Barbara Whitman is an American theatrical producer. She won a

Tony Award for Best Musical The Tony Award for Best Musical is given annually to the best new Broadway musical, as determined by Tony Award voters. The award is one of the ceremony's longest-standing awards, having been presented each year since 1949. The award goes to the ...

for producing ''

A Strange Loop ''A Strange Loop'' is a musical with book, music, and lyrics by Michael R. Jackson, and winner of the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. First produced off-Broadway in 2019, then staged in Washington, D.C. in 2021, ''A Strange Loop'' premiered on Bro ...

'' (2022).

Biography

Whitman is the daughter of investment advisor

Martin J. Whitman Martin J. Whitman (September 30, 1924
September 05, 1993 – April 16, 2018) was an A ...

, namesake of the Martin J. Whitman School of Management at

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...

. She has two brothers: James Whitman, a professor at

Yale Law School Yale Law School (Yale Law or YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was established in 1824 and has been ranked as the best law school in the United States by '' U.S. News & Worl ...

, and Thomas Whitman, a professor of music at

Swarthmore College Swarthmore College ( , ) is a private liberal arts college in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1864, with its first classes held in 1869, Swarthmore is one of the earliest coeducational colleges in the United States. It was established as ...

. Her aunt is judge Phyllis W. Beck, who served on the Superior Court of Pennsylvania and was married to the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universit ...

psychiatrist

Aaron Beck Aaron Temkin Beck (July 18, 1921 – November 1, 2021) was an American psychiatrist who was a professor in the department of psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania.

. Her cousin is psychologist Judith S. Beck, who co-founded the

Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy, a non-profit organization located in suburban Philadelphia, is an international cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) training and research center. It was founded in 1994 by Aaron T. Beck and his daughter ...

. Whitman attended the

Dalton School The Dalton School, originally the Children's University School, is a private, coeducational college preparatory school in New York City and a member of both the Ivy Preparatory School League and the New York Interschool. The school is located in ...

and graduated from the Elizabeth Seeger School. She attended

Bennington College Bennington College is a private liberal arts college in Bennington, Vermont. Founded in 1932 as a women's college, it became co-educational in 1969. It claims to be the first college to include visual and performing arts as an equal partner in ...

and graduated from

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, ...

Gallatin School of Individualized Study The Gallatin School of Individualized Study (commonly referred to as Gallatin) is a small interdisciplinary college within New York University (NYU). Students at Gallatin design an interdisciplinary program that meets their specific interests a ...

in 1988 and received an MFA from

Columbia University School of the Arts The Columbia University School of the Arts, (also known as School of the Arts or SoA) is the fine arts graduate school of Columbia University in Morningside Heights, New York. It offers Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degrees in Film, Visual Arts, The ...

in 2005. Whitman is a former theater actress who made her Broadway debut producing ''

A Raisin in the Sun ''A Raisin in the Sun'' is a play by Lorraine Hansberry that debuted on Broadway in 1959. The title comes from the poem " Harlem" (also known as "A Dream Deferred") by Langston Hughes. The story tells of a black family's experiences in south C ...

'' (2004). She has won multiple Tony and

Drama League Award The Drama League Awards, created in 1922, honor distinguished productions and performances both on Broadway and Off-Broadway, in addition to recognizing exemplary career achievements in theatre, musical theatre, and directing. Each May, the awards ...

s for producing ''Hedwig and the Angry Inch'', ''Fun Home'', ''Red'', ''

Angels in America ''Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes'' is a two-part play by American playwright Tony Kushner. The work won numerous awards, including the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the Tony Award for Best Play, and the Drama Desk Award f ...

'', and ''The Humans''. In 2021, Whitman endowed the Barbara Whitman Award to support a female, trans or non-binary early-career stage director. She sits on the Board of Governors and the executive committee of

The Broadway League The Broadway League, formerly the League of American Theatres and Producers and League of New York Theatres and Producers, is the national trade association for the Broadway theatre industry based in New York, New York. Its members include thea ...

Personal life

Whitman married David James Carlyon in 1986. The couple has two children, Daniel and Will Carlyon. Both of her children are Broadway actors.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Whitman, Barbara Living people New York University Gallatin School of Individualized Study alumni Columbia University School of the Arts alumni Tony Award winners Broadway theatre producers American philanthropists American women philanthropists Year of birth missing (living people)