How Disney saved Broadway
Twenty years ago, few would have predicted that Disney would become a major force in American theatre, especially in employing the avant garde. In retrospect, it’s not as strange a development as it may seem; after all, Walt & Co. did found California Institute of the Arts expressly to turn out avant garde animation (and, later, performance) as a research-and-development lab for the Mouse. (And where have so many of those Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network shows come from? You guessed correctly.)
This piece examines the secret behind Disney’s success on stage: hiring the most creative people. (Something the company has always done.)