Tom Viertel has been appointed Executive Director of the Commercial Theater Institute, effective immediately. The announcement was made today by Charlotte St. Martin, Executive Director of The Broadway League, and Victoria Bailey, Executive Director of Theatre Development Fund.

The Commercial Theater Institute (CTI) is the nation's only formal program that professionally trains commercial theater producers. A joint project of The Broadway League and Theatre Development Fund, CTI was founded in 1981. As the theater industry's leading training and professional development program for producers, CTI covers a wide range of topics in multiple cities throughout the year and features hundreds of the most accomplished industry professionals as lecturers and panelists. Since 1993, CTI has bestowed The Robert Whitehead Award for outstanding achievement in commercial theater producing.

Mr. Viertel has produced more than 70 plays and musicals on and off Broadway, in London, and on tour for over 28 years, winning 6 Tony Awardsâ. Shows include: Hairspray, The Producers, A Little Night Music, Young Frankenstein, Leap of Faith, The Norman Conquests, Gypsy, Sweeney Todd, Company, Little Shop of Horrors, The Weir, The Sound of Music, Smokey Joe's Café, Angels in America, Oleanna, Love Letters, Driving Miss Daisy, Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune , Penn and Teller and many others. His most recent productions are Flashdance the Musical, currently on National tour and Old Jews Telling Jokes, now playing in Chicago. With his partners, Richard Frankel, Steven Baruch, and Marc Routh, he is a co-owner of 54 Below, Broadway's supper club. He has taught multiple aspects of producing regularly at CTI. Mr. Viertel follows Jed Bernstein and Frederic B. Vogel, CTI's founder, as Executive Director.

Mr. Viertel is a member of the Executive Committee and the Board of Governors of The Broadway League, Chairman of the League's Government Relations Committee and a member of the Tony Awards Management Committee. He is Chairman of the Board of The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center, America's foremost development center for new theatrical work, in Waterford, Connecticut. He is a graduate of Harvard University and a member of the Board of Trustees of The Choate Rosemary Hall School.

A number of new programs were added this season to the Commercial Theater Institute (CTI). Programs now include more than a dozen seminars, as well as webinars that enable on-line participation. In addition to 3-day and 14-week seminars, CTI offers intensive workshops, producing practicums, and other events in NYC, Chicago, and at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center. The 2014 schedule of classes and seminars will be announced in late Fall.

"We're confident that Tom Viertel will guide CTI as its programs designed to train a new generation of theater producers continue to evolve," said Victoria Bailey, Executive Director of Theatre Development Fund.

"We look forward to seeing the programs that will be developed under Tom Viertel's leadership, based on his years of experience and network of distinguished colleagues," said Charlotte St. Martin, Executive Director of The Broadway League. "CTI represents the theater industry's commitment to prepare qualified future producers, and Tom Viertel is the ideal person to run the show."

"I am very excited to take on the leadership of the Commercial Theater Institute," said Mr. Viertel. "Over the years it has become a pivotal educational opportunity for early-career producers. Helping to inspire the next generation of Broadway producers and giving them a solid foundation for the work they will do is important to Broadway's health and to the whole world of theater."

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THE COMMERCIAL THEATER INSTITUTE (CTI), now in its 31st year, is a project of Theatre Development Fund (TDF) and The Broadway League. The nation's only formal program, which specifically trains commercial theatre producers, CTI provides resources and guidance to individuals interested in the various paths one can take towards creating commercial productions for the stage. For details and schedules of all CTI programs, visit www.commercialtheaterinstitute.com or call 212.586.1109. Facebook: become a fan of CTI and follow on Twitter @CTIPrograms

THE BROADWAY LEAGUE , founded in 1930, is the national trade association for the Broadway industry. The League's 700-plus members include theatre owners and operators, producers, presenters, and general managers who present in nearly 200 markets in North America, as well as suppliers of goods and services to the theatre industry. Each year, League members bring Broadway to nearly 30 million people in New York and on tour across the U.S. and Canada. For more information, visit www.BroadwayLeague.com, or follow The Broadway League on Twitter @TheBwayLeague or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/BroadwayLeague. BROADWAY.ORG is the League's new official on-line headquarters for Broadway in NYC and on tour. Download the free Broadway.org mobile app for iOS or Android, and the free IBDB mobile app for iOS or Android. The Broadway League annually presents the Antoinette Perry "Tony" Awards,® one of the most coveted awards in the entertainment industry, with The American Theatre Wing.

THEATRE DEVELOPMENT FUND , a not-for-profit service organization for the performing arts, was created in the conviction that the live theatrical arts afford a unique expression of the human condition that must be sustained and nurtured. It is dedicated to developing diverse audiences for live theatre and dance, and strengthening the performing arts community in New York City. Since 1968, TDF's programs have provided over 85 million people with access to performances at affordable prices and have returned over $2.2 billion to thousands of productions. Best known for its TKTS Discount Booths, TDF's membership, outreach, access (including its newly formed Autism Theatre Initiative) and education programs - as well as its Costume Collection - have introduced thousands of people to the theatre and helped make the unique experience of theatre available to everyone, including students and people with disabilities. Recent TDF honors include a 2011 Mayor's Award for Arts and Culture, a 2012 Tony Honor for Excellence for its Open Doors Arts Education Program, a 2012 New York Innovative Theatre Award for its support of the off-Off Broadway community and a 2013 Lucille Lortel honor for "Outstanding Body of Work" in support of the Off Broadway community. For more information go to: www.tdf.org.

Press Contacts:

David LeShay, Theatre Development Fund, dleshay@tdf.org

Elisa Shevitz, The Broadway League, eshevitz@broadway.org