George Strus (they/them) is a New York-based Tony Award-nominated and Obie Award-winning trans non-binary Latiné producer and dramaturg who was recently inducted into the Forbes 30 under 30 Class of 2026 in Hollywood & Entertainment.
They are the Founding CEO of theatrical production company Benson Drive Productions. BDP recently produced TRISHA PAYTAS’ BIG BROADWAY DREAM starring Trisha Paytas, Sutton Foster, Ben Platt, Joy Woods, and Rachel Zegler, raising over $150,000 for the Entertainment Community Fund; a reading of Mathilde Dratwa’s A PLAY ABOUT DAVID MAMET WRITING A PLAY ABOUT HARVEY WEINSTEIN directed by Leslye Headland and starring Abbi Jacobson, Billy Eichner, and Helené Yorke, raising over $15,000 for NYCLU; and a developmental run of Kevin Zak’s A KIDMAN CAROL starring Marla Mindelle and Josh Sharp, raising over $3000 for New York Cares. Upcoming projects include Amber Ruffin’s BIGFOOT (premiering off-Broadway in February 2026), David Wise’s FIGHT BACK, a musical adaptation of THE DANISH GIRL, and others to be announced.
Strus’ current co-producing credits include Cole Escola’s OH, MARY! and Bess Wohl’s LIBERATION on Broadway and Cole Escola’s OH, MARY! on the West End. Recently, they were a proud co-producer of the off-Broadway world premiere production of Stephen Sondheim's final musical, HERE WE ARE; the Broadway premieres of Jackie Sibblies Drury, Justin Peck, and Sufjan Stevens’ ILLINOISE (2024 Tony Nomination), Jen Silverman’s THE ROOMMATE, Sam Gold’s ROMEO + JULIET, & Simon Rich’s ALL IN; and the West End premiere of Jamie Lloyd’s EVITA. Upcoming co-producing credits include CATS: THE JELLICLE BALL (Broadway), PROOF (Broadway), END OF THE RAINBOW starring Jinkx Monsoon (London), and others to be announced.
They also founded Breaking the Binary Theatre: an Obie and GLAAD Media Award-winning new work development and community building hub for transgender, non-binary, and Two-Spirit+ (TNB2s+) theatermakers. Since the organization’s launch in July of 2022, Breaking the Binary Theatre has paid out over $850,000 to over 500 TNB2S+ artists including Sara Ramirez, K.O., Indya Moore, Carl Clemons-Hopkins, L Morgan Lee, Sasha Velour, Justin David Sullivan, Qween Jean, Jack Haven, River Gallo, LÃo Mehiel, Rob Madge, Sandra Caldwell, Anania Williams, Jen Silverman, Lux Pascal, and more. Select Breaking the Binary Theatre producing credits include IN THE AMAZON WAREHOUSE PARKING LOT (a co-production with Playwrights Horizons), Cecilia Gentili’s RED INK starring Peppermint and Angelica Ross and co-produced by Elliot Page’s Page Boy Productions (off-Broadway’s Rattlestick Theatre in 2024 and Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2025), and a sold out concert presentation of THE DROWSY CHAPERONE at Carnegie Hall with an all-trans and non-binary cast led by Jonathan Van Ness, Betty Who, Dylan Mulvaney, Alex Newell, and Laverne Cox, which earned a Special Recognition Award at the 37th Annual GLAAD Media Awards.
They were awarded the 2024 Prince Fellowship (in association with Columbia University School of the Arts), receiving mentorship from Kristin Caskey, Sue Frost, Jeffrey Seller, Thomas Schumacher, and David Stone, and are a member of the 2025 Shubert Organization Artistic Circle. Additionally, they are an Associate Member of The Broadway League with Greg Nobile and Maggie Brohn having served as their League mentors.
Previously, they held positions at Second Stage Theater, Manhattan Theatre Club, The Public Theater, Signature Theatre, Audible Theater, Curate Management, Meena Harris’ Phenomenal Theatre Fund, A3 Artists Agency, The Tank, The Sol Project, Pride Plays at Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, Playbill, Stacey Mindich Productions, Alchemation, Telsey + Company Casting, Paper Mill Playhouse, and Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.
They documented their experience as a first time Edinburgh Festival Fringe producer via a four-part written series in Playbill linked here, here, here, and here. They were commissioned by Playwrights Horizons to create an original piece for their 2024 Almanac magazine and were featured on The Kilroys' 2023 Web. They have been a guest speaker and lecturer at David Geffen School of Drama at Yale, NYU Tisch School of the Arts, Hunter College, Berklee School of Music, Brandeis University, University of Hartford, and their alma mater Marymount Manhattan College. They served as a Judge for The 47th Annual Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, the oldest and largest playwriting prize honoring women+ writing for the English-speaking theatre.
You can read a bit about their founding of Breaking the Binary Theatre and producing practice at Playbill here.
Contact them here.
