Chris Peterson, OnStage Blog Founder

In recent days, new attention is being paid to the political contributions of wealthy Broadway power players. Due to the discriminatory policies of the Trump administration/GOP towards women, Black Indigenous People of Color(BIPOC), and the LGBTQIA+ communities, many Broadway professionals are wondering how supportive their employers and heads truly are. Additionally, whether or not they have contributed to politicians who sought or are currently seeking to restrict their rights.

Last week, we took a look at the donations made by the heads of the Nederlander Organization. Through FEC filings, we found that James M. Nederlander and James L. Nederlander had both made hefty donations to the Trump campaign, Trump PAC’s, and the Republican National Committee. This followed a typical trend of donations going back to at least the last three presidential elections.

After our initial report, many started to credit Mr. Nederlander for having an apparent change of heart due to the fact that he later gave small donations to the presidential campaign of Kirsten Gillibrand and a PAC started by Pete Buttigieg.

But those looking to give credit to Mr. Nederlander were overlooking a key donation that should raise some eyebrows - a donation made to a Republican Senator from Missouri named Roy Blunt.

What should raise your eyebrows toward these donations are not only the amounts but also who they came from and seemingly the reason why they were paid.

According to FEC filings, eight Broadway power players and producers donated money to Roy Blunt’s campaign committee “Friends of Roy Blunt” in August and September of 2018. The total amount among the eight donors was $9,650.

The donors include producers of Tony-winning shows such as the recent revival of Oklahoma! and others like Mrs. Doubtfire, executives from theatre ownership groups like the Shubert Organization, and the President of The Broadway League herself.

Here is how the donations break down:

James L. Nederlander, President, Nederlander Organization - $2,900. Mr. Nederlander also donated an additional $2,700 which looks like it was refunded.

Charlotte St. Martin, President, The Broadway League - $1,000

Robert E. Wankel, President, Co-CEO, The Shubert Organization - $2,500

Charles Flateman, Executive V.P., Business Development, The Shubert Organization - $500 (Full Disclosure - Mr. Flateman also donated $1,000 to NY Democrat Antonio Delgado on the same day)

Lauren Reid, Chief Operating Officer, The John Gore Organization - $1,000 (Full disclosure - Ms. Reid also donated $250 to NY Democrat Antonio Delgado in Oct outside the range of donations to Sen. Blunt)

Broadway Across America(BAA) - $1,000 - It should be noted that Ms. Rotstein didn’t donate to Sen. Blunt personally. Her job responsibilities included processing donations in behalf of BAA which is why her name ended up on the filing. The donation was later refunded.

David Siesko, Princpal Producer, LAMS Productions(Mrs Doubtfire, Something Rotten!) - $500

Thomas Viertel, Producer, (Oklahoma!, Be More Chill, Angels in America) - $250

According to each organization’s websites, these people are still employed.

So why did all these Broadway power players donate to a Republican Senator from Missouri? It’s an interesting story.

Back in 2015, NY Senator Chuck Schumer was able to push a bill through Congress titled “The Stage Act”. It was part of a larger piece of legislation that provided theatre producers the same federal tax credits given to the Film & Television industry.

The hope was that by giving the industry this tax break, it would ease the cost of running a Broadway show which would ensure more potential jobs and profits.

Schumer said at the time, “The STAGE Act will finally put an end to the disparate tax treatment in the entertainment industry, which will mean more shows on Broadway, more jobs and more investment in and around the Great White Way. Live theater must be offered the same federal tax incentives as those afforded to television and film productions.”

Broadway powers and executives hailed the passing of the bill. So much so, that Sen. Schumer was invited to the 2016 Tony Awards where he was thanked from the stage with a statement read by presenters, Christian Borle and Nikki M. James.

Robert Wankel, Charlotte St. Martin, Chuck Schumer at the 70th Annual Tony Awards (Getty)

What’s important to note is that this bill needed bi-partisan support to pass and that GOP support from Roy Blunt, who co-sponsored the bill.

Given his work on the bill, it can be assumed that the donations from Broadway powers were some sort of thank you.

But if that was the case, then why were those payments made nearly three years after the bill was passed? Sen. Blunt was up for re-election in the fall of 2016, why didn’t these folks contribute then? Why did they wait until the Fall of 2018 when Sen. Blunt isn’t up for re-election for another two years? ‘

What’s equally concerning is why any donations were paid to Sen. Blunt at all? To know why this might be an issue for those working in the Broadway community, you’d have to know Sen. Blunt’s record. Because it’s horrific toward many of them.

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Roy Blunt is a conservative Republican who has served in the U.S. Senate representing Missouri since 2011. Before that, he served as a Congressman from 1997-2011.

Roy Blunt’s voting record is quite conservative when it comes to social issues. In the past, he had voted in favor of banning Gay marriage, banning gay couples from adopting children, rescinding funding to Planned Parenthood, and led the right to make sure that immigration policies, which would grant amnesty to undocumented immigrants, do not become law.

He also voted against extensions to the Violence Against Women Act which would have added protections for LGBTQIA+ people, Native Americans, and undocumented immigrants in cases of domestic violence. He was one of the few Republicans to oppose the measure.

Many of his votes on these issues occurred before 2018 when Broadway powers made their donations. Sen. Roy Blunt very much wanted to restrict the rights of these people by the time Broadway opened their wallets.

After the election of Donald Trump, Sen. Blunt has voted in line with the president 93% of the time. He’s been given a rating of 14% by the ACLU, indicating an anti-civil rights voting record and 0% from the Human Rights Campaign - ranking him among the lowest on the GOP.

So it’s very clear that Sen. Blunt supported and continues to support measures to restrict and eliminate the rights of women, BIPOC’s and members of the LGBTQIA+ community, many of whom worked on Broadway. However, despite his record on human rights as of 2018, that didn’t stop Broadway powers from opening their checkbooks to support him, nearly three years after he did anything for the Broadway industry.

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So yes. James L.Nederlander hasn’t given to Donald Trump since 2016. I’ve started to see some people forgive him for that. But I would ask those folks how they feel about Mr. Nederlander and others like Charlotte St. Martin giving money, two years later, to a Senator who has been actively trying to restrict their rights for decades?

There might be some who might scoff this off due to the amount that each person donated or the total amount. But shouldn’t the fact that they donated any money be an issue, especially given his voting history before 2018? All of these folks also gave to Democrat candidates and PAC’s, in some cases three times to what they singularly donated to Sen. Blunt, which makes the payments to him even more concerning.

Why didn’t any of these donors look at Sen. Blunt’s record and decide not to donate since he has tried to make the lives of their employees harder with his hateful voting record?

Were the campaign contributions part of a deal made with Sen. Schumer to get the bill passed in the first place? This might be the case given the length of time after the bill passing and the donations being made right before the mid-term elections. With the way that deals are made in D.C., it’s reasonable to ask this.

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With everything going on in our country today, it’s absolutely fair to ask how the Broadway powers-that-be are truly supporting those who make them their fortunes and keep them in power.

I personally find it incredibly questionable that producers and executives of organizations, that rely on the talents of so many women, BIPOC’s and members of the LGBTQIA+ community, would give their aggressors financial support to perpetuate inequality. It should not matter if those donations occurred in 2016 or 2018.

As Karen Olivo said the other night, “we work too hard to fund hate.” There are few more hateful that Sen. Roy Blunt, a beneficiary of the Broadway elite.

Why Did Broadway Elites Donate to a LGBTQIA+, Women and BIPOC-Hating GOP Senator?

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