NEW YORK, March 16, 2012 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- This week, Back Stage released its first Broadway Power List, revealing the 25 top influencers on the Great White Way. Power players Philip J. Smith, Jordan Roth, and Robert E. Wankel lead the list, followed by some familiar creative faces (Stephen Sondheim, Harold Prince, and Hugh Jackman), prolific producers (Scott Rudin, Jeffrey Richards, and Kevin McCollum), and even some media types (Ben Brantley and Michael Riedel).

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"Back Stage is proud to present our first Broadway Power List," said Back Stage Executive Editor Daniel Holloway. "For the past 50 years, Back Stage has worked closely with Broadway, and we're now pleased to present a breakdown of the people who help make these productions possible."

Perception is power. Other things are power, too, of course—money, prestige, the ability to produce weapons-grade uranium. But when the folks who make Back Stage decided to create a list of the 25 most powerful people on Broadway, we chose to focus on perception.

We asked more than two dozen heavy hitters in the New York theater world a simple question: Who are the most powerful people on Broadway? The reactions to the results ranged from "Oh, really?" to "Oh, duh." Some respondents focused on actors and artists. Others focused on the business-suit class. One person included "Whoever is responsible for the house seats at 'The Book of Mormon.' " Another listed his own name 25 times. (We discarded his votes. He made the cut anyway.)

What follows isn't Back Stage's opinion; it's the result of a scientific—or pseudoscientific, anyway—temperature taking of the Broadway community. The list is overwhelmingly white and overwhelmingly male. That's an unfortunate (but no doubt accurate) reflection of an industry that has historically been dominated by old, moneyed white guys. Regardless, these are the people who rule Broadway, as chosen by their subjects.

1. Philip J. Smith, Chairman and Co-CEO, Shubert Organization and Foundation
2. Jordan Roth, President, Jujamcyn Theaters
3. Robert E. Wankel, President and Co-CEO, Shubert Organization and Foundation
4. Thomas Schumacher, President, Disney Theatrical Group
5. Scott Rudin, Producer
6. Jeffrey Richards, Producer, Press Agent
7. Nick Scandalios, Executive Vice President, Nederlander Organization
8. Todd Haimes, Artistic Director, Roundabout Theatre Company
9. David Stone, Producer
10. Hugh Jackman, Actor
11. Ben Brantley, Critic, The New York Times
12. Andre Bishop, Artistic Director, Lincoln Center Theater
13. James M. Nederlander, Chairman, Nederlander Organization
14. Stephen Sondheim, Composer-Lyricist
15. Michael Riedel, Columnist, New York Post
16. Kevin McCullom, Producer
17. James L. Nederlander, President, Nederlander Organization
18. Mike Nichols, Director, Producer
19. Cameron Mackintosh, Producer
20. Daryl Roth, Producer
21. (tie). Barry Weissler, Producer
22. (tie). Nick Wyman, President, Actors' Equity Association
23. Harold Prince, Director, Producer
24. Bob Boyett, Producer
25. Bernard Telsey, Casting Director

To read more about the 2012 Broadway Power List, visit BackStage.com.

Pick up the latest issue of Back Stage, on newsstands now, featuring the cast of Disney's "Newsies." For more information, contact us at editorial@backstage.com. 

Media Contact: Ryan Remstad, Back Stage, 212.493.4270, ryan.remstad@backstage.com

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SOURCE Back Stage