Tom Gabbard has been CEO of Blumenthal Performing Arts since 2003. The Blumenthal’s 110 employees manage six theaters in Charlotte, hosting over 1,000 performances annually, as well as extensive education programs. During his tenure, the Blumenthal became a Top 10 market for touring Broadway shows in North America.
A member of the Board of Governors of the Broadway League, he serves on the Executive and Finance Committees and has been a voter for Broadway’s Tony Awards since 1997. In 2012 the League awarded him the Samuel J. L'Hommedieu Award for Outstanding Achievement in Presenter Management.
He serves as co-chair of The Jimmy Awards, the National High School Musical Theatre Awards held annually on Broadway.
Tom is Immediate Past President of the Independent Presenters Network (IPN), a consortium of 40 leading touring Broadway presenters in North America, Asia, and the UK. Tony Awards as a co-producer/investor include for Monty Python’s Spamalot, Thoroughly Modern Millie, La Cage aux Folles, RED, Pippin, Kinky Boots, The Color Purple Revival, Hello Dolly, Dear Evan Hansen, The Band’s Visit, Oklahoma! and Hadestown.
Other Broadway, Off-Broadway, national tour and London West End credits include Moulin Rouge, Ain’t Too Proud, Tootsie, Legally Blonde, Frost/Nixon, Matilda, Cinderella, Jagged Little Pill, Something Rotten, American in Paris, Waitress, and Pippin. He produced the New York run and the national tour of TRACES, and the national tour of 9 to 5. Tom is a leader in developing partnerships between the UK and US, working on over 25 UK/US transfers and London productions.
He was the Founding Managing Director of Pepperdine University’s Center for the Arts in Malibu, the Executive Director of the Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities in Denver, and the Weidner Center for the Performing Arts in Green Bay. He holds an MBA in Arts Management from Golden Gate University and a BA in Music Performance from Pepperdine University where he also attended Law School.
Current role