Irene Gandy
Trailblazing Broadway Press Agent and Producer
An eight-time Tony Award winner, Jeffrey Richards is a Broadway theater and film producer whose works include The Minutes (2020), The Great Society (2019), American Son (2018), Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (2012), Hair (2009), and Spring Awakening (2006). He received Tony Awards for the latter three productions. In addition, Richards has earned Tony and Drama Desk awards and nominations for the revival of plays such as Fiddler on the Roof (2015), The Bridges of Madison County (2014), The Merchant of Venice (2010), and Glengarry Glen Ross (2005).
The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess
To that end, Irene Gandy took it upon herself to become a producer. She first co-produced The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess, which won the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical in 2012, and has since produced or co-produced Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill, Sylvia, Fiddler on the Roof, You Can’t Take It With You, and China Doll. Moreover, Ms. Gandy co-produced the national tour of Serafina, a South African musical, alongside Voza Rivers. She is the only Black woman to hold membership with the Association of Theatrical Press Agents and Managers.
2020 Tony Honors for Excellence
Despite her lengthy tenure in the industry, Irene Gandy has been involved in several other artistic pursuits throughout her career. She worked with musical groups like The Jacksons and The Isley Brothers as an associate director of special markets with CBS Records. More recently, she launched the Irene Gandy Fur Collection and was profiled in the August 2015 issue of Vogue magazine.
Irene Gandy is the first female press agent to receive a caricature at Sardi’s, the historic restaurant and Broadway institution. In addition, she was recently inducted into the New York Public Library Lincoln Center Performing Arts Library. She serves on boards for The New Heritage Theatre, HARLEM WEEK, and City College for the Arts. She received the NAACP-LGBTQ David Weaver Prize for Excellence in the Arts in 2019 and the 2020 Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre at the 74th Tony Awards.
