Barry and Fran Weissler
Barry and Fran Weissler are American theater producers who met in 1964 during a touring show in New Jersey. Barry, born February 22, 1939, left Rutgers Law School, and Fran, born April 15, 1938, studied drama at New York University. After working in retail, they founded National Artists Management Co., known as Namco, in 1970 to bring classic plays to students—from elementary school to college—and to adult audiences with professional casts. After years of touring Shakespeare on the East Coast, they brought Othello and Medea to Broadway in 1982, earning their first Tony nominations. By 2014 they had 28 Tony or Drama Desk nominations, winning 7 Tony Awards and 4 Drama Desk Awards. They also won an Olivier Award for Chicago in London’s West End. In 2010 they received the New York Musical Theatre Festival’s lifetime achievement award, and in 2014 PlayhouseSquare gave them the Star Award for achievement in the Performing Arts. The Weisslers have been nominated many times for Tony, Drama Desk, and Olivier Awards.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 03:20 (CET).