Randy Weiner | |
|---|---|
| Born | Edward Randall Weiner (1965-03-10)March 10, 1965 (age 60) |
| Alma mater | Harvard University |
| Occupations | Playwright, producer |
| Spouse | Diane Paulus |
Randy Weiner (born March 10, 1965) is an American playwright, producer and theater and nightclub owner. Weiner co-wrote theOff-Broadway musicalThe Donkey Show and, as one-third of EMURSIVE, produced theDrama Desk Award winning New York premiere ofPunchdrunk'sSleep No More. He is co-owner ofNYC "theater of varieties" The Box andThe Box Soho. His latest creation The Stranger is a Time Out New York 2023 "Best of the City" award winner.[1]
Weiner is a founder and partner of Outside The Box Amusements (OTBA), a theatrical production company which creates, manages and produces unique experiences. These experiences includeCome Alive!The Greatest Showman Circus Spectacular on London’s West End andUsher’s Residency inLas Vegas.
Weiner is the creator ofQueen of the Night at theParamount Hotel in New York City, and recently served as the dramaturge forCirque du Soleil'sAmaluna. He was named one ofModern Luxury Manhattan's 75 Most Influential People In The Arts. He was named one of BlooLoop’s Power 10 most influential people in immersive visitor attractions.[2]
Weiner was born Edward Randall Weiner, the son of a New York banker and lawyer. He graduatedcum laude fromHarvard University. On October 1, 1995, he married fellow theater arts graduateDiane Paulus.[3]
Weiner and Paulus along with a few other theater school graduates established a small theater troupe in New York City calledProject 400 Theatre Group.[4][5] With Project 400, Weiner and Paulus specialized in creatingavant-garde musical productions which married classic theater and modern music.[6] These included a rock version ofThe Tempest, anR&BPhaedra and a hip-hopLohengrin.[6]
In collaboration with Paulus, Weiner co-createdThe Donkey Show, adisco adaptation ofA Midsummer Night's Dream which ran off-Broadway from 1999 to 2005 and was revived in 2009 for Paulus' first production as director of theAmerican Repertory Theater.[7] Critics cited the production as an exemplary of a trend in which edgy avant-garde theater had become fashionably mainstream.[8]
In February 2007, Weiner cofounded (with partnersRichard Kimmel and Simon Hammerstein) the Box theater on theLower East Side ofManhattan.[9] The cabaret theater has drawn attention for its risque burlesque acts.[10]
In January 2014, Weiner and partnerAby Rosen unveiled theDiamond Horseshoe supper club in midtown Manhattan. Once presided over by legendary nightlife impresarioBilly Rose, the venue has undergone a $20 million renovation and plays host to Weiner's latest immersive spectacle,Queen of the Night.
In April 2023, Weiner opened The Stranger, a ground-breaking new nightlife experience, that was heralded by Time Out as the best new night life venue in New York for 2023.[11]
Weiner has served on the Advisory Committee on the Arts atHarvard University.[12] He has guest lectured on theater arts at Columbia University, Barnard College, New York University, and Yale.[citation needed]