throughout the year to bring Broadway to the audience in St. Louis. O’Brien is a native St. Louisan whose career includes working with Broadway companies in New York City. He takes extraordinary pride in ensuring the St. Louis Theatre audience gets a fabulous season every year, because as he puts it, “St. Louis deserves the best.” 

“We are insanely excited about the ‘24 - ‘25 season,” he exclaimed! O’Brien said, “Of course, we have the huge return of SIX and HAMILTON, but we also have this really fun mix where 7 of the 8 subscription shows are brand new.” He shared that it is his goal it to have the best of Broadway with enough variety so there is something for everyone. O’Brien described the cool visual effects of BACK TO THE FUTURE, the familiar music of Neil Diamond, and the fresh exciting new staging of PETER PAN. He is thrilled about the run-away box office champion & JULIET, the dazzling dance and costumes in SOME LIKE IT HOT, and the Tony winning KIMBERLY AKIMBO. Then he leaned forward in his chair and said, “The show I’m most excited about is SHUCKED! It is the one in the series that people may not know as well. I love it so much! It is charming and hilarious.” O’Brien shared that it gives him real joy to bring something unexpected to the audience. He is certain that St. Louis is going to fall in love with SHUCKED! 

O’Brien has an immense amount of civic pride. “I love St. Louis. I always have, and I always will,” he beamed. “I grew up here in Florissant and went to Hazelwood West High School. My parents were first responders and no one in my family was involved with theater.”  He called himself the random arts kid in his family. In school he was heavily involved in the music program, played trumpet, french horn, and marched with the band. Following graduation, he attended Truman State University and majored in music.  

“I really didn’t discover theater until the summer in between my junior and senior year in high school,” he continued, “I would go with friends to the final dress rehearsals at The Muny not realizing they were closed rehearsals.” He recalled how those Midnight dress rehearsals were an incredible look behind the scenes at the process of creating a show. Following his graduation from Truman State, O’Brien worked as a materials coordinator at The Muny during the 2014 season before packing his bags and heading to New York City.  

It was in New York where O’Brien relied on his grit and determination to begin building his theatrical resume. "I said yes to every project to get as much experience as I could," he shared. O'Brien worked in development and managerial roles with RKO Stage, The New York Musical Theatre Festival, Peccadillo Theater Company, The Secret Theater, Broadway Brands, and The Roundabout Theatre Company. It was during his tenure at Roundabout that he had the pleasure of working on his first Tony award winning Play, THE HUMANS. While still early in career, his ascent on the national theater scene is a direct result of his perseverance and diligence working on many overlapping roles. Even after leaving New York, he continued to serve as the editor of the industry newsletter Broadway Briefing through 2023. 

In late 2017 he received a call from The Muny’s Mike Isaacson advising him about the Director of Programming Role at The Fabulous Fox Theater. When The Fox selected O’Brien to fill the role, he brought his vast experience and Broadway relationships back to his hometown to begin booking the hottest shows for runs at the Fox. In just six short years at The Fox, he has ascended to the role of Vice President of Programming and Marketing. O’Brien makes frequent trips to New York seeing everything Broadway has to offer to ensure he will secure the top shows for his hometown.  

Since beginning the programming role in 2018, O’Brien has continued to build one great season after another. When pointing out to O’Brien that his leadership is responsible for the upcoming epic season, he blushed and humbly deflected. He says that his job booking shows is made easy because of the national reputation of The Fox Theater, the massive subscription base in St. Louis, and the vibrant theatre scene here. “Everything we do is for this city, because of this city, and for the people of this city,” he said with pride. His humility is genuine and his enthusiasm for the theatre shines through when he talks about his experiences and his favorite shows. But make no mistake, John O’Brien is an engaged and energetic theater professional who works exceedingly long hours. He takes personal accountability to ensure St. Louisans are afforded the best in Broadway programming.  

The Fox subscription package offer both seven and eight show options for the ‘24-25 season, including: BACK TO THE FUTURE: The Musical, September 26 – October 6, 2024; A BEAUTIFUL NOISE: The Neil Diamond Musical, October 29 – November 10, 2024; PETER PAN, November 13 – 24, 2024; SIX (the option for the 8-show season), January 21 – February 2, 2025; SHUCKED, February 11 – 23, 2025; SOME LIKE IT HOT, February 26 – March 9, 2025; KIMBERLY AKIMBO, March 25 – April 6, 2025; and & JULIET, May 20 – June 1, 2025. In addition to the season shows, The Fabulous Fox is offering special shows outside of the season package, including the return of HAMILTON, CHICAGO, MEAN GIRLS, RIVERDANCE, and AIN’T TOO PROUD – The Life and Times of The Temptations. In December of 2024, Dr. Seuss’ HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS! The Musical will also be making a stop on the last weekend in December.  

Click the link below for more information on season subscriptions to the ‘24-'25 Broadway Season at The Fabulous Fox Theater. 

To post a comment, you must register and login.