Jean Ward is Of Counsel to Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz, with over 25 years experience representing producers, authors, music publishers, theatre owners, creative personnel, and investors. She negotiates and structures domestic and international transactions including property and rights acquisitions, licensing, theatrical syndication financing and investor funds, creative personnel agreements, development deals, and a variety of other production agreements. She also advises not-for-profit theatre companies on both rights acquisition and commercial co-ventures.
Ms Ward has been production counsel for Broadway, Off-Broadway and touring productions of such shows as "Stomp" (currently running off-Broadway and on tour), "Stomp Out Loud" (Las Vegas production), "The Toxic Avenger", "Lovemusik" (co- production with Manhattan Theatre Club featuring the music of Kurt Weill), "Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life", "Bring in 'Da Noise, Bring in 'Da Funk" (U.S. tour revival), "James Joyce's The Dead", "Freak", "Les Miserables", "The Phantom of the Opera", "Five Guys Named Moe", "Miss Saigon", "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown" (revival), and non-Equity U.S. and international touring productions of such shows as "Cats", "42nd Street" (U.S. touring and Moscow productions) and many other shows. She has represented one of Ireland's premier theatre companies, Druid Ireland, and its artistic director Garry Hynes on commissioning, licensing and producing numerous productions including Martin McDonagh's "Cripple of Inishmaan" (Druid's recent co-production with the Atlantic Theatre Company), several new plays currently in production, as well as their current development of a new musical incorporating music written or recorded by the popular Irish punk rock/jazz band The Pogues, with book by David Simon. Her current work with Music-Theatre Group, a New York not for profit company specializing in the development of new work includes the commission and co-production (with Gotham City Opera) of a new opera composed by Nico Muhly with libretto by Stephen Karam. Other current projects include representing upcoming Broadway productions of Neil LaBute's "Fat Pig" (directed by Mr. LaBute and starring Dane Cook, Julia Stiles and Josh Hamilton) and "Born Yesterday" (directed by Doug Hughes and starring Jim Belushi, Robert Sean Leonard and Nina Arianda) and the current off-Broadway production of "Play Dead" (created by Teller and Todd Robbins).
Ms. Ward graduated from Harvard Law School and has taught Law and Theatre at Columbia Law School and presented lectures on theatre law at Practicing Law Institute, bar association, and National Law Journal seminars. She has been named a New York area "Super Lawyer" for entertainment work by Law and Politics magazine for four consecutive years.