Patty Onagan Launches New Theatre and Live Entertainment Company

Pictured Patty Onagan. -Courtesy photo/ Jim Cox Photography

Clients include Pasadena Playhouse

Theatre executive Patty Onagan has launched Patty Onagan Consulting specializing in theatre and live entertainment; it was officially announced Feb. 15. Onagan’s new venture will create strategies that include marketing, communications, publicity, as well as producing and special events.

Since 2009, she served as the Director of Marketing and Communications for The Pasadena Playhouse, State Theater of California, Onagan continues the relationship as the press representative on productions and handling the institution’s public relations campaigns. Her additional clients include Ebony Repertory Theatre and Lythgoe Family Panto.

“I am excited to launch this company where I can create successful communications and marketing campaigns and offer production expertise and skills from special events to stage and live entertainment presentations,” said Onagan. “It is especially gratifying to have The Pasadena Playhouse, Ebony Repertory Theatre and Lythgoe Family Panto as my premiere clients. I have worked with each of these organizations and share their passion for introducing and bringing quality theatrical experiences to audiences.”

“Throughout her tenure with The Playhouse, Patty worked tirelessly to help promote our productions, to engage new audiences and, most importantly, to bring theater to the community,” said Danny Feldman, Producing Artistic Director of The Pasadena Playhouse. “We are very pleased to be amongst her first clients.”

“Ebony Repertory Theatre has had the distinct honor of being represented by Patty Onagan for the last eight years. Her professionalism, guidance, preparation, resourcefulness, insight and grace under fire, has allowed our company to rest securely in her hands. Working with Patty is perpetually a first rate experience,” stated Wren T. Brown, Founder/Producing Artistic Director of Ebony Repertory Theatre.

“We are so excited to continue our work with Patty Onagan. Patty has an abundance of experience and knowledge in theatre and we are looking forward to her being a key component in the on going success and expansion of Panto,” said Kris Lythgoe, President of Lythgoe Family Panto.

Onagan began her ten-year association in 2006 with The Pasadena Playhouse, first representing the organization as their publicist, and later joined the staff as Director of Marketing and Communications. She has led marketing and/or publicity campaigns for Fences starring Laurence Fishburne and Angela Bassett, A Night with Janis Joplin, Citizen Twain starring Val Kilmer, and the recently launched God Looked Away starring Al Pacino and Judith Light, resulting in historic record-breaking sales. She was responsible for launching and branding Panto at The Playhouse, the theatre’s annual holiday production in association with producing partners Lythgoe Family Panto led by Kris and Becky Lythgoe. Panto at The Playhouse is now a Southern California holiday favorite and just celebrated its fifth anniversary at the theatre with the presentation of A Cinderella Christmas, and continues to be a top revenue generator.

Onagan’s theatrical career began as a press agent at Broadway’s Circle In The Square Theatre. She later joined Broadway’s leading public relations agency Boneau/Bryan-Brown as a senior staff member. She created and managed world premiere public relations campaigns for Disney’s Broadway productions including Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Aida, and King David, and was instrumental in the reopening of the historical New Amsterdam Theatre.

In 1995, she opened and was the head of Boneau/Bryan-Brown’s Los Angeles office, where she continued to oversee publicity for Walt Disney Theatrical’s domestic productions and to launch Disney’s international licensed staged shows. Eventually she worked in-house at Walt Disney Theatrical Productions as Marketing and Communications Manager and also served on The Walt Disney Company’s Synergy Committee.

Patty later formed her own full service entertainment marketing and public relations agency in Beverly Hills with clients ranging from theatre, film, television studios and record labels. Among her clients were the Geffen Playhouse, Ebony Repertory Theatre, Canon Theatre, Theater League Touring Productions at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, Pussycat Dolls Live! at the Roxy, the Los Angeles premiere of Hedwig and the Angry Inch produced by David Bowie, Cinemax Outdoor Film Festival, Disney Records, Warner Bros., among countless others.

Onagan served as a producer for the world premiere production of bare: a pop opera, directed by Kristin Hanggi. Bare received numerous awards including the Ovation Award for Best Musical of an Intimate Theatre. She produced the Los Angeles Premiere of Terrence McNally’s Corpus Christi also directed by Hanggi.

She raised nearly $500,000 as the producer of benefit concerts supporting the Jeffrey Goodman Special Care Clinic in Hollywood, the Clinton Bush Haiti Relief Fund, Save the Children, UNICEF, and the American Red Cross campaigns to support the rebuilding of Japan and relief for the Philippines. Patty also led the marketing and communications campaigns for the Down Syndrome Association of Los Angeles hipster fundraiser Twenty Wonder.

Onagan has worked with several artists including Laurence Fishburne, Angela Bassett, Al Pacino, Judith Light, Ariane Grande, Wayne Brady, Val Kilmer, Valerie Harper, Taraji P. Henson, Sam Harris, Alan Menken, Julie Taymor, Sheldon Epps, Richard Chamberlain, Sandra Tsing Loh, Keith David, Kristin Hanggi, Sabrina Carpenter, Bradley Whitford, John Cameron Mitchell, John O’Hurley, Lucy Lawless, Tori Spelling, Lorna Luft, Ed Asner, and others.

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