Raymond Zhou's webcast interview with Don Frantz

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Don Frantz is CEO of Nederlander Worldwide Entertainment’s venture into Chinese Mainland. Under the banner of Nederlander New Century Entertainment, the first joint venture approved by the PRC’s Ministry of Culture, Don supervised the inaugural year including staff engagements, management systems implementation, marketing & sponsorship plans, television promotions and the presentation of “42^nd Street” in 9 cities to 100,000 spectators.

Don Frantz is owner of Town Square Productions, Inc. a theatrical management and creative development enterprise with interests in Broadway, Off-Broadway and Touring productions, as well as shows and attractions for the themed entertainment business. Currently his company is producing a new $15M musical “A Tale of Two Cities” opening on Broadway in September of 2008.

Don is an eight-year veteran of the Walt Disney Company where he was instrumental in creating Walt Disney Theatrical Productions and served as the Associate Producer of Broadway's Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King.

In a time when Chinese interest in Broadway musicals is rising, Don Frantz is playing a crucial part in introducing the Chinese audience to this part of the American culture. In this interview, he shares insights on a wide range of topics, including the localization of Broadway shows for the Chinese market, the training of talent for musical productions and his impressions of the rich traditions and varieties of Chinese performing arts.

Don heard about young contestants who performed Broadway numbers on television shows. If any of them are interested in joining future casts of musicals, they are welcome to contact him directly at DonFrantz@NNCBroadway.com.