’Othello’ Producer Brian Anthony Moreland Is Not New To This, He’s True To This

Moreland’s love for theater began in elementary school.

Broadway producer Brian Anthony Moreland’s love for theater began in elementary school.

“I did my first play in the third grade,” Moreland shares as a featured guest of Beyond The Hype with BLACK ENTERPRISE.

“The play was an elementary school revue called Be What You Want To Be, and I was Santa Claus. I don’t remember the performance itself; that memory does not live in my mind. But the beginning, going to start it, standing on the stage, and ending on the stage, that memory I have, and I knew when I was done with that, that I wanted to be in theater.”

That alluring magic of raising and closing curtains has led Moreland to success beyond anything he could have imagined as a third grader. Today, the native Californian is a New Yorker and the lead producer of the highly anticipated Broadway revival of Othello, featuring Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal, and directed by the acclaimed Kenny Leon, which opens on March 23 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre after setting all-time ticket sales records in previews. In Othello, Washington in the title role and Gyllenhaal as Iago deliver powerful performances in one of Shakespeare’s most searing tragedies—brought to life by two of Hollywood’s most celebrated actors.

With Othello, Moreland is the only Black lead producer on Broadway this season. He has distinguished himself as a visionary lead producer for theatre, film, and television. With two Tony Award nominations, Moreland’s triumphs as a producer on Broadway include the critically acclaimed production of The WIZ, featuring the talents of Wayne Brady and Deborah Cox; August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson, directed by LaTanya Richardson Jackson, which became the highest-grossing revival of the season and starred Samuel L. Jackson, Danielle Brooks, and John David Washington; The Lifespan of a Fact, featuring Cherry Jones, Daniel Radcliffe, and Bobby Cannavale; Sea Wall / A Life, a dual narrative starring Gyllenhaal and Tom Sturridge; and The Sound Inside, a compelling drama headlined by Mary-Louise Parker.

Moreland’s journey in theater was not a straight line into production but via a more scenic route of lessons, relationships, and experiences as he matured professionally in the industry.

“Through the course of theater, I’ve performed on/off [Broadway], national tours, cruise ships, all that stuff, which then led me to having the opportunity to become a line producer on a project with Otis Sallid and Debbie Allen, and I enjoyed it,” says Moreland.

“There was no secret to it. I just enjoyed it. And I then started slowly dipping my toe in as a co-producer and then moving up to a lead producer with my own projects. And so, I think everyone finds their own path and their own journey to becoming a producer. For me, it was more of a progression. I just got very lucky. I love it; I love all the facets of theater.”

That love is not an optional luxury to be a lead producer but is practically a requisite for success. Moreland makes it clear that to excel in his profession, he must be just as passionate about the business of Broadway as he is about the art of theater.

“The lead producer is the one who is financially responsible for the production,” Moreland states with flat-out emphasis.

“So I sign my name with the SEC, and I am the one who goes out and I raise the capital for the productions. I have a fiduciary responsibility to get my investors their money back and, if there is an opportunity, to create some profit for them as well.

“But like any investment, it’s always a gamble,” he continues. “One out of every five Broadway shows actually recoup. My job is to blend commerce with art, and hopefully, the two can balance out so that people can still invest in Broadway and have Broadway be something that is really profitable, and they can be proud of it and also produce great art.”

Set your calendar and clocks for Moreland’s Beyond The Hype interview that goes live at 12 pm ET this coming Tuesday, March 25.