Key Brand Entertainment, Inc. (KBE) is a producer and distributor of live theater in North America, as well as an e-commerce company focused on theater. KBE was founded in the UK in 2004 by John Gore

John Gore (theater producer)

John Gore is the co-owner and Chief Executive Officer of Key Brand Entertainment, Inc. , a leading developer, producer, and distributor of live theatre in North America. Gore founded KBE in 2004 to develop theatrical properties in the US...

 who is the company's CEO and Co-Owner. Thomas B. McGrath joined KBE as its Chairman in 2008 and is a Co-Owner. KBE continues to build on its significant expertise and geographic reach to broaden its production platform while simultaneously bringing Broadway and the West End’s biggest hits to North America, Japan, the United Kingdom, as well as emerging theater markets.

KBE’s key assets include Broadway Across America

Broadway Across America

Broadway Across America is a presenter and producer of live theatrical events in the United States and Canada since 1984. It is currently owned by Key Brand Entertainment , who purchased it from Live Nation in 2008...

 (BAA), the premier Broadway theater touring organization in North America, six owned/operated theaters in Boston, Baltimore, and Minneapolis; interests in NETworks Presentations and The Booking Group, as well as the e-commerce website Broadway.com.

Key Brand Entertainment Executives

• Thomas B. McGrath: Chairman, Key Brand Entertainment
• John Gore
  John Gore (theater producer)
  John Gore is the co-owner and Chief Executive Officer of Key Brand Entertainment, Inc. , a leading developer, producer, and distributor of live theatre in North America. Gore founded KBE in 2004 to develop theatrical properties in the US...
  
  : Chief Executive Officer, Key Brand Entertainment
• Beth Williams: Chief Executive Officer, Theater Division
• Liam Lynch: Chief Executive Officer, Interactive Division
• Miles Wilkin: Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President, Key Brand Entertainment
• Lauren Reid: President, Theater Division
• Matt Kupchin: President, Interactive Division
• Jerome Kane: Chief Operating Officer, Interactive Division
• Kumiko Yoshii: Executive Vice President and Head of International Business Development, Key Brand Entertainment
• Paul Dietz: Chief Financial Officer, Key Brand Entertainment
• Seth Popper: Executive Vice President and General Counsel, Key Brand Entertainment

History

Key Brand is a successor in interest to a number of prior theatrical production and distribution companies acquired through acquisition and/or merger. These include: Livent, Clear Channel Entertainment, PACE Theatrical Group, Magicworks and others. As such it retains interests in a large number of Broadway productions and various related rights. The company was amalgamated into Broadway Across America under Clear Channel Communication's ownership. The credits shown below for "Broadway Across America" date only from the time the entity was acquired by Key Brand on January 23, 2008 for an announced price of $90.4 million..

Broadway Across America became a business unit of Live Nation, Inc. following the spin-off of Live Nation from Clear Channel Communications on December 25, 2005. Clear Channel acquired the assets of Live Nation, which principally consisted of live concert venues and amphitheaters devoted primarily to rock 'n roll music in February 2000. Clear Channel acquired the company under the name SFX Entertainment which was owned primarily by Robert F.X. Sillerman.

SFX Entertainment in turn was founded by Sillerman in order to "roll up" businesses associated with live entertainment, principally rock 'n roll music. He began by acquiring Delsner/Slater Concerts in 1996 and a number of acquisitions followed rapidly thereafter. Sillerman's entry into theater began with the acquisition of PACE Theatrical Group in October 1997. In September 1998 SFX acquired Magicworks Entertainment, Inc. This Miami-based company promoted concerts and managed touring events such as magician David Copperfield and musicals Jekyll & Hyde and Evita. It had been a partner of PACE unit PACE Theatricals for some time. (PACE in turn was controlled by Texas-based theater veteran Allen Becker) Also acquired was production company American Artists, which controlled several theaters in the Boston area including the historic Colonial Theater. Magicworks had been controlled by Lee D. Marshall and Joe Marsh (Lee and Marsh later reunited in the company Magic Arts & Entertainment). The summer of 1999 saw court approval granted for a purchase of the bankrupt Livent (then controlled by Canadian entrepreneur Garth Drabinsky and CAA founder Mike Ovitz), a deal that had been initiated a year earlier. Livent, once one of the premier theatrical production companies, owned such touring shows as Ragtime and Fosse, as well as a number of venues in Canada and the United States. Its bankruptcy had been attributed to widespread accounting fraud. In early 2000 SFX acquired Jujamcyn Productions of Minneapolis, a touring theatrical production company. SFX already owned half of Jujamcyn, acquired through PACE Entertainment.

In addition to the above companies and assets, SFX also acquired (and therefor sold to Clear Channel) a large number of theatrical and other venues in the UK from Apollo Leisure Group.

On December 16, 2010 Key Brand completed the acquisition of Theater Direct International from Hollywood Media Corp. for an announced price of $43.1 million in cash and other considerstion, which owns and operates the following content driven e-commerce websites: Broadway.com, Theater.com, Theatre.com and Theatre.co.uk.

Awards

Key Brand Entertainment was awarded several awards:

As Broadway Across America:

• Memphis 2010 Tony Award for Best New Musical; Drama Desk Award
• La Cage Aux Folles 2010 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical; Drama Desk Award
• Hair 2009 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical; Drama Desk Award
• Boeing-Boeing 2008 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play; Drama Desk Award
• Spring Awakening 2009 Olivier Award for Best New Musical in London
• Passing Strange 2009 Drama Desk Award for Best New Play

Previously and under different names:

• Spamalot 2005 Tony Award for Best New Musical (as Clear Channel)
• Hairspray 2003 Tony Award for Best New Musical (as Clear Channel)
• The Producers 2002 Tony Award for Best New Musical (as Clear Channel)
• Fosse 1999 Tony Award for Best New Musical (as Livent)
• Chicago 1997 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical (as Pace Theatrical)
• Showboat 1995 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical (as Livent)
• Kiss of the Spiderwoman 1993 Tony Award for Best New Musical (as Livent)
• Fiddler on the Roof 1991 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical (as Pace Theatrical)
• Gypsy 1990 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical (as Pace Theatrical)
• Jerome Robbins Broadway 1989 Tony Award for Best New Musical (as Pace Theatrical)

Broadway Across America Theater Credits on Broadway

• On a Clear Day You Can See Forever [Original, Musical, Comedy] Dec 11, 2011 - ?
• Godspell [Revival, Musical] Nov 7, 2011 - ?
• The Mountaintop [Original, Play, Drama] Oct 13, 2011 - ?
• Warhorse [Original, Play, Drama] Apr 14, 2011 - Present
• Jerusalem [Original, Play, Drama] Apr 21, 2011 - Present
• How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying [Revival, Musical, Comedy] Mar 27, 2011 - Present
• Priscilla, Queen of the Desert [Original, Musical] Mar 20, 2011 – Present
• The Merchant of Venice [Revival, Play, Comedy] Nov 13, 2010 - Feb 20, 2011
• The Scottsboro Boys [Original, Musical, Drama] Oct 31, 2010 - Dec 12, 2010
• Harry Connick, Jr. in Concert on Broadway [Original, Special, Concert, Solo] Jul 15, 2010 - Jul 31, 2010
• Promises, Promises [Revival, Musical, Comedy] Apr 25, 2010 - Jan 2, 2011
• La Cage aux Folles [Revival, Musical, Comedy] Apr 18, 2010 – Present
• Million Dollar Quartet [Original, Musical] Apr 11, 2010 – Present
• Lend Me a Tenor [Revival, Play, Comedy, Farce] Apr 4, 2010 - Aug 15, 2010
• A View From the Bridge [Revival, Play, Drama] Jan 24, 2010 - Apr 4, 2010
• A Little Night Music [Revival, Musical, Romantic Comedy] Dec 13, 2009 - Jan 9, 2011
• Irving Berlin's White Christmas [Original, Musical, Comedy] Nov 22, 2009 - Jan 3, 2010
• Memphis [Original, Musical] Oct 19, 2009 – Present
• Desire Under the Elms [Revival, Play, Drama] Apr 27, 2009 - May 24, 2009
• Hair [Revival, Musical] Mar 31, 2009 - Jun 27, 2010
• Impressionism [Original, Play, Drama] Mar 24, 2009 - May 10, 2009
• West Side Story [Revival, Musical, Drama] Mar 19, 2009 - Jan 2, 2011
• Blithe Spirit [Revival, Play, Comedy, Farce] Mar 15, 2009 - Jul 19, 2009
• Irving Berlin's White Christmas [Original, Musical, Comedy] Nov 23, 2008 - Jan 4, 2009
• 13 [Original, Musical, Comedy] Oct 5, 2008 - Jan 4, 2009
• Cirque Dreams [Original, Special, Circus] Jun 26, 2008 - Aug 24, 2008
• Boeing-Boeing [Revival, Play, Comedy] May 4, 2008 - Jan 4, 2009
• A Catered Affair [Original, Musical] Apr 17, 2008 - Jul 27, 2008
• Passing Strange [Original, Musical, All Black Cast] Feb 28, 2008 - Jul 20, 2008

Broadway Across America Theatre Credits in the London West End

• Million Dollar Quartet March 2011
• Sweet Charity (Haymarket Theatre) 2010
• Hair 2010
• Spring Awakening 2009 (Olivier Award for Best New Musical)

Broadway Across America Theatre Credits in Tokyo, Japan

• A Chorus Line in Assoc. with Tokyo Broadcasting; August 12 - September 30, 2009
• Xanadu in Assoc. with Tokyo Broadcasting; May 9–31, 2009
• Dreamgirls in Assoc. with Tokyo Broadcasting; May 22 - June 4, 2010

As Clear Channel Entertainment: Broadway Theatre Credits

• The Woman in White [Original, Musical, Drama] Nov 17, 2005 - Feb 19, 2006
• Lennon [Original, Musical] Aug 14, 2005 - Sep 24, 2005
• Sweet Charity [Revival, Musical, Comedy] May 4, 2005 - Dec 31, 2005
• Chitty Chitty Bang Bang [Original, Musical, Comedy] Apr 28, 2005 - Dec 31, 2005
• All Shook Up [Original, Musical] Mar 24, 2005 - Sep 25, 2005
• Spamalot [Original, Musical, Comedy] Mar 17, 2005 - Jan 11, 2009
• Dirty Rotten Scoundrels [Original, Musical, Comedy] Mar 3, 2005 - Sep 3, 2006
• La Cage aux Folles [Revival, Musical, Comedy] Dec 9, 2004 - Jun 26, 2005
• 700 Sundays [Original, Play, Solo] Dec 5, 2004 - Jun 12, 2005
• Dracula, the Musical [Original, Musical, Drama, Romance] Aug 19, 2004 - Jan 2, 2005
• Caroline, or Change [Original, Musical, Drama] May 2, 2004 - Aug 29, 2004
• Fiddler on the Roof [Revival, Musical, Comedy, Drama] Feb 26, 2004 - Jan 8, 2006
• Wonderful Town [Revival, Musical, Comedy] Nov 23, 2003 - Jan 30, 2005
• Little Shop of Horrors [Original, Musical, Comedy, Puppets] Oct 2, 2003 - Aug 22, 2004
• The Look of Love [Original, Musical, Revue] May 4, 2003 - Jun 15, 2003
• Dance of the Vampires [Original, Musical, Comedy] Dec 9, 2002 - Jan 25, 2003
• Movin' Out [Original, Musical, Dance] Oct 24, 2002 - Dec 11, 2005
• Hairspray [Original, Musical, Comedy] Aug 15, 2002 - Jan 4, 2009
• Thoroughly Modern Millie [Original, Musical, Comedy] Apr 18, 2002 - Jun 20, 2004
• The Graduate [Original, Play, Comedy] Apr 4, 2002 - Mar 2, 2003
• Sweet Smell of Success [Original, Musical, Drama] Mar 14, 2002 - Jun 15, 2002
• The Crucible [Revival, Play, Drama] Mar 7, 2002 - Jun 9, 2002
• Linda Eder at the Gershwin [Original, Special, Concert] Dec 26, 2001 - Dec 30, 2001
• 42nd Street [Revival, Musical, Comedy] May 2, 2001 - Jan 2, 2005
• The Producers [Original, Musical, Comedy] Apr 19, 2001 - Apr 22, 2007
• Seussical [Original, Musical, Comedy] Nov 30, 2000 - May 20, 2001
• Macbeth [Revival, Play, Tragedy] Jun 15, 2000 - Jun 25, 2000
• Jesus Christ Superstar [Revival, Musical, Drama] Apr 16, 2000 - Sep 3, 2000
• Amadeus [Revival, Play, Drama] Dec 15, 1999 - May 14, 2000

As Pace Theatrical Group: Broadway Theatre Credits

• Swing! [Original, Musical, Dance, Revue] Dec 9, 1999 - Jan 14, 2001
• The Civil War [Original, Musical] Apr 22, 1999 - Jun 13, 1999
• Death of a Salesman [Revival, Play, Drama] Feb 10, 1999 - Nov 7, 1999
• An Evening with Jerry Herman [Original, Musical, Revue] Jul 28, 1998 - Aug 23, 1998
• The Sound of Music [Revival, Musical, Drama] Mar 12, 1998 - Jun 20, 1999
• Triumph of Love [Original, Musical] Oct 23, 1997 - Jan 4, 1998
• Jekyll & Hyde [Original, Musical, Drama] Apr 28, 1997 - Jan 7, 2001
• Steel Pier [Original, Musical] Apr 24, 1997 - Jun 28, 1997
• David Copperfield: Dreams and Nightmares [Original, Special] Dec 5, 1996 - Dec 29, 1996
• Chicago [Revival, Musical, Comedy] Nov 14, 1996 – Present
• Hello, Dolly! [Revival, Musical, Comedy] Oct 19, 1995 - Jan 28, 1996
• Grease [Revival, Musical, Comedy] May 11, 1994 - Jan 25, 1998
• The Rise and Fall of Little Voice [Original, Play] May 1, 1994 - May 8, 1994
• My Fair Lady [Revival, Musical, Comedy, Romantic Comedy] Dec 9, 1993 - May 1, 1994
• The Who's Tommy [Original, Musical] Apr 22, 1993 - Jun 17, 1995
• Fiddler on the Roof [Revival, Musical, Comedy, Drama] Nov 18, 1990 - Jun 16, 1991
• Gypsy [Revival, Musical, Drama] Nov 16, 1989 - Jul 28, 1991
• Jerome Robbins' Broadway [Original, Musical, Revue, Dance] Feb 26, 1989 - Sep 1, 1990
• Long Day's Journey Into Night [Revival, Play, Drama] Apr 28, 1986 - Jun 29, 1986

As Livent: Broadway Theatre Credits

• Fosse [Original, Musical, Revue, Dance] Jan 14, 1999 - Aug 25, 200
• Parade [Original, Musical, Drama] Dec 17, 1998 - Feb 28, 1999
• Ragtime [Original, Musical, Drama] Jan 18, 1998 - Jan 16, 2000
• Candide [Revival, Musical, Comedy] Apr 29, 1997 - Jul 27, 1
• Something Wonderful [Original, Special, Concert, Tribute] Jul 12, 1995 - Jul 12, 1995
• Show Boat [Revival, Musical, Drama] Oct 2, 1994 - Jan 5, 1997
• Kiss of the Spider Woman [Original, Musical, Drama] May 3, 1993 - Jul 1, 1995

As Magicworks: Broadway Theatre Credits

• The Gershwins' Fascinating Rhythm [Original, Musical, Revue] Apr 25, 1999 - May 9, 1999
• An Evening with Jerry Herman [Original, Musical, Revue] Jul 28, 1998 - Aug 23, 1998
• Jekyll & Hyde [Original, Musical, Drama] Apr 28, 1997 - Jan 7, 2001
• David Copperfield: Dreams and Nightmares [Original, Special] Dec 5, 1996 - Dec 29, 1996

Touring Markets Served by Broadway Across America

US Cities
Appleton Fox Cities	Fort Lauderdale	Milwaukee	Pittsburgh
Atlanta	Houston	Miami	Portland
Austin	Indianapolis	Minneapolis	Salt Lake City
Baltimore	Jacksonville	New Orleans	San Antonio
Boston	Kansas City	Norfolk	Seattle
Cincinnati	Louisville	Omaha	Tempe
Columbus	Madison	Orlando	Washington, DC
Costa Mesa	—	—	—
Canadian Cities
Calgary	Montreal	Regina	Vancouver
Edmonton	Ottawa	Saskatoon	Winnipeg

Theaters

Key Brand owns or directly controls through agreement(s) the following theaters:

• Historic Theater Group (Minneapolis)

- Orpheum

- State

- Pantages

• Charles Theater (Boston)
• Colonial Theater (Boston)
• Boston Opera House
• Hippodrome Performing Arts Center (Baltimore)

External links

• Key Brand Entertainment
• Broadway.com
• Broadway Across America