Tony Award–winning Producers Stewart F. Lane (CFA’73) & Bonnie Comley pledge $3M
Broadway visionaries and longtime Boston University supporters Stewart F. Lane (CFA’73) and Bonnie Comley have pledged a $3 million gift to BU
Photo credit: Chris Sorensen
Tony Award–winning Producers Stewart F. Lane (CFA’73) and Bonnie Comley pledge $3 million to Boston University College of Fine Arts
Major naming gift will fund significant concert hall updates and establishes an endowment for Musical Theatre Instruction
Broadway visionaries and longtime Boston University supporters Stewart F. Lane (CFA’73) and Bonnie Comley have pledged a $3 million gift to Boston University. A six-time Tony award–winning producer, Lane chairs the Boston University College of Fine Arts Dean’s Advisory Board; has served on the Boston University Board of Trustees and University Advisory Board; and has co-chaired the New York Regional Leadership Committee.
$1 million of Lane and Comley’s gift will fund significant concert hall updates; in recognition of the combined gift, Boston University will rename the concert hall as the “Stewart F. Lane and Bonnie Comley Concert Hall.”
“Stewart and Bonnie’s love for theatre and their pioneering leadership as business executives and Broadway producers have transformed American theatre for the better,” said Harvey Young, Dean of Boston University College of Fine Arts and Interim Vice President for the Arts. “Their gift will help future students realize their Broadway dreams and will establish the Lane-Comley Concert Hall as an especially exciting arts destination within greater Boston.”
The other $2 million of the gift will establish the Lane-Comley Endowment for Musical Theatre Instruction, a permanently endowed fund to support instruction and programming in Musical Theatre.
“As an alumnus, longtime donor, and champion of Boston University College of Fine Arts, I decided this was the right moment for Bonnie and me to make a personally significant gift,” said Lane. “We admire the work of current leadership and are thrilled to support the momentum of advancing the arts at BU. As a one-time actor turned Broadway producer and entrepreneur, I know firsthand the importance of musical theatre instruction rooted across acting, dance, and vocal training. We are excited to see the transformation of the concert hall and expanded programming opportunities for the next generation of talented CFA students.”
As an alumnus, longtime donor, and champion of Boston University College of Fine Arts, I decided this was the right moment for Bonnie and me to make a personally significant gift.
With decades of achievement producing new works on Broadway, Lane and Comley are also known for their innovation, particularly their launch of the high-quality streaming platform BroadwayHD in 2015 to make live theater more accessible. Lane and Comley are co-CEOs, co-Presidents, and co-Founders of BroadwayHD. Lane is also Chief Executive Officer of Theater Venture, Inc. and co-owner and operator of the Palace Theatre on Broadway in New York City.
In addition to winning six Tony awards, Lane has been nominated nine times for a Tony and has received four Drama Desk Awards, a Drama Critics Circle Award, and an Outer Circle Critics Award. Lane is also the author of multiple books, most recently It Happened at the Palace: A History of New York’s Iconic Broadway Theatre.
Comley is a multiple Tony Award, Drama Desk Award, and Telly Award winner as well as the recipient of Olivier and W3 awards. She has produced more than 40 films and recently served as the President of the Broadway League’s Board of Directors.
The gift from Lane and Comley supports and advances Boston University Arts, an inaugural initiative of President Melissa Gilliam. Boston University Arts is a university-wide, strategic vision for an arts-rich Boston University where everyone can have a meaningful experience with creativity, inspiration, and community through the arts.