Broadway dreams: GlenOak grad goes from unknown to Tony-nominated producer

Carla Derr, former drama teacher at GlenOak High School, recalls when student Tony Marion marked his 18th birthday by helping construct a theater set at the Players Guild.

No party. No cake. No going out with friends.

"That's where he was and that's where he wanted to be," Derr recounted fondly.

Another time, Marion told Derr of his plans to construct a two-story spiral staircase for a high school production. She flinched at the idea.

"But he said, 'We can do it,' and we went down to Buckeye Salvage (in Canton), and then we built it," she said. "Tony was incredible."

Derr continued, story after story tumbling out. Each one illustrating Marion's passion for theater and gumption for problem solving for the sake of entertaining audiences.

"Incredible" was the word she repeated about the 30-year-old Marion, who is now living his Broadway dream as a three-time Tony Award nominee and Broadway producer.

"He's almost like a savant when it comes to theatre and production," Derr said admirably.

Marion's unabashed enthusiasm for stagecraft also was obvious during a phone interview. Over the course of an hour, he spoke with oomph and verve, jumping from subject to subject while also covering the breadth of his career.

Broadway producer credits include "Ghost the Musical," and he currently serves as marketing director for the musical "MJ."

Marion received Tony Award nominations as a producer for "Evita" starring Ricky Martin (2012), "Groundhog Day" (2017) and "Betrayal" (2019). He's also worked on a slew of other productions, including the New York premiere of "I Am Harvey Milk" at Lincoln Center starring Kristin Chenoweth.

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London credits include "The Sunshine Boys" with Danny DeVito and Richard Griffiths.

New projects include serving as lead producer for "Sherlock Holmes" in London and as a producer for the Broadway adaptation of the popular Hollywood movie "Almost Famous."

Marion, who lives in New York City when not traveling to and from London, is developing "Sherlock Holmes," with plans for West End and Broadway stagings. The production is being directed by Tony Award winner Rob Ashford and choreographed by Akram Khan.

Marion is working with lead producer Lia Vollack on "Almost Famous" the musical. Rehearsals are scheduled to begin this month.

'I'm going to go to Broadway'

Derr, who mentored Marion in his formative days, saw his ambition early.

"He came from Central Catholic (High School) and came into my room (at GlenOak as a sophomore), and he said, 'As soon as I graduate, I'm going to go to Broadway,'" Derr recalled. "And I kind of laughed, but in the weeks that followed, I had no doubt."

Marion didn't take the traditional path. Admitting he didn't excel at school academically, the colleges he was interested in attending turned him down. So he bypassed higher education, and convinced his parents to let him move to New York City following graduation in 2009.

"I always wanted to be there," he said. "There was never any other option for me in the back of my mind.

"I've always loved production. I've always loved the world of putting on a show."

No jobs or interviews were lined up in the Big Apple. He didn't know important people. But he got busy making his presence felt on the theatre scene.E

"The reason I could get away with not going to college is because I basically had an education in the arts through GlenOak and Carla and the Players Guild," he said.

After being given the opportunity to experiment and fail and assemble a show from start to finish, "I came to New York and could do 10 jobs at once because I had to do that in my school years," the Stark County native said.

Marion eagerly worked his way from design and direction to producer roles.

But "it's also been a slog," he said of the stresses and demands of the industry. "It's exhausting and brutal, and the business of Broadway is becoming harder and harder and harder (especially the economics of producing a show)."

And if that wasn't tough enough, the pandemic made working in theatre even more daunting.

"All of this momentum for over 10 years completely got ripped out from underneath us," Marion said of working on Broadway.

"For so many people, (COVID-19) was absolutely heartbreaking, not just theatre."

'A scene right out of a real life West Side Story'

William Ivey Long, a six-time Tony Award winning Broadway costume designer, said Marion was instrumental in reviving the theatre scene in New York City during the earlier days of the pandemic.

Partnering with TodayTix, a digital ticketing platform for theatrical and cultural events, live performance returned to New York slowly, cautiously and effectively, Long explained.

At first it was by presenting single singers and their bands on outdoor rooftops in lower Manhattan.

"You haven’t lived until you have experienced Broadway stalwarts singing the great Broadway canon," Long wrote in an email. "On rooftop terraces (and) tar beaches − witnessed across the roof top canyons by hard-nosed New Yorkers in their folding beach chairs (and) hanging out of windows, straining to hear the clarion vocal chords of the magnificent Shoshana Beane, and then exploding with applause in a scene right out of a real life 'West Side Story.'"

Marion continued "his socially-distanced experiment" at the interior courtyard at Tavern on the Green once face coverings gradually allowed for indoor events, Long recounted.

"Tony recreated 'The Paradise Ballroom,' complete with resplendent old-time theatre glamor at the EDITION hotel," he said.

"Max von Essen opened that new mecca just off Times Square," Long continued. "All of these events are part of the Tony Marion Legend."

'The Tony Marion Legend'

Long first met Marion while they were out of town trying out the musical "Big Fish."

"Tony was the youngest producer on that show," he said. "I first started really talking with him once the show came to New York. I knew at once that he was wise beyond his years. He had many good and constructive thoughts about that musical."

Since that introduction, Long has seen Marion throw his passion into numerous projects while making an even broader impact on New York theatre.

"I started to see him everywhere around town," Long wrote. "You can always tell a lot about a man by the friends he keeps around him. And − wow, oh wowza − does he have The Very Best of Friends — they are each and every unique one of them kind, charming, smart (and) challenging, as well as being exciting personalities."

Long said he's become good friends with Marion's parents, Sandy and Ted, as well as having met Derr, whom he described as "legendary and larger than life."

Marion's parents "continue to be extremely supportive of their son, coming to New York to see all of the many adventures and experiments and crazy ideas he continuously hatches," he said. "And the stories they tell of his growing interest in the theatre, throughout his childhood in Canton, are spellbinding."

Marion's gifts include his ability to search for and find that elusive "new Broadway audience," said Long, who has worked with Marion on the Broadway production of "Beetlejuice" the musical.

"I can truthfully say, and this is mutually agreed upon by the theatre industry, that Tony Marion has that magic touch in finding that new audience by understanding and encouraging and manipulating the ever-changing and shifting beast amongst us - social media," he wrote. "I watched him cultivate 'influencers,' set up continuous special events, wrangle in new and diverse groups of fans, and constantly be the best cheerleader on Broadway.

"People who had never seen a Broadway show before actually charged the Wintergarden Theatre en masse to experience the 'Beetlejuice' phenomenon!"

And "Tony has continued his exciting, energetic, dizzying innovations in finding and bringing into the theatre throngs of fans at 'MJ' the musical," Long said. "It has been breathtaking to watch Tony at work."

Lessons learned at GlenOak and the Players Guild

Marion said he still draws on the lessons he learned from Derr at GlenOak and from his time at the Players Guild Theatre in Canton, where he was involved in several productions.

When Broadway budgets are strained, deadlines loom and jobs need to be done, Marion often reverts to what he gleaned from backyard shows and Stark County performances.

Early on, he gained experience working front of house, designing lighting, creating graphics and marketing copy, overseeing production budgets and managing stage performances.

These days, as his career continues to develop and expand, Marion tries to fight the impulse to do it all, but he chuckled and admitted to being "a total Virgo and control freak."

"You've got to get creative, and everything I was taught when I was 15 years old to 18 years old in that time with Carla to the Players Guild being a one-man band and doing everything, that paid off," he said.

Even in high school, Marion's creative vision knew no boundaries, Derr said. Examples included "Alice in Wonderland" in 3-D in which he served as production designer and Derr was director.

"He got a big article in a big magazine about it and it was incredible," she said.

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Although he performed on stage at GlenOak, including a lead role in "Barnum," Marion discovered his true calling was in helping orchestrate an entire production.

"He designed the set (of 'Barnum'), and I have people telling me to this day it looked like a Broadway set," Derr boasted. "It was incredible."

Marion, in turn, cites Derr's guidance as being invaluable to his ascent on Broadway.

"Carla's the best," he said. "She gave everybody such a great foundation to try their own things, and she sort of let us all go wild a little bit and have the space to make mistakes ... and that ability to just be free in curriculum and test every passion you have, and for me, that was special."

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Although Marion remembers numerous highlights from his high school days, "the production of 'Barnum' we created with Carla Derr and the late Chris Smith was the moment that stands out.

"It was pure magic, pure joy. And I was surrounded by incredible support systems like the two of them and my fellow students. It was a safe place where failure didn't equate to what it does today."

A career path was never a question for Marion, who is one of a group of GlenOak graduates and students of Derr who have worked on Broadway.

"I never saw him doing anything but theatre," she said.

Derr, who taught drama at GlenOak for 20 years, said Marion's skill and theatrical maturation were apparent when she watched his Broadway shows, including "MJ."

"He never liked a stall," Derr said of the production's flow. "He's always like ... move, move, move. He always has a very seamless production."

Even in a world where a review from The New York Times still carries clout, Marion said there's no higher praise than when Derr loves one of his shows.

"It means more than a Tony Award," he said.

'She doesn't wait in line'

Marion has co-produced "White Noise" alongside Whoopi Goldberg, and has worked with actor Jake Gyllenhaal, directing a promotional video for the theatrical production "SeaWall/A Life." But success hasn't changed him, Derr said.

When she travels to New York City to watch one of Marion's Broadway productions, including "Betrayal" and "Groundhog Day," he always makes time for Derr. He's taken her backstage, and she also joined Marion for a dinner attended by a relative of the late Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.

When she waited in a long line to enter a New York theatre, Derr texted Marion to let him know she had arrived. "Tony came out ... with a producer tag, and ran around the block and stepped in line. And he said, 'She (Derr) doesn't wait in line!'"

Derr, 68, said she wasn't expecting special treatment, "but that's Tony."

'The things that matter are our passions'

Marion's accomplishments extend beyond theatre.

In 2017, his editorial media company Broadway Style Guide was acquired by global ticketing app TodayTix. Marion now serves as the company's executive producer, curating and leading original programming in New York, London and Los Angeles.

Marion said he enjoys all aspects of theatre and performance, including script development. He's open to exploring new opportunities in the future.

"I just want to stay on the highway of entertainment and theatre, but I'm happy to switch lanes and go where I need to go because I learn from it," he said.

Marion hopes he provides inspiration for students and young adults who aspire to work in theatre professionally. He also believes his story applies to other pursuits as well.

Growing up, he said he learned the "importance of supporting yourself with incredible people."

Working hard and holding yourself accountable are also paramount, Marion said.

"If you can't really figure out what you want to do (in college or life) ... you want to cultivate your passion and identify your passion," he said resolutely.

"We realize that the thing that lasts and the things that matter are our passions, and the happiness we find through that passion."

"I'm proof that it can be done," Marion said. "I've never done anything because of money. I've done things because I'm passionate about it."

Reach Ed at 330-580-8315 and ebalint@gannett.com. On Twitter: @ebalintREP.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: GlenOak grad finds Broadway success, works with Whoopi, Gyllenhaal