Scott Sanders (born 1957) is an Emmy-, Grammy-, and Tony-winning

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

television producer A television producer is a person who oversees one or more aspects of video production on a television program. Some producers take more of an executive role, in that they conceive new programs and pitch them to the television networks, but upon ...

film producer A film producer is a person who oversees film production. Either employed by a production company or working independently, producers plan and coordinate various aspects of film production, such as selecting the script, coordinating writing, di ...

and

theatre producer A theatrical producer is a person who oversees all aspects of mounting a theatre production. The producer is responsible for the overall financial and managerial functions of a production or venue, raises or provides financial backing, and hire ...

. His theatrical musical version of

Alice Walker Alice Malsenior Tallulah-Kate Walker (born February 9, 1944) is an American novelist, short story writer, poet, and social activist. In 1982, she became the first African-American woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, which she was awa ...

's novel ''

The Color Purple ''The Color Purple'' is a 1982 epistolary novel by American author Alice Walker which won the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Award for Fiction.

'', for which he was Lead Producer alongside co-producers

Oprah Winfrey Oprah Gail Winfrey (; born Orpah Gail Winfrey; January 29, 1954), or simply Oprah, is an American talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and philanthropist. She is best known for her talk show, ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', b ...

and

Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (born March 14, 1933) is an American record producer, musician, songwriter, composer, arranger, and film and television producer. His career spans 70 years in the entertainment industry with a record of 80 Grammy Award n ...

, premiered on Broadway in 2005, garnering 11 Tony Award Nominations including Best Musical. He also produced the 2016 Broadway revival of ''

The Color Purple ''The Color Purple'' is a 1982 epistolary novel by American author Alice Walker which won the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Award for Fiction.

'' which went on to win the

Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical The Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical has been awarded since 1994. Before that time, both plays and musicals were considered together for the Tony Award for Best Revival. The award is given to the best musical play which has already appeare ...

and the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theatre Album. He won his Emmy and first Tony Award for his work as the producer of

Elaine Stritch at Liberty ''Elaine Stritch at Liberty'' is an autobiographical one-woman show written by Elaine Stritch and John Lahr, and produced by George C. Wolf, which is composed of anecdotes from Stritch's life, as well as showtunes and Broadway standards that mi ...

. His musical comedy adaptation of the film ''

Tootsie ''Tootsie'' is a 1982 American satirical romantic comedy-drama film directed by Sydney Pollack and starring Dustin Hoffman. Its supporting cast includes Pollack, Jessica Lange, Teri Garr, Dabney Coleman, Bill Murray, Charles Durning, Geo ...

'' premiered on Broadway to positive reviews in the Spring of 2019. He is also known for his impresario role at

Radio City Music Hall Radio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue and theater at 1260 Avenue of the Americas, within Rockefeller Center, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Nicknamed "The Showplace of the Nation", it is the headquarters for ...

and for his work on numerous globally televised live events, including the

Super Bowl XXVII halftime show The Super Bowl XXVII halftime show took place on January 31, 1993, at the Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California, as part of Super Bowl XXVII. In an effort to increase its profile after being counterprogrammed by an ''In Living Color'' special the pre ...

starring

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the " King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over ...

at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA.

Early life

Sanders grew up in St. Petersburg, Florida and was a 1975 graduate of Gibbs High School in

Pinellas County, Florida Pinellas County (, ) is a county located on the west central coast of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 959,107. The county is part of the Tampa– St. Petersburg– Clearwater, Florida Metropolitan Statistic ...

, which at the time was undergoing court-ordered

desegregation Desegregation is the process of ending the separation of two groups, usually referring to races. Desegregation is typically measured by the index of dissimilarity, allowing researchers to determine whether desegregation efforts are having impact o ...

, and to which he was bused. He was

Class President A class president, also known as a class representative, is usually the leader of a student body class, and presides over its class cabinet or organization within a student council. In a grade school, class presidents are generally elected by ...

at Gibbs. He is a 1979 graduate of the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

. During college he worked as an

intern An internship is a period of work experience offered by an organization for a limited period of time. Once confined to medical graduates, internship is used practice for a wide range of placements in businesses, non-profit organizations and gove ...

in the

advertising Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to put a product or service in the spotlight in hopes of drawing it attention from consumers. It is typically used to promote a ...

department of the '' St. Petersburg Times''. Dec. 12, 2005

Career

Sanders began his career at

in New York, producing artists including

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Referred to as the " Queen of Soul", she has twice been placed ninth in '' Rolling Stone''s "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". Wit ...

Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gay Jr., who also spelled his surname as Gaye (April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984), was an American singer and songwriter. He helped to shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player and later as a solo ar ...

Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer and actress. Nicknamed "Honorific nicknames in popular music, The Voice", she is Whitney Houston albums discography, one of the bestselling music artists ...

, K.D. Lang,

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...

Bette Midler Bette Midler (;'' Inside the Actors Studio'', 2004 born December 1, 1945) is an American singer, actress, comedian and author. Throughout her career, which spans over five decades, Midler has received numerous accolades, including four Golden ...

Richard Pryor Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor Sr. (December 1, 1940 – December 10, 2005) was an American stand-up comedian and actor. He reached a broad audience with his trenchant observations and storytelling style, and is widely regarded as on ...

Lionel Richie Lionel Brockman Richie Jr. (born June 20, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and television personality. He rose to fame in the 1970s as a songwriter and the co-lead singer of funk band the Commodores; writing and recor ...

Liza Minnelli Liza May Minnelli ( ; born March 12, 1946) is an American actress, singer, dancer, and choreographer. Known for her commanding stage presence and powerful alto singing voice, Minnelli is among a rare group of performers awarded an Emmy, Grammy ...

Paul Simon Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actor whose career has spanned six decades. He is one of the most acclaimed songwriters in popular music, both as a solo artist and as half of folk roc ...

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the " Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular entertainers of the 1940s, 1950s, and ...

Tina Turner Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939) is an American-born Swiss retired singer and actress. Widely referred to as the " Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", she rose to prominence as the lead singer of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue before ...

Liberace Władziu Valentino Liberace (May 16, 1919 – February 4, 1987) was an American pianist, singer, and actor. A child prodigy born in Wisconsin to parents of Italian and Polish origin, he enjoyed a career spanning four decades of concerts, recordi ...

Sting Sting may refer to: * Stinger or sting, a structure of an animal to inject venom, or the injury produced by a stinger * Irritating hairs or prickles of a stinging plant, or the plant itself Fictional characters and entities * Sting (Middle-earth ...

Diana Ross Diana Ross (born March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame as the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown's most successful act during the 1960s and one of the world's best-selling girl groups ...

, and

The Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. The band is known for its eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, country, jazz, bluegrass, blues, rock and roll, gospel, reggae, world music, ...

. He was Executive Producer there for 15 years and has been credited with reversing the venue's steady decline after its near-

bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debto ...

in 1978 and turning it into one of the highest grossing theaters in the world. For Radio City Music Hall Productions, Sanders also produced

rock concerts A rock concert is a performance of rock music. During the 1950s, several American musical groups experimented with new musical forms that fused country music, blues, and swing genre to produce the earliest examples of "rock and roll." The co ...

and popular cultural events outside of the venue including

Penn and Teller Penn may refer to: Places England * Penn, Buckinghamshire * Penn, West Midlands United States * Penn, North Dakota * Penn, Oregon * Pennsylvania ** Penn, Pennsylvania * Penn Lake Park, Pennsylvania * Penn Township (disambiguation), several mu ...

's NBC special ''Don't Try This At Home'', and inaugural anniversary gala for President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and again ...

and the historic 1993

Super Bowl The Super Bowl is the annual final playoff game of the National Football League (NFL) to determine the league champion. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966, replacing the NFL Championship Game. Since 2022, the gam ...

halftime show starring

on NBC. That

Super Bowl XXVII Super Bowl XXVII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Buffalo Bills and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Dallas Cowboys to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the ...

halftime show, starring Jackson, raised NBC's halftime rating higher than the Super Bowl action before it and is credited with transforming the way the NFL presents its halftime entertainment. In the years since, the NFL has, at every single Super Bowl, followed the model Sanders & Jackson created in 1993 enlisting big-name, contemporary, broad-appeal artists to perform during halftime in an effort to keep viewers from straying. He made his first foray into Broadway while still at Radio City, producing ''An Evening with Harry Connick, Jr. and his Orchestra'' in 1990. He returned to Broadway as an independent producer in 2002 with Elaine Stritch at Liberty. Other Broadway work includes ''Dame Edna Back with a Vengeance'' (2004), ''The Color Purple'' (2005), ''The Pee-wee Herman Show'' (2010), ''Evita'' (2012), ''After Midnight'' (2013) and the ''Color Purple'' revival (2015). In 1996, Sanders co-founded Mandalay Television, along with Mandalay Entertainment Chairman

Peter Guber Howard Peter Guber (born March 1, 1942) is an American business executive, entrepreneur, educator, and author. He is chairman and CEO of Mandalay Entertainment. Guber's most recent films from Mandalay Entertainment include '' The Kids Are All ...

. and executive produced six network series, including include ''

Young Americans ''Young Americans'' is the ninth studio album by English musician David Bowie, released on 7March 1975 through RCA Records. The album marked a departure from the glam rock style of Bowie's previous albums, showcasing his interest in soul ...

'', ''

Cupid In classical mythology, Cupid (Latin Cupīdō , meaning "passionate desire") is the god of desire, lust, erotic love, attraction and affection. He is often portrayed as the son of the love goddess Venus (mythology), Venus and the god of war Mar ...

'', ''

Mercy Point Mercy ( Middle English, from Anglo-French ''merci'', from Medieval Latin ''merced-'', ''merces'', from Latin, "price paid, wages", from ''merc-'', ''merxi'' "merchandise") is benevolence, forgiveness, and kindness in a variety of ethical, re ...

'', and '' Rude Awakening''. In 2001, Sanders launched Creative Battery, a multimedia production company in partnership with AEG presents, which was responsible for solo Broadway shows by

Elaine Stritch Elaine Stritch (February 2, 1925 – July 17, 2014) was an American actress, best known for her work on Broadway and later, television. She made her professional stage debut in 1944 and appeared in numerous stage plays, musicals, feature films a ...

and the

Barry Humphries John Barry Humphries (born 17 February 1934) is an Australian comedian, actor, author and satirist. He is best known for writing and playing his on-stage and television alter egos Dame Edna Everage and Sir Les Patterson. He is also a film pr ...

character Dame Edna. While at Creative Battery, Sanders also served

Executive Producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the making of a commercial entertainment product. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights ...

for

Queen Latifah Dana Elaine Owens (born March 18, 1970), known professionally as Queen Latifah, is an American rapper, actress, and singer. Born in Newark, New Jersey, she signed with Tommy Boy Records in 1989 and released her debut album ''All Hail the Que ...

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

album, '' The Dana Owens Album'', which received a

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; " Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discover ...

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

nomination for

Best Jazz Vocal Album The Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality works (songs or albums) in the vocal jaz ...

In 2007 he founded Scott Sanders Productions, a film and theatrical production company based in New York City with funding for theatrical ventures from a private equity group which includes

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

owner

Robert Kraft Robert Kenneth Kraft (born June 5, 1941) is an American billionaire businessman. He is the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Kraft Group, a diversified holding company with assets in paper and packaging, sports and entertainment ...

, Roy Furman, and Jim Fantaci. On the film side, Scott Sanders Productions entered into a five-year first-look feature deal with Disney. In August 2012, the company signed a subsequent five-year deal with Sony Pictures Entertainment to develop and produce live versions of Sony films. Sanders and

Ahmet Zappa Ahmet Emuukha Rodan Zappa (born May 15, 1974) is an American musician and writer, and trustee of the Zappa Family Trust. Early life Ahmet Zappa was born in Los Angeles, California, the third of four children born to musician Frank Zappa and ...

co-produced a film written and directed by

Peter Hedges Peter Simpson Hedges (born July 6, 1962) is an American novelist, playwright, screenwriter, film director and film producer. Early life Hedges was born in West Des Moines, Iowa, where he was raised, the son of Carole (Simpson), a psychotherapis ...

, ''

The Odd Life of Timothy Green ''The Odd Life of Timothy Green'' is a 2012 American fantasy comedy-drama film written and directed by Peter Hedges from a story by Ahmet Zappa. Starring Jennifer Garner, Joel Edgerton, Dianne Wiest, CJ Adams, Rosemarie DeWitt, Ron Livingston, ...

'', released by

Walt Disney Pictures Walt Disney Pictures is an American film production company and subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, which is owned by The Walt Disney Company. The studio is the flagship producer of live-action feature films within the Walt Disney Studios unit ...

on August 15, 2012. In August 2012

Sony Pictures Entertainment Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Sony Pictures or SPE, and formerly known as Columbia Pictures Entertainment, Inc.) is an American diversified multinational mass media and entertainment studio Conglomerate (company), conglom ...

and Sanders agreed to mount stage productions of Sony films and announced that ''

'', the 1982 comedy starring

Dustin Hoffman Dustin Lee Hoffman (born August 8, 1937) is an American actor and filmmaker. As one of the key actors in the formation of New Hollywood, Hoffman is known for his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and emotionally vulnerable characters. He is th ...

, would be the first project. In September 2016, Sanders was named the creative head of global entertainment for Westfield Corporation, which confirmed its acquisition of ''Scott Sanders Productions''. In October 2018, he relaunched Scott Sanders Productions as an independent theatre, film, television, music, live-event and experiential entertainment production company, with offices in New York and Los Angeles. Sanders serves as president and CEO. In November 2018, Warner Bros. announced the development of a film adaptation of the ''Color Purple'' musical, co-produced by Oprah Winfrey,

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Sp ...

, and Sanders.

''TOOTSIE'' (stage musical)

The new comedy musical Tootsie opened its pre-Broadway world premiere engagement at Chicago's Cadillac Palace Theatre on September 30, 2018. Critics, in widely positive reviews, praised the contemporary updates that the stage musical's creative team have made to the 1982 movie comedy. Variety wrote, "This bouncy musical turns the story into a full-on satire of the narcissistic male ego.

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

wrote, "Very Funny...a boffo musical comedy with comic characters as outlandishly successful as The Producers." The production begins performances on Broadway on March 29, 2019, at the Marquis Theatre and officially opens on April 23, 2019.

''In the Heights'' (film)

In 2013, Sanders and Mara Jacobs began working on a film adaptation of

Lin-Manuel Miranda Lin-Manuel Miranda (; born January 16, 1980) is an American songwriter, actor, playwright and filmmaker. He is known for creating the Broadway musicals ''Hamilton'' (2015) and '' In the Heights'' (2005), and the soundtracks for the Disney animat ...

's musical ''

In the Heights ''In the Heights'' is a musical with concept, music, and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda and a book by Quiara Alegría Hudes. The story is set over the course of three days, involving characters in the largely Dominican American neighborhood of ...

'', with a script written by

Quiara Alegría Hudes Quiara Alegría Hudes (born 1977) is an American playwright, producer, lyricist and essayist. She is best known for writing the book for the musical ''In the Heights,'' and screenplay for its film adaptation. Hudes' first play in her ''Elliot Tri ...

, who authored the book for the original stage version. In 2018, Sanders, along with co-producers Jacobs, Miranda and Anthony Bregman, closed a $50 million deal with Warner Bros. for the film rights. The property has been the subject of a hot auction after it was extracted from

The Weinstein Company The Weinstein Company (usually credited or abbreviated as TWC) was an American independent film studio, founded in New York City by Bob and Harvey Weinstein in March 2005. TWC was one of the largest mini-major film studios in North America pri ...

ahead of its bankruptcy.

Jon M. Chu Jonathan Murray Chu (born November 2, 1979) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is best known as the director of 2018's ''Crazy Rich Asians'', the first film by a major Hollywood studio to feature a majority cast of Asi ...

is directing the movie and also helmed Warner's ''

Crazy Rich Asians ''Crazy Rich Asians'' is a satirical 2013 romantic comedy novel by Kevin Kwan. Kwan stated that his intention in writing the novel was to "introduce a contemporary Asia to a North American audience". He claimed the novel was loosely based on hi ...

''. Sanders and Miranda previously worked together on ''The Odd Life of Timothy Green''.

''The Color Purple'' (stage musical)

Sanders first approached author

about adapting her

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made ...

-winning novel into a stage musical in 1997. The project took over eight years to release, partly due to Walker's reluctance to give permission for the adaptation of her. Sanders eventually persuaded Walker to give her permission and support after telling her that he thought that it had similarities to ''

Fiddler on the Roof ''Fiddler on the Roof'' is a musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein, set in the Pale of Settlement of Imperial Russia in or around 1905. It is based on ''Tevye and his Daughters'' (or ''Tevye the ...

'' – "a community of people that the audience would follow over time". ''

The Color Purple ''The Color Purple'' is a 1982 epistolary novel by American author Alice Walker which won the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Award for Fiction.

'', which premiered at the

Alliance Theatre The Alliance Theatre is a theater company in Atlanta, Georgia, based at the Alliance Theatre, part of the Robert W. Woodruff Arts Center, and is the winner of the 2007 Regional Theatre Tony Award. The company, originally the Atlanta Municipal T ...

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...

and opened on the Broadway at the Broadway Theatre in December 2005, had an all-black cast and

as an investor and producer. The production was noted for its contribution to a "redefinition of the Broadway crowd," a reference to its ability to attract a multi-racial audience. Later, Sanders would describe the work of producing a musical as "wrestling an

octopus An octopus ( : octopuses or octopodes, see below for variants) is a soft-bodied, eight- limbed mollusc of the order Octopoda (, ). The order consists of some 300 species and is grouped within the class Cephalopoda with squids, cuttlefish, ...

, keeping all the puppies in the box," and the hardest thing he had ever done, "more white-knuckle than I'd like, and the most fun I'd ever had." The Original Broadway production garnered 11 Tony Award nominations, including Best Musical. Its original star, LaChanze, won the 2006 Tony Award for Leading Actress in a Musical. Later in the run, Sanders hired

Fantasia Fantasia International Film Festival (also known as Fantasia-fest, FanTasia, and Fant-Asia) is a film festival that has been based mainly in Montreal since its founding in 1996. Regularly held in July of each year, it is valued by both hardcor ...

, an ''

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to ...

'' winner, to take over the lead role. The London production at Menier Chocolate Factory, directed by John Doyle, was co-produced by Sanders, Winfrey and Roy Furman and ran from July to September 2013. On January 9, 2015, producers Sanders, Furman, and Winfrey announced that the Menier Chocolate Factory production would be mounted as a Broadway revival, with

Jennifer Hudson Jennifer Kate Hudson (born September 12, 1981), also known by her nickname J.Hud, is an American singer, actress, and talk show host. Throughout her career, she has received various accolades for her works in recorded music, film, televisio ...

making her Broadway debut in the role of Shug Avery, Danielle Brooks playing the role of Sofia, and

Cynthia Erivo Cynthia Erivo (; born 8 January 1987) is an English actress, singer, and songwriter. She is the recipient of several accolades, including a Grammy Award and a Tony Award, in addition to nominations for two Academy Awards and a Primetime Emmy Awa ...

, reprising the role as Celie. Previews began November 10, 2015, with the official opening December 10 at the

Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre The Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre (formerly the Royale Theatre and the John Golden Theatre) is a Broadway theater at 242 West 45th Street (George Abbott Way) in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1927, the theat ...

. Cynthia Erivo won the 2016

Tony Award for best performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical The Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical is awarded to the best actress in a musical, whether a new production or a revival. The award has been given since 1948, but the nominees who did not win have only been publicly ...

. The production won the 2016 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical.

''After Midnight'' (stage musical)

Sanders, along with jazz legend Wynton Marsalis, produced '' After Midnight'', a reimagined Broadway production of City Center Encores' ''Cotton Club Parade'', which premiered in November 2013 and closed in June 2014. The show received 7 Tony Award nominations, including Best Musical.

Warren Carlyle Warren Carlyle is a British director and choreographer who was born in Norwich, Norfolk, England. He received Drama Desk Award nominations for Outstanding Choreography and Outstanding Director of a Musical for the 2009 revival of ''Finian's Rain ...

won the Tony Award for Best Choreography. Over the course of its run on Broadway, the production featured a rotating array of special guest stars, including

Fantasia Barrino Fantasia Monique Barrino-Taylor (born June 30, 1984), known professionally by her mononym Fantasia, is an American R&B singer and actress. She rose to fame as the winner of the third season of the reality television series ''American Idol'' in ...

, k.d. lang,

Toni Braxton Toni Michele Braxton (born October 7, 1967) is an American R&B singer, songwriter, actress and television personality. She has sold over 70 million records worldwide and is one of the best-selling female artists in history. Braxton has won ...

with Babyface,

Vanessa Williams Vanessa Lynn Williams (born March 18, 1963) is an American singer, actress, and fashion designer. She gained recognition as the first African-American woman to receive the Miss America title when she was crowned Miss America 1984. She resign ...

, and

Patti LaBelle Patricia Louise Holte (born May 24, 1944), known professionally as Patti LaBelle, is an American R&B singer, actress and businesswoman. LaBelle is referred to as the " Godmother of Soul". She began her career in the early 1960s as lead singe ...

. The production was also notable in that it marked the famed fashion world duo, Isabel and

Ruben Toledo Ruben Toledo (born 1961, Havana, Cuba) is a Cuban-American artist based in New York City. Personal life Toledo and his wife Isabel met in high school in West New York, New Jersey. Books In 1997, Toledo authored ''Style Dictionary'', a collec ...

, designed and created costumes for a Broadway musical.

''The Odd Life of Timothy Green'' (film)

'', a 2012

film co-written and directed by Peter Hedges, was co-produced by Sanders and opened in U.S. theaters on August 15, 2012. Based on a concept by

, the fantasy film is about a magical pre-adolescent boy whose personality and naïveté have profound effects on the people in his town. The film starred

Jennifer Garner Jennifer Anne Garner (born April 17, 1972) is an American actress. Born in Houston, Texas, and raised in Charleston, West Virginia, Garner studied theater at Denison University and began acting as an understudy for the Roundabout Theatre Compa ...

Joel Edgerton Joel Edgerton (born 23 June 1974) is an Australian actor and filmmaker. He is best known for his appearance in the ''Star Wars'' films ''Attack of the Clones'' (2002) and ''Revenge of the Sith'' (2005) as a young Owen Lars, a role he reprised i ...

, and

CJ Adams Cameron John Adams (born April 6, 2000) is an American actor. He made his acting debut in the film ''Dan in Real Life'' (2007) and became best known for his title role in the film ''The Odd Life of Timothy Green'' (2012). Early life Adams was bo ...

, and also marked the feature film acting debut of Lin-Manuel Miranda.

''Evita'' (stage musical)

Sanders, along with co-lead producer Hal Luftig, produced the first Broadway revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Evita, which opened at the Marquis Theatre on April 5, 2012. The production starred Argentinian sensation

Elena Roger Elena Silvia Roger (born October 27, 1974, Buenos Aires, Argentina) is an Argentine actress who won the 2009 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her portrayal of Édith Piaf in '' Piaf''. She has also appeared in the West ...

and pop superstar

Ricky Martin Enrique Martín Morales (born December 24, 1971), known professionally as Ricky Martin, is a Puerto Rican singer, songwriter, and actor. He is known for his musical versatility, with his Ricky Martin albums discography, discography spanning ...

. The production garnered three Tony Award nominations, including Best Revival of a Musical.

''The Pee-Wee Herman Show'' (stage play)

Sanders served as lead producer on

The Pee-Wee Herman Show ''The Pee-wee Herman Show'' is a stage show developed by Paul Reubens in 1980. It marks the first significant appearance of his comedic fictional character, Pee-wee Herman, five years before '' Pee-wee's Big Adventure'', and six years before ''P ...

, the stage play starring

Paul Reubens Paul Reubens (; born Rubenfeld; August 27, 1952) is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and children's entertainer. He is known for his character Pee-wee Herman. Reubens joined the Los Angeles troupe The Groundlings in the 1970s, an ...

as Pee-wee Herman and featuring the entire Playhouse cast of characters. It opened at Los Angeles Club Nokia on January 12, 2010. After receiving strong reviews in Los Angeles, Sanders brought the show to Broadways Stephen Sondheim Theatre, where it opened to more critical praise on November 11, 2010.

Elaine Stritch at Liberty (stage play)

Sanders served as co-lead producer, with John Schreiber, on

, the autobiographical one-woman show starring Elaine Stritch, written by Stritch and John Lahr, and directed by George C. Wolfe, George C.Wolfe. The show premiered on Broadway, at the Neil Simon Theatre, on February 21, 2002, going on to win the 2002 Tony Award for Best Special Theatrical Event. Following its successful Broadway run, Sanders produced a ten-city tour of the production as well as an HBO documentary of the stage show. The HBO film won two 2004 Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special.

Awards and nominations

Sanders has won three Tony Awards, an Emmy Award, and a

. He won his first Tony Award for Best Special Theatrical Event in 2002 for ''

''. In 2004 Sanders won a Primetime Emmy Award for Emmy Award, Outstanding Variety, Music, or Comedy Special for "Elaine Stritch: At Liberty" (2002). Sanders received a 2005 nomination for Grammy Award, Best Jazz Vocal Album for

's '' The Dana Owens Album'', a 2005 nomination for Tony Award, Best Special Theatrical Event for " Dame Edna: Back with a Vengeance", and was nominated in 2002 for a Tony Award, Best Special Theatrical Event for "Elaine Stritch: At Liberty." In 2006, ''The Color Purple'' was nominated for eleven Tony Awards, including Tony Award, Best Musical, Tony Award, Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical, Tony Award, Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical, Tony Award, Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical, Tony Award, Best Choreography, Tony Award, Best Original Score, Tony Award, Best Book of a Musical, Tony Award, Best Costume Design of a Musical, Tony Award, Best Lighting Design of a Play, and Tony Award, Best Lighting Design of a Musical. In 2012, "Evita" received three Tony nominations, for Best Revival of a Musical, Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical, and Best Choreography. ''After Midnight'' received seven Tony Award nominations (Best Musical, Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical, Best Costume Design of a Musical, Best Lighting Design of a Musical, Best Sound Design of a Musical, Best Direction of a Musical and Best Choreography), earning the award for choreography. It also earned three Drama Desk Award nominations (Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical, Outstanding Choreography and Outstanding Revue, winning in the latter two categories). Of five Outer Critics Circle Awards nominations (Outstanding New Broadway Musical, Outstanding Director of a Musical, Outstanding Choreographer, Outstanding Costume Design and Outstanding Lighting Design), the show won for Outstanding Choreographer. ''After Midnight'' was also the most-nominated production at the 2014 Astaire Awards, where it won for Outstanding Male Dancer, Outstanding Female Dancer and Outstanding Choreographer. Sanders won his second Tony Award as lead producer for Best Musical Revival winner ''The Color Purple'' in 2016. He won his third Tony Award as a co-producer for Best Musical Revival winner Company in 2022. He earned a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album as producer for ''The Color Purple'' in 59th Annual Grammy Awards, 2017.

Personal life

Sanders married respected author and teacher Brad Lamm in California in 2008 in a ceremony officiated by Alice Walker, who was ordained by Universal Ministries for the event."Brad Lamm, Scott Sanders"
''The New York Times'', September 21, 2008. p. ST16

Early life

Career

''TOOTSIE'' (stage musical)

''In the Heights'' (film)

''The Color Purple'' (stage musical)

''After Midnight'' (stage musical)

''The Odd Life of Timothy Green'' (film)

''Evita'' (stage musical)

''The Pee-Wee Herman Show'' (stage play)

Elaine Stritch at Liberty (stage play)

Awards and nominations

Personal life

References

Further reading