THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL stars: Cicely Tyson;Jerry Maguire;Vanessa Williams;
and Condola Rashad
[Theater]
Entertainment Executive Kevin Liles will join the Broadway production of The Trip to Bountiful, Horton Foote’s classic play hitting Broadway in April.
THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL stars Academy Award nominee and Emmy Award-winning actress Cicely Tyson –returning to Broadway after 30 years, Academy Award winner CUBA GOODING, JR, (Jerry Maguire, Red Tails), Emmy Award nominee and recording star Vanessa Williams (“Ugly Betty,” “Desperate Housewives”), and Tony Award nominee Condola Rashad (Lifetime’s “Steel Magnolias”, Broadway’s Stick Fly).
This is the first Broadway producing credit that the record executive will add to his already extensive entertainment resume. Liles will join a group of producers led by TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL Managing Producer and Tony-Award Winner Producer Nelle Nugent, who also produced the Broadway sensation Stick Fly with Grammy Award winner Alicia Keys.
He will also be joined by prominent African American producers Stephen Byrd and Alia Jones of Front Row Productions who produced the first African American Broadway production of Tennessee Williams’ Cat On A Hot Tin Roof (2008) – the highest grossing Broadway play that season – and the successful transfer of Cat On A Hot Tin Roof to London’s West End (2009-2010) starring James Earl Jones and Phylicia Rashad, with Terrence Howard & Anika Noni Rose on Broadway and Adrian Lester & Sanaa Lathan on the West End.
Both productions were directed by Debbie Allen. Producer Ray Gaspard, who’s Broadway credits include A Steady Rain (2009), starring Daniel Craig and Hugh Jackman, and Our Country’s Good (1991), will also be among the show’s impressive list of accomplished producers. Gaspard is also a driving force in regional theatres and founded both the Westside Arts Theatre and the Union Square Theatre, two of the most prominent off-Broadway theatres in New York City.
Liles is best known for his meteoric rise from unpaid intern to President and CEO of the Def Jam Music Group in only seven years. During his years at the helm, he was responsible for doubling the yearly revenue and leading brand diversification in digital, gaming, and global brand development for the company. He has been credited for guiding the successful careers of performers such as Jay-Z, Ludacris, LL Cool J, DMX, Musiq Soulchild, and many more.
After leaving Def Jam in 2004, Liles served as executive vice president for Warner Music Group where he was part of the management team that brought the company private and then public. Never one to stray away from challenging himself professionally, in 2009 Liles then founded the multi-business holding group KWL Enterprises, which is anchored by the artist-management and brand development firm, KWL Talent Management. The journey he is embarking on as a producer of The Trip to Bountiful is further evidence that Liles continues to challenge himself creatively.
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