Biographies
photo credit: Mitchell Weitz
JOSHUA ELLIS created, developed and executed the public relations for dozens of Broadway and off-Broadway productions, including David Merrick’s 42nd Street (Tony Award), Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods (N.Y. Drama Critics Award), Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music (special Tony Award and Grammy Award), Yul Brynner in The King and I (special Tony Award), August Wilson’s Fences (Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize), The Elephant Man (Tony Award), Frank Langella in Dracula (Tony Award), Morning’s at Seven (Tony Award), Big River (Tony Award), Sandy Duncan in Peter Pan, and seven productions with the Royal Shakespeare Company including The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby (Tony Award). Simultaneously he was the press representative for the multi-award winning Roundabout Theatre Company. For two years he did publicity for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus and for five years he was Barry Manilow’s personal press agent.
Among the talents with whom he worked, in addition to those mentioned above, are: Carol Channing, Eartha Kitt, Dame Angela Lansbury, Richard Gere, Denzel Washington, Dustin Hoffman, Rex Harrison, Claudette Colbert, James Earl Jones, June Havoc, Uta Hagen, Geraldine Page, Lauren Bacall, Nathan Lane, Jessica Tandy, David Bowie, Ruby Dee, Janet Gaynor, Teresa Stratas, Sir Derek Jacobi, Gregory Peck, Richard Dreyfuss, Eva Le Gallienne, Alec Baldwin, Dame Maggie Smith, John Goodman, Michael Feinstein, Eli Wallach, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Stockard Channing, Jane Alexander, Glenda Jackson, Neil Patrick Harris, Jerry Orbach, Tammy Grimes, Lynn Redgrave, Vanessa Redgrave, Dolores Gray, Blythe Danner, Richard Chamberlain, Robert Preston, Bernadette Peters, Morgan Freeman, Arthur Miller, Edward Albee, Joseph Stein, Sir Peter Hall, Harold Prince, Gower Champion, Richard Rodgers, Jerry Herman, Charles Strouse, Stephen Schwartz, Elizabeth I. McCann, Nelle Nugent and James M. Nederlander.
Ellis was on the founding Steering Committee of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, and served on that committee for five years while heading BC/EFA’s public relations efforts.
Following his Broadway career he was Director of Communications at the award-winning La Jolla Playhouse in California, where he did public relations for numerous productions including the world premiere of Thoroughly Modern Millie (which went on to win the Tony Award), Matthew Broderick in How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying, the west coast premiere of Rent and an early workshop of I Am My Own Wife (which went on to win the Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize).
Ellis returned to New York City in 2004. Two year later he was ordained as an InterSpiritual minister at One Spirit Interfaith Seminary. He currently serves as a wedding officiant and is a chaplain with New York City's Disaster Chaplaincy Services on their deployments and as a disaster chaplaincy instructor.
In 2017 his show, Call My Publicist! — The Starry Education of a Broadway Press Agent, won two United Solo Theatre Awards: “Best Non-Fiction” script (Joshua Ellis) and Best Director (Gretchen Cryer).
A full list of the Broadway shows Josh represented is at the Internet Broadway Database: http://ibdb.com/person.php?id=71104
GRETCHEN CRYER (Director) has a distinguished career in the theatre as an actress, lyricist, librettist, playwright and director. She is best known for writing the book and lyrics for and starring in I’m Getting My Act Together and Taking It On the Road, with music by Nancy Ford, her frequent collaborator. This show was originally produced in New York by Joseph Papp’s Public Theater followed by a three-year run Off-Broadway at the Circle in the Square. In Chicago I’m Getting My Act Together won the Joseph Jefferson Award for Best Musical and Gretchen won Best Actress. The original cast album won a Grammy nomination. Other Cryer/Ford musicals include Now Is the Time For All Good Men (one song from the show was recorded by Barbra Streisand); The Last Sweet Days of Isaac, starring Austin Pendleton which won a Best Musical Obie Award, Drama Desk Award and Outer Critics Circle Award); Shelter on Broadway; Hang On to the Good Times at Manhattan Theater Club; The Fabulous Party at the Williamstown Theater Festival; The American Girls Revue and Circle of Friends at the American Girl Place - Chicago, New York, Los Angeles; and Anne of Green Gables at Theatreworks and Lortel Theater in New York.
Cryer and Ford’s newest musicals are Still Getting My Act Together, the sequel to I’m Getting My Act Together, and Eleanor, about Eleanor Roosevelt. In addition Gretchen has written a new play, Changing, to star her son Jon Cryer, directed by Austin Pendleton. Gretchen has also won acclaim for her course, “Creating Your Own Solo Performance.” She has directed and developed dozens of solo performance pieces that have evolved into fully realized works, seen on stages throughout New York City. Gretchen is on the Council of the Dramatists Guild served as President of the Dramatists Guild Fund for 10 years. In 2015 she was honored by the Dramatists Guild for her service. Her direction of Call My Publicist! won a 2017 United Solo Theatre Award as “Best Director.”