Bob Bursey, the executive director and artistic director for Texas Performing Arts, helps bring Broadway Across America shows to Austin, and this season is the biggest ever. The 2024-25 lineup includes a whopping 10 shows: “Funny Girl,” “Hamilton,” “Come From Away,” “MJ the Musical,” “Shucked,” “Clue,” “Les Misérables,” “Peter Pan,” “Annie,” and “Moulin Rouge!”
We caught up with Bursey ahead of the season’s first show “MJ,” which runs through Oct. 13.
How did it feel to win a Best Revival of a Musical Tony Award for “Oklahoma!”?
“It's surreal, to have that recognition from your peers in the field is amazing, right? You're doing what you do for your own intrinsic motivations, because you have a story that you want to tell, or feeling that you want to share with people or a community that you're trying to build. And I think that's why musicians, theater makers, dancers, all types of performance artists and producers, and the folks like me who support that storytelling and the making of those worlds — that's why we do it.”
Is there a specific formula to coming up with the season's worth of shows?
“There really isn't. I think it's a creative process, right? And that creative process is always in conversation with practical reality. Like, you might have a vision in your mind of what you want your show to be, but what are the collaborators that I can get? And is it appropriate for the stage that I'm trying to put it on? And will the audience receive it in the way that I intend it?”
What could Austin do better to support the arts?
“I would always encourage folks to not take it for granted. What really matters is people coming out to see — that's how you show your support and that's how you sustain that community. I encourage people to keep doing that, to take a chance in particular on maybe something that you aren't familiar with or haven't seen before. Give it a try.”
