The Araca Group

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The Araca Group
Company type
U.S.
Key people
Founders
Michael Rego, Matthew Rego, Hank Unger
WebsiteOfficial site

The Araca Group is a live entertainment merchandise and production company founded in 1997 by partners Matthew Rego, Michael Rego, and Hank Unger. First achieving notoriety as producers of the musical Urinetown, the company has gradually become more involved in merchandising following the success of Wicked.

History

Early history

Brothers Matthew and Michael Rego met Hank Unger during a community theater production of

Cloud Nine, Michael and Matthew Rego chose to attend graduate programs. Michael Rego attended New York Law School, while Matthew Rego pursued business at Fordham University. After graduating, the partners decided to once again try producing.[1]

Founding and early productions

The Araca Group was officially founded in 1997, "Araca" being the surname of the Regos' grandfather, Charlie Araca.

Off-Off Broadway productions, including Stephen Belber's The Death of Frank. Soon after, The Araca Group produced the independent film 30 Days. Other productions included James Naughton: Street of Dreams directed by Mike Nichols, The Vagina Monologues, which included performances Off-Broadway, as well as in Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Toronto, and London, and an Off-Broadway production of The Laramie Project.[2]

Urinetown and financial success

During the intermission of a production of

Tony Award nominations and playing for 965 performances.[5] Araca's second Broadway production was Terrence McNally's Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune, which starred Edie Falco and Stanley Tucci. This production opened to critical acclaim, and recouped its investment in a record-breaking six weeks. The production was nominated for two Tony Awards. Off Broadway, The Araca Group's production of Debbie Does Dallas: The Musical opened for a six-month run, followed by productions in San Francisco, Reno, Melbourne, and Johannesburg.[2]

Wicked

The Araca Group next co-produced Wicked, a musical based on the novel by Gregory Maguire that retells the story of The Wizard of Oz. Premiering at The Gershwin Theatre on 30 October 2003, Wicked received three Tony Awards and is currently among the top grossing shows on Broadway. Wicked would go on to have subsequent productions all over the world including London, Germany, Australia, Japan, and an upcoming debut in the Netherlands. Wicked has also had great success in North America with two tours and long running performances in Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.[2]

Other productions and marketing/merchandising

Other Broadway productions also produced by The Araca Group following the successes of

Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella, and The Humans
.

Credits

Broadway production credits

Off-Broadway production credits

Broadway merchandise credits

Other merchandise credits

References

  1. ^ a b c McKinley, Jesse (24 January 2002). "Advertise on NYTimes.com Big Dreams of Broadway Fulfilled; Youthful Group Who Bet On 'Urinetown'". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 July 2011.
  2. ^ a b c d "Home". araca.com.
  3. ^ McKinley, Jesse (2 September 2001). "Fitting a Little Show Into a Big House". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 July 2011.
  4. ^ "Urinetown Confidential: The Untold Story". Archived from the original on 1 January 2011. Retrieved 13 July 2011.
  5. ^ "Urinetown | IBDB: The official source for Broadway Information". www.ibdb.com. Archived from the original on 15 February 2009.
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