“So many of the shows that I was able to do would never have been done under the current system,” Mr. Prince said. “Because we weren’t taking the pulse of the audience, and we weren’t checking box-office demographics. We were doing ‘West Side Story.’ And what I’m saying is that I sadly believe a good deal of art is lost because of this switch.”

Hal Prince has teamed with Columbia University to establish a fellowship program devoted to develop “creative producers.”

Read Jesse McKinley’s article in the NY Times.