Erik Orton
Encyclopedia
Erik Orton was born in 1974 in southern California to a U.S. Air Force officer, his father, and his mother, a Finnish immigrant. He was raised primarily in West Germany and the suburbs of Washington D.C. He graduated from Brigham Young University
in 1998 with a degree in Media Music. He is married to his wife, Emily Orton, and together they have five children.
Orton is a New York based writer and producer for the theatre. His original musical, Berlin the Musical, was performed Off-Off-Broadway in 2003. In 2005, he produced the Off-Broadway musical, The Ark (written by BYU professor Kevin Kelly and LDS composer Michael McLean
). He is currently producing Children of Eden
for Broadway (Music & Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, Book by John Caird
). Orton also penned The Drummings (in collaboration with Joshua Williams) based on the life and times of Irish statesman Daniel O'Connell
.
Orton has worked for a variety of Broadway general management and production offices including [ Wasser Associates, Richards/Climan Inc. and The Wolf Trap Center for the Performing Arts. Broadway shows and tours he has helped manage include Wicked
, The Phantom of the Opera
, Les Misérables
, and Miss Saigon
, among others.
Orton has been featured on the cover of Crain's Business New York as well as The New York Times
and theatre industry news hub Playbill
.com.
In 2007, Orton’s Berlin was performed at the Longwharf Theatre in New Haven and then again in 2008 at Brigham Young University's mainstage season. He is represented by Susan Gurman of the Gurman Agency.
Berlin was made into a film by BYU and shown on BYU-TV in 2008. In 2009 Berlin was shown at the LDS Film Festival in Orem, Utah
.
Orton is a Latter-day Saint. He co-wrote the book for Savior of the World
and was the artistic director of Standard to the Nations the LDS Cultural production staged before the dedication of the Manhattan Temple.
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
in 1998 with a degree in Media Music. He is married to his wife, Emily Orton, and together they have five children.
Orton is a New York based writer and producer for the theatre. His original musical, Berlin the Musical, was performed Off-Off-Broadway in 2003. In 2005, he produced the Off-Broadway musical, The Ark (written by BYU professor Kevin Kelly and LDS composer Michael McLean
Michael McLean
Michael McLean or Mike McLean may refer to:* Michael McLean , Australian broadcaster who appears on Triple M* Michael McLean , American composer* Michael McLean , former Australian Football League player...
). He is currently producing Children of Eden
Children of Eden
Children of Eden is a two-act musical play with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by John Caird. The musical is based on the Book of Genesis. Act I tells the story of Adam and Eve, Cain, and Abel, and Act II deals with Noah and the Flood...
for Broadway (Music & Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, Book by John Caird
John Caird (director)
John Newport Caird is a British stage director and writer of plays, musicals and operas. He is an Honorary Associate Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, a regular director with the Royal National Theatre of Great Britain and the Principal Guest Director of the Royal Dramatic Theatre,...
). Orton also penned The Drummings (in collaboration with Joshua Williams) based on the life and times of Irish statesman Daniel O'Connell
Daniel O'Connell
Daniel O'Connell Daniel O'Connell Daniel O'Connell (6 August 1775 – 15 May 1847; often referred to as The Liberator, or The Emancipator, was an Irish political leader in the first half of the 19th century...
.
Orton has worked for a variety of Broadway general management and production offices including [ Wasser Associates, Richards/Climan Inc. and The Wolf Trap Center for the Performing Arts. Broadway shows and tours he has helped manage include Wicked
Wicked (musical)
Wicked is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman. It is based on the Gregory Maguire novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West , a parallel novel of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz and L. Frank Baum's classic story The Wonderful Wizard...
, The Phantom of the Opera
The Phantom of the Opera (1986 musical)
The Phantom of the Opera is a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the French novel Le Fantôme de l'Opéra by Gaston Leroux.The music was composed by Lloyd Webber, and most lyrics were written by Charles Hart, with additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe. Alan Jay Lerner was an early collaborator,...
, Les Misérables
Les Misérables (musical)
Les Misérables , colloquially known as Les Mis or Les Miz , is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg, based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo....
, and Miss Saigon
Miss Saigon
Miss Saigon is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, with lyrics by Boublil and Richard Maltby, Jr.. It is based on Giacomo Puccini's opera Madame Butterfly, and similarly tells the tragic tale of a doomed romance involving an Asian woman abandoned by her American lover...
, among others.
Orton has been featured on the cover of Crain's Business New York as well as The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
and theatre industry news hub Playbill
Playbill
Playbill is a monthly U.S. magazine for theatregoers. Although there is a subscription issue available for home delivery, most Playbills are printed for particular shows to be distributed at the door...
.com.
In 2007, Orton’s Berlin was performed at the Longwharf Theatre in New Haven and then again in 2008 at Brigham Young University's mainstage season. He is represented by Susan Gurman of the Gurman Agency.
Berlin was made into a film by BYU and shown on BYU-TV in 2008. In 2009 Berlin was shown at the LDS Film Festival in Orem, Utah
Orem, Utah
Orem is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States, in the north-central part of the state. It is adjacent to Provo, Lindon, and Vineyard and is about south of Salt Lake City. Orem is one of the principal cities of the Provo-Orem, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Utah and...
.
Orton is a Latter-day Saint. He co-wrote the book for Savior of the World
Savior of the World
Savior of the World is a musical dramatic production produced by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It premiered November 28, 2000 in the Conference Center Theater on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah and has been presented annually near the Easter and Christmas holidays, though...
and was the artistic director of Standard to the Nations the LDS Cultural production staged before the dedication of the Manhattan Temple.