Producing Broadway

What is the role of a producer? That was the question that started the discussion among four of Broadway's top producers - Roger Berlind, Margo Lion, Jeffrey Richards and Jeffrey Seller - as the conversation turned to whether they produce for profit or passion and how they balance between the two; what the shows they produce reveal about themselves; what the opportunities are for new producers; the increased role the internet and other new media plays in theater today; the escalating cost of producing a show on Broadway today; and what they feel are the major issues facing theater producers as they look to the future. Gordon Cox moderates.