By Ricky Anderson

You know the stars. You know the standing ovations. But behind every show-stopping Broadway production is a producer who’s orchestrating the symphony from backstage—and Brian Moreland is conducting with flair, purpose, and a bit of hustle.

Moreland, a Tony-nominated producer behind The Piano Lesson, American Buffalo, and Blue, didn’t exactly plan on becoming a Broadway power player. “I didn’t know what a producer was,” he admits. “I knew what Oprah Winfrey did. I knew what Quincy Jones did. But I didn’t know there was a name for it.”

Call it fate—or call it theatre—but a chance encounter during a “moment of pause” in his acting career landed Moreland in the producer’s seat. From there, he built his career from the ground up—starting in wardrobe, making calls on lunch breaks, and eventually becoming a lead producer on Broadway.

So, what is a producer exactly? “People think it’s all about raising money,” Moreland says, “but that’s just the beginning.” According to him, producers are equal parts CEO, casting director, crisis manager, cheerleader, therapist, and interior decorator. They secure rights, build the creative team, raise financing, cast the show, pick the theater, oversee marketing and press, develop the audience strategy, and hold everything (and everyone) together from first rehearsal to opening night.

And sometimes? They sew costumes and unclog dressing room sinks.

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“There are moments where you’re the person bringing people tissues and tea just to get them to the curtain,” he laughs. “And there are moments when you’re sitting across from investors explaining the ROI on a musical comedy with puppets. You have to do both with the same amount of conviction.”

But for Moreland, it’s not just logistics—it’s storytelling with purpose. “My first question is always: why now? Why does the world need this story at this moment?” That passion is clear in his projects, which consistently elevate underrepresented voices and timely narratives—like Thoughts of a Colored Man, a show he championed from workshop to Broadway, after walking up to the playwright and saying boldly, “I’d like to produce your play.”

Still, let’s not pretend it’s all glitz and glam. Moreland recalls “begging folks for money,” “brushing off rejection,” and “working shows where there were more people on stage than in the house.” But the magic always outweighs the madness. “The high comes when the lights go down, the curtain rises, and you hear the audience erupt at curtain call,” he says. “That moment—when everything has aligned, from the idea to the execution—that’s what I live for. It’s addictive.”

He’s currently on his 10th Broadway show, with no signs of slowing. His dream project? A revival of Dreamgirls. “It’s the perfect musical,” he says, lighting up. “And we have the talent now. It should happen within the next two years.”

Moreland might have stumbled into producing—but with grit, vision, and a commitment to lifting others, he’s proving that the real magic of Broadway isn’t just on stage. It’s behind the curtain, too.

Follow Brian on Instagram @therealbrianmoreland