Albert Poland, the veteran general manager and producer of more than 90 Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off Off-Broadway productions, has written a memoir about his 43-year career in New York theatre. Poland recently launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funding for the self-published book that he is targeting for release this spring.
Poland served as general manager for the original Off-Broadway productions of Little Shop of Horrors and Steel Magnolias, as well as Broadway鈥檚 As Is, Starmites, The Grapes of Wrath, and The Boy from Oz鈥攁ll of which are captured in the book, alongside personal memories and experiences with playwrights Edward Albee, David Mamet, Arthur Miller, and Sam Shepard, as well as such performers as Bette Davis, Judy Garland, Hugh Jackman, Liza Minnelli, and Vanessa Redgrave.
As a Broadway general manager, Poland was also involved in The Homecoming, Talk Radio, Glengarry Glen Ross (2005 revival), Long Day鈥檚 Journey Into Night (2003 revival), Gore Vidal鈥檚 The Best Man, Dirty Blonde, The Last Night of Ballyhoo, The Price, and 68 Off-Broadway shows, such as One Mo鈥� Time, Bill W. and Dr. Bob, Steve Martin鈥檚 Picasso at the Lapin Agile, Uta Hagen in Mrs. Klein, Eileen Heckart in The Waverly Gallery, Always Patsy Cline, A Lie of the Mind, Vanities, David Mamet鈥檚 A Life in the Theatre, The Neon Woman, Tommy Tune Atop the Village Gate, and more.
His first book, The Off Off-Broadway Book ( co-written with Bruce Mailman), was published in 1972. Poland got his start in show business as the founding president of The Official Judy Garland Fan Club in 1955.
