By Alaina Gorely
KidScoop Media Correspondent,
age 13
Jeffrey Seller, the producer of Rent, Avenue Q, In the Heights, and Hamilton, has released his memoir, titled Theater Kid. On June 5, 2025, at the Ann and Jerry Moss Theater at The New Roads School in Los Angeles, I had the amazing opportunity to interview him about his memoir and learn how his diverse experiences contributed to his success.
The book begins with the phrase “Cardboard Village,” a derogatory nickname for Seller’s childhood neighborhood of small, tar-shingled homes lacking garages. From a young age, he had a mission to leave the village. I asked him if he believed that his drive to leave Cardboard Village fueled his success, and he revealed that the shame did contribute to his burning desire to fly away, drive away, or run away, and how theater became his vehicle.
When I asked him about one of his favorite musicals, Evita, and his favorite actress, Patti Lupone, he told me about how important Evita was to him. Ever since he was a child, he had an Evita poster with Patti Lupone in his room, and he made an effort to ensure that that poster would be on the cover of Theater Kid. He also told me that although he never got a chance to work with Ms. Lupone, he is still an avid fan of her work, and listens to her on the original Les Miserables CD and makes sure to see her in shows like Anything Goes (as Reno Sweeney) or Gypsy (as Mama Rose).
In addition, we discussed Mr. Seller’s use of the phrase ‘Can we do better?’ when creating new work. At 18 years old, he was a drama teacher at a kids’ camp called Camp Tamarack. He mentioned that he would push the campers, challenging his campers with, ‘Come on, kids, we can do better,’ which is similar to the phrase he uses today. He currently has two projects in the works, and ‘can we do better’ is still an important guidepost for his success.
Lastly, I asked Mr. Seller what the Tony Awards ceremony was like, and he indicated that the Tony Awards have been important to him since 1978, when he was 13 years old. When I asked what it was like receiving the Tony Award for Rent, he said 1996 was a surreal and mystical experience being able to sit in one of the front aisles – aisle C. After Rent won Best Score and Best Book, winning the award, Jeffrey Seller felt bittersweet due to the death of Jonathon Larson three hours after the musical’s dress rehearsal. In Theater Kid, he also mentioned the memorable moment when Jonathan Larson’s sister gave him Jonathan’s favorite tie on the opening night of Rent. I wondered if he still had the tie, but he mentioned that he isn’t sure where it is at this moment. An interesting side note: following his debut year, he developed a knack for accurately predicting Tony Award contenders.
Overall, interviewing Jeffrey Seller was an amazing experience. I saw how thoughtful and kind he is, and as someone who loves performing in theater, his responses about his background leading to fame inspired me to keep trying in theater. He demonstrated how you can achieve amazing things if you work hard – Hamilton, Rent, Avenue Q, and In the Heights are true testaments to his success.