Timeline
1997
Michael Rego, Matthew Rego and Hank Unger found The Araca Group LLC, a theatrical production, independent film, and management company. Performances begin in September for Araca’s first Off-Broadway production, Skyscraper, a play written by Pulitzer Prize winning author David Auburn.
1998
The Araca Group works as general manager, marketer, and house manager for a series of off-off-Broadway productions including Stephen Belber's The Death of Frank. The Araca Group “green-lights” Aaron Harnick’s independent film 30 Days. This film will go on to premier at the Toronto International Film Festival and be released in the United States and internationally.
1999
The Araca Group takes a chance and invests $700 to obtain the option for the right to produce Urinetown. Araca also serves as Associate Producer of the Off-Broadway production of James Naughton: Street of Dreams directed by Mike Nichols. Later, Araca joins forces with David Stone to co-produce Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues Off- Broadway. Soon, additional companies of The Vagina Monologues are produced in Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Toronto, London, and two national touring companies.
2000
Araca produces a workshop of Urinetown: The Musical at New Dramatists where they pique the interest of eventual producing partner Dodger Theatricals. Araca is asked to co-produce Moises Kaufman’s The Laramie Project Off-Broadway at the Union Square Theatre; it has since been produced over 2,000 times around the world.
2001
Urinetown: The Musical opens Off-Broadway in the spring, wins the Lucile Lortel Award for Outstanding Musical and sells out its two-month limited engagement. In September, the production moves to Broadway where it will run for 965 performances and be nominated for 10 Tony Awards including Best Musical and win for Best Score, Best Book and Best Direction. Urinetown: The Musical goes on to have successful runs in San Francisco, Toronto, Chicago and a North American Tour as well as hundreds of productions worldwide.
2002
Araca’s second Broadway production: Terrence McNally’s Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune starring Edie Falco and Stanley Tucci, opens for a 243 performance run and recoups its investment in a record breaking nine weeks. This production is nominated for two Tony Awards including Best Revival of a Play. Off-Broadway The Araca Group’s musical production of Debbie Does Dallas opens for a six-month run followed by productions in San Francisco, Reno, Melbourne, and Johannesburg. The Araca Group expands to become a fully integrated theatrical production company with General Management, Marketing and Merchandise departments.
2003:
The Araca Group co-produces Wicked which goes on to become one of the biggest success stories in Broadway history. Additional open ended productions follow in Chicago, Los Angels, London, Tokyo, Stuttgart, Melbourne, as well as a North American Tour.
2004
In the spring, The Araca Group produces Stephen Belber’s Tony nominated play Match on Broadway in a world premier production starring Frank Langella, Ray Liotta and Jane Adams. Before the end of the year, Araca produces two additional Broadway productions: a revival of Marsha Norman’s ‘night, Mother starring Edie Falco and Brenda Blethyn and Eve Ensler’s one-woman show The Good Body.
2005
The Araca Group provides the marketing and merchandise services for the long running Broadway production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.
2006
Araca co-produces, provides marketing and merchandise services for The Wedding Singer which garners five Tony Award nominations including Best Musical. Araca also designs and creates merchandise services to the Broadway productions of Ring of Fire and Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me.
2007
Araca partners with Off-Broadway’s 2nd Stage Theatre to present Theresa Rebeck’s critically acclaimed The Scene starring Patricia Heaton and Tony Shalhoub, as well as the merchandise services for the Broadway productions of The Pirate Queen, The Farnsworth Invention, Rock & Roll, the Las Vegas engagement of Hans Klok: The Beauty of Magic, the West End production of Hairspray, and the national tour of Whistle Down the Wind and The Wedding Singer.
2008
Araca co-produces the Broadway revival of Boeing-Boeing, starring Christine Baranski, Bradley Whitford, and Gina Gershon. Araca also provides merchandise services for the Las Vegas and London productions of the smash hit musical Jersey Boys and the Broadway production of Passing Strange.