Simon & Schuster announced today that it is publishing Theater Kid by Jeffrey Seller on May 6, 2025. A coming-of-age tale from the most successful American producer of our time, Theater Kid is a gripping memoir about fighting through a hardscrabble childhood to make art on one’s own terms, chasing a dream against many odds, and finding acceptance and community.
Before he was producing the musical hits of our generation, Jeffrey was just a kid coming to terms with his adoption, trying to understand his sexuality, and eager to escape his dysfunctional household in a poor neighborhood just outside Detroit. We see him find his voice through musical theater and move to New York, where he is determined to shed his past and make a name for himself on Broadway.
But moving to the big city is never easy—especially not at the height of the HIV/AIDS crisis—and Jeffrey learns to survive and thrive in the colorful and cutthroat world of commercial theatre. From his early days as an office assistant, to meeting Jonathan Larson and experiencing the triumph and tragedy of Rent, to working with Lin-Manuel Miranda on In the Heights and Hamilton, Jeffrey pulls back the curtain on the joyous and gut-wrenching process of making new musicals, finding new audiences, and winning multiple Tony Awards.
“I love musicals, I love Broadway, and I love New York. This book is a pure expression of that love,” said Seller.
“When we read Jeffrey Seller’s memoir, we realized it possessed many of the same qualities of the landmark musicals he’s produced,” said Jonathan Karp, President and Chief Executive Officer at Simon & Schuster. “It is authentic and heartfelt and audaciously entertaining. Anyone who loves theater will find communion in this book. It would also make a good musical.”
Maria Mendez, Associate Editor at Simon & Schuster, acquired World Rights, first serial, and audiobook rights from David Kuhn and Nate Muscato at Aevitas.
Jeffrey Seller is one of the masterminds behind the Tony Award winning musicals Rent, Avenue Q, In the Heights, and Hamilton. His shows have garnered 22 Tony awards, including four for Best Musical, and his Broadway productions and tours have grossed over $4.6 billion and reached more than 43 million attendees. Jeffrey is the only producer to have mounted two Pulitzer Prize-winning musicals—Hamilton and Rent. He also revolutionized theater accessibility with the $20 ticket lottery for Rent, making theater accessible for many. This passion to accessibility underscores his belief in the power of the stage, which was his ticket out of his hometown.
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