Background
Azenberg, Emanuel was born on January 22, 1934 in Bronx, New York, United States. Son of Joshua Charles and Hannah (Kleiman) Azenberg.
assistant general manager theatre producer
Azenberg, Emanuel was born on January 22, 1934 in Bronx, New York, United States. Son of Joshua Charles and Hannah (Kleiman) Azenberg.
He attended the Bronx High School of Science.
After studying at New York University and serving time in the United States Army, he became the assistant company manager for The Legend of Lizzie, an ill-fated 1959 play that closed after two performances. He worked for David Merrick and Alexander H. Cohen before earning his first producing cr with The Lion in Winter in 1966. Azenberg first met Neil Simon in 1963 when the two played softball with Robert Redford, who was appearing in Simon"s play Barefoot in the Park at the time.
Their professional association began with The Sunshine Boys in 1972 and continued with The Good Doctor, God"s Favorite, Chapter Two, They"re Playing Our Song, I Ought to Be in Pictures, Brighton Beach Memoirs, Biloxi Blues, Broadway Bound, Lost in Yonkers, Jake"s Women, The Goodbye Girl, and Laughter on the 23rd Floor, among others
Additional Azenberg credits include Mark Twain Tonight!, George M!, The Rothschilds, Two Gentlemen of Verona, Ain"t Supposed to Die a Natural Death, Sticks and Bones, That Championship Season, The Wiz, Ain"t Misbehavin", Whose Life is it Anyway?, "Master Harold"..and the Boys, The Real Thing, Sunday in the Park with George, A Day in the Death of Joe Egg, Jerome Robbins" Broadway, The Iceman Cometh, Rent, Movin" Out, Stones in His Pockets, and Baz Luhrmann"s adaptation of Louisiana Bohèmedical In an interview with the New York Times, Azenberg observed, "I am not a deep thinker.
I am not a writer, though I recognize good ideas when I see them. I am there to service people.
A producer creates an atmosphere — or tries to — that is genuinely comfortable, so the best creative work can take place.
You try to keep peace, because there are so many disparate groups within the theatre."
Azenberg also has taught theatre at Duke University for two decades. He was elected to the American Theatre Hall of Fame in 2009.
Served with United States Army.
Married Elinor Shanbaum (divorced). Married Lani Sundsten. 5 children.
