NEW YORK (AP) — Thomas Schumacher, who led Disney Theatrical Group for decades and helped it produce enduring musical theater hits like “The Lion King” and “Aladdin,” changing Times Square and Broadway itself, is leaving the company.
Alan Bergman, co-chairman of Disney Entertainment, announced the departure in an email to staff Wednesday, calling it the “end of an era.” Schumacher is due to leave at the end of September.
During Schumacher's tenure, Disney shows won 20 Tony Award wins and 60 nominations and have three of the 15 longest-running shows in Broadway history — “Beauty and the Beast,” “The Lion King” and “Aladdin.” The group's 10 Broadway titles have been seen by 240 million people.
Bergman said Schumacher made Disney “the most successful stage producer in history by virtually any metric, bringing the magic of Disney storytelling to stages of all sizes, all over the world, for more than 30 years.”
Schumacher has been with Disney theatrical arm since the beginning, serving as executive vice president beginning in 1994. He began his work with the group while also serving as president of Walt Disney Feature Animation, becoming the theatrical division’s president in 1999 and moving to solely focus on the company’s theatrical projects in 2002.
Under his leadership, Disney brought a number of its films to Broadway, including “The Lion King,” “Tarzan,” “Mary Poppins,” “The Little Mermaid,” “Newsies,” “Aladdin” and “Frozen.” Other projects include “Peter and the Starcatcher” and “Aida.”
Before stepping into the theatrical space, Schumacher's producing credits included the animated hits “The Lion King,” “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” “Pocahontas” and the original “Lilo & Stitch.”
In 2023, Schumacher left his role of Disney Theatrical Group’s president and producer, segueing into a purely creative role as the division’s chief creative officer and ceding control to Andrew Flatt, managing director, and Anne Quart, executive producer.
“I’m proud that Disney Theatrical will be in the extraordinarily capable hands of Andrew Flatt and Anne Quart, with whom I’ve worked for over 20 years,” Schumacher said in a statement. “I can’t wait to see how they lead this peerless organization forward.”
Mark Kennedy, The Associated Press
