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Thomas Schumacher, the long-serving government who was key to Walt Disney Co.’s success on Broadway, is stepping down this month, the corporate mentioned Wednesday.
The producer joined Disney 38 years in the past and led animation for a number of years as he started constructing the corporate’s theatrical unit, in the end shepherding such juggernauts as “The Lion King,” “Aladdin” and “Magnificence and the Beast.”
Disney Leisure Co-Chairman Alan Bergman introduced the departure of Schumacher, who serves as Disney Theatrical Group’s chief artistic officer, in an electronic mail to workers, calling it “the top of an period.” Schumacher “helped construct our stage enterprise from the bottom up,” Bergman mentioned.
“By the years, Disney Theatrical Group has grown to be such an necessary a part of how we convey Disney storytelling to the world, and it stays in extremely succesful fingers,” Bergman mentioned.
Managing director Andrew Flatt and government producer Anne Quart, who’ve labored with Schumacher, will now see their obligations increase.
Quart will oversee artistic and manufacturing components for the theatrical productions whereas Flatt might be tasked with technique and enterprise operations for the reveals. Each will proceed to report back to Cathleen Taff, who’s the studio division’s distribution and viewers insights president.
“I met Tom proper across the time he was about to ship The Lion King in 1997, which was his first Broadway present!” Bergman mentioned in his electronic mail. “Now, 30 productions later, it’s the most profitable single leisure property in field workplace historical past. And there have been many extra successes since then, together with 20 Tony Awards, 28,000 Broadway performances, 240 million viewers members globally, Disney reveals on each continent besides Antarctica.”
Bergman mentioned that Schumacher was “not achieved but” and would grow to be a advisor to “proceed shaping the face of the worldwide theatrical panorama as a behind-the-scenes power centered on the following technology of artists and audiences.”
Schumacher joined Disney within the Eighties at Disney Animation as a producer on “The Rescuers Down Beneath.” He labored as president of the animation studio for a number of years, overseeing almost two dozen movies and concurrently main Disney Theatrical Group. In 2002, he departed Disney Animation to deal with constructing the theatrical group.
“When Peter Schneider at Disney Animation requested me to provide The Rescuers Down Beneath, I had no concept it will result in 4 many years working with a number of the most distinctive artistic artists on this planet — each in animation and theatre,” Schumacher mentioned in a press release.
His tenure got here with controversy.
In 2018, the Wall Road Journal printed a report that mentioned co-workers described him as harsh, demanding and liable to crossing the boundaries of applicable office conduct with express language and conduct. Responding to the report, a Disney spokesperson mentioned on the time that “complaints are completely investigated and applicable motion is taken.”
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