Biography
Since 1988, Thomas Schumacher has been a key figure at The Walt Disney Company, raising the bar in film, television, and theatre. After many years as president of Disney Animation, he now leads as President & Producer of Disney Theatrical Group. In this role, he manages the development, production, and global execution of Disney's stage entertainment, including Broadway, touring, and licensed shows, as well as Disney on Ice and Disney Live! in partnership with Feld Entertainment.
The division’s credits span Broadway, the West End, touring, and international productions such as Beauty and the Beast, King David, The Lion King, Der Glockner von Notre Dame, Elton John and Tim Rice’s Aida, On the Record, High School Musical, Tarzan®, Mary Poppins, The Little Mermaid, Peter and the Starcatcher, Newsies, Aladdin, Shakespeare in Love, and Frozen. Collaborations with leading regional theatres have led to new titles like The Jungle Book, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Freaky Friday. Recent projects include the Fathom Events cinema release of Newsies, the live-action Beauty and the Beast film, and the Disney Channel musical adaptation of Freaky Friday, where he served as Executive Producer. With over 20 productions currently running or licensed worldwide, a Disney musical is performed professionally somewhere nearly every hour.
A lifelong theatre enthusiast, Schumacher recognized its transformative power for young audiences and created a licensing program with Music Theatre International, enabling select Disney shows to be performed in schools and community theatres globally.
Schumacher began his Disney career producing the animated classic The Rescuers Down Under at Walt Disney Feature Animation. Rising to President, he oversaw around 21 animated features, including The Lion King, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Mulan, Tarzan, Hercules, and Lilo & Stitch, and collaborated closely with Pixar on their first five films.
Before Disney, he was associate director of the 1987 Los Angeles Festival of Arts, presenting the American premiere of Cirque du Soleil and the English-language premiere of Peter Brook’s The Mahabharata. He also spent five years on staff at the Mark Taper Forum, worked as a line producer for the 1984 Olympic Arts Festival, and served as assistant general manager of the Los Angeles Ballet.
Schumacher authored How Does the Show Go On? An Introduction to the Theater and holds board positions with Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the Tony® Administration Committee, and the College of Fellows of the American Theatre. A longtime trustee of the Actors Fund, he now serves on its Chairman’s Council. He has mentored through the TDF Open Doors program, teaches as an adjunct professor at Columbia University, and currently chairs The Broadway League.
