Swindal wins Tony Award as a co-producer, just like her grandfather

Haley Swindal ’04 grew up wanting to follow in the footsteps of her grandfather, George Steinbrenner ’48.

Her dream wasn’t to be “The Boss,” as her grandfather was known when he was the longtime owner of the New York Yankees, but to be a Tony Award-winner like her grandfather was as the co-producer for the 1970 musical “Applause,” at age 39, three years before buying the Yankees. She accomplished that goal at age 39 as well on June 8 as the co-producer for the Tony-Award winning best musical revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Sunset Boulevard.” 

“It was really exciting and really emotional,” Swindal said. “You don’t really believe it until it happens.”

She said being able to go up on stage with her best friend, Dominique Sharpton, another co-producer of “Sunset Boulevard,” to celebrate the Tony made it even more special.

“So we grabbed hands and went up on stage together. That made it extra special to be on stage at Radio City Music Hall getting a Tony,” she said. “I was on stage with Andrew Lloyd Webber. It was crazy!”

Co-producers invest in Broadway shows or help to raise money for the shows and have influence on the shows, but they are limited partners.

“It’s a really exciting thing to do,” Swindal said. “You essentially assemble a pool of investors and then you are part of a team that works together to get the show up and running, as Broadway shows are expensive! To know you are an integral part of helping get the show up is very special.”

 It was an exciting night for her whole family because her husband, agent Jack Tantleff, had a client, Paul Tazewell, win a Tony for best costume design of a musical for “Death Becomes Her.”

“We always support each other,” she said. “He has some shows. I have some shows. It ends up just being a fun celebration of Broadway.”

Swindal has wanted to be a part of theatre for as long as she can remember. She performed in multiple national tours and Broadway shows, most notably starring as Mama Mor ton in “Chicago” on Broadway.

“Being part of the theatre -- onstage or off -- is my calling,” she said. “I always wanted to sing and act, and I love just being around the theatre.”

She first began thinking about getting involved in producing when she was a swing – an actor who understudies multiple ensemble roles for a play – when she made her Broadway debut in 2013 in “Jekyll & Hyde.” She had a lot of time on nights when she wasn’t performing and began writing and producing her own solo show.

“I enjoyed that and I realized what I was doing was producing,” she said.

Swindal decided to take a more behind-the-scenes role after the pandemic when she realized how much she enjoyed being home at night with her daughter Lily, who is now 9 years old.

“This afforded me the chance to be home and not perform eight shows a week,” she said.

Swindal said she learned she loves the business side of theatre.

She also saw it as an opportunity to make changes in the way some shows are run. She said she was once on a tour where female actors were required to weigh in twice a week while the weights of male actors weren’t monitored.

“It was degrading,” she said.

She said she wants to make sure everyone is treated fairly.

She said she still continues to act occasionally because she thinks it makes her a better producer.

“Because I have a frame of reference that is strong and I can advocate well for artists because, ultimately, I am one,” she said.

The first show she co-produced was “Grey House” in 2023. She’s also done some work in London, co-producing the West End production of “Rose.”  Swindal also was a co-producer of “Hell’s Kitchen,” a musical loosely based on the life of singer Alicia Keys that was nominated for a Tony last year.

Swindal also is sometimes a lead producer, which is like a CEO, raising the money to put on the show and doing much of the rest of the work, such as putting together the procuring the rights, assembling the creative team and raising money -- which involves bringing on co-producers. She is the lead producer on the revival of the musical “Damn Yankees,” about a man who cheers against the New York Yankees because they always win. It is an ironic choice for Swindal, who is an ambassador of community relations for the New Yankees.

“I see the show as a Faustian tale and a love story with baseball as the background -- and ultimately, the musical alludes to the idea that the Yankees are impossible to beat, so I’m OK telling that story!”

The show will premiere in Washington D.C., in August before it lands on Broadway.

She said she’s enjoyed every experience.

“The moments that haven’t been great I’ve learned from,” she said. “Everything in life is a lesson. So I continue to get stronger as a person and an artist and a producer.”