“Backing the threadwork of great storytelling”

Founded by husband-and-wife team Kenneth and Rosemary Willman, Needle Productions builds on a lifelong engagement with the arts and a commitment to impactful, commercially successful storytelling.

Since entering the world of commercial producing in 2013, the Willmans have garnered three Tony® Awards for Best Musical as Co-Producers of Hadestown (2019), Parade (2023), and Sunset Boulevard (2025), and two Olivier® Awards for the West End production of Come From Away (2021) and the National Theatre’s Dear England (2024).

Bringing robust backgrounds in financial services, law, and accounting, Kenneth and Rosemary approach each producing opportunity with exacting care and strategic foresight. With involvement in over 50 productions across Broadway, the West End, and international markets, the Needle Productions team is known for identifying and supporting work that both resonates culturally, and performs commercially.

The Willmans lived in Tokyo, London, and Hong Kong for almost 20 years before relocating to Seattle in the late 2000s. They now split their time between the Pacific Northwest and New York City. Kenneth served from 2012 to 2024 on the board of The 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle.