The Broadway League Honors J.L. “Lynn” Singleton with Distinguished Lifetime Service Award

Left: Albert "Al" Nocciolino presenting the Distinquished Lifetime Service Award (center). Photos by Jeremy Daniel, courtesy of The Broadway League.
Right: J. L. "Lynn" Singleton. Photo by CORE Photographic

Providence, RI – J.L. “Lynn” Singleton, President and CEO of Professional Facilities Management, Inc. (PFM), has been honored with The Broadway League’s Distinguished Lifetime Service Award. Singleton was recognized with other esteemed leaders in the touring Broadway industry at the Broadway League Awards Ceremony, held on Wednesday, May 20, in New York City. He previously received the Samuel J. L’Hommedieu Award for Outstanding Achievement in Presenter Management from the Broadway League in 2004.

Singleton transitioned from his role as President and CEO of the Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC) on January 1, 2026 to focus exclusively on leading PFM, a wholly owned subsidiary of PPAC, specializing in venue management and booking. The organization currently manages nine venues across the country, including The VETS in Providence, Rhode Island, the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall (BBPAH) in Fort Myers, Florida and The Durham Performing Arts Center (DPAC) in Durham, North Carolina; PFM works in partnership with the Nederlander Organization in managing DPAC.

Alan J. Chille, President and CEO of PPAC, said,

On behalf of the PPAC and PFM staffs, we congratulate Lynn on this well-deserved recognition from The Broadway League. His visionary leadership and his commitment to excellence helped transform PPAC into one of the most well-respected theatres in the nation and as one of the founders of PFM, his influence has extended to many other venues.

Alan J. Chille, PPAC President & CEO

At the awards ceremony, Albert “Al” Nocciolino, President of NAC Entertainment, highlighted Singleton’s myriad achievements as the President and CEO of both PPAC and PFM in his presentation remarks.

Singleton’s key career achievements include:

• Becoming President and CEO of PPAC in 1983, transforming it from near-bankruptcy to one of the premier not-for-profit theatres in North America. During his tenure, the number of annual events held at PPAC more than tripled and attendance increased to over 350,000 annually.
• PPAC undertook a massive stagehouse expansion project in the mid-1990s which required moving the back wall of the Theatre to accommodate the presentation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA; the multi-week presentation of that Broadway phenomenon transformed the Theatre’s ability to bring large scale “blockbuster” musicals to the Rhode Island market and to be competitive for consistently booking the latest, top ranked Broadway touring musicals – other major titles that followed included Disney’s BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, Disney’s THE LION KING, WICKED, JERSEY BOYS and more.
• Singleton successfully advocated for Rhode Island to expand its film tax credit to include the opening of pre- and post-Broadway national tours; to date, PPAC has launched 27 national tours since 2008, beginning with LEGALLY BLONDE: THE MUSICAL followed by LES MISÉRABLES, PRETTY WOMAN: THE MUSICAL, TINA - THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL and A BEAUTIFUL NOISE: THE NEIL DIAMOND MUSICAL, among many others. Rhode Island was only the second state in the country to offer this tax credit incentive and now many other states have followed suit.
• Thanks to his vision and successful fundraising efforts, PPAC has been fully restored in adherence to historically accurate standards and has been updated with amenities that enhance patrons’ theatre-going experience. More than $50 million has been invested in expansion and restoration projects at PPAC.
• PPAC has received numerous accolades, including twice being voted the top 3,000 seat theatre in the nation by Performance Magazine. In Billboard’s just-published 2026 midyear Boxscore report, PPAC and DPAC ranked among the Top Ten venues worldwide in the 2,501–5,000 capacity category, while BBPAH ranked among the Top Ten in the 2,500-or-less category.
• As co-producer and investor with the Independent Presenter’s Network (IPN) and as a voting member of the Tony Awards, PPAC has received Tony Awards for Best Musical for MOULIN ROUGE: THE MUSICAL, THE BAND’S VISIT, KINKY BOOTS, ONCE and DEAR EVAN HANSEN – which also earned an Olivier Award for Best Musical. After being nominated for another Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical for PETER PAN starring Cathy Rigby, Singleton received an Emmy Award for Best Art Direction for a Variety or Music Program for A&E’s presentation of PETER PAN, also starring Ms. Rigby.
• For these and other contributions, Singleton has been named a “driving force” in the Rhode Island Business Community three times and has been on the list of the state’s most powerful people. He received the John Hazen White, Sr. Leadership in the Arts Award, the inaugural City of Providence Renaissance Award for Highest Achievement in the Arts and was inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame.
• Read more at www.broadwayleague.com/press/press-releases/the-broadway-league-presents-its-2026-league-awards-honoring-excellence-and-achievement-for-touring-broadway/

The Distinguished Lifetime Service Award was accepted on Singleton’s behalf by Janice Anderson, Director of Theatrical Programming at PPAC and PFM. She was joined by staff and partners from both PPAC and PFM-managed venues as she shared the following remarks from Singleton, who was unable to attend the awards ceremony:

To the Broadway League, thank you for this extraordinary honor…we work in an industry where storytelling is not just a profession, but a shared passion. When I first started, I could not have imagined how much the industry would evolve to include new technologies to attract new audiences – but the essence has remained the same; a story, a stage and a shared experience.

(Janice Anderson on behalf of) J. L. "Lynn" Singleton, PFM President & CEO

He further thanked his colleagues, partners and staff for their trust and added, “A lifetime achievement award makes one reflect on the journey – this recognition isn’t a finish line, there is still work to do to ensure that Broadway and the road remain healthy for generations to come. I accept this award with deep gratitude and share it with our colleagues who left us too soon - Gary McAvay, Pat Halloran and Larry Payton. Thank you for the recognition and friendship; I look forward to seeing you next year.”

About the Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC)

Located in the heart of Providence’s arts and entertainment district, the Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC) presents top-notch touring Broadway productions, comedy and concerts. Since 2008, numerous national tours have launched at PPAC, including the upcoming national tour launch of OPERATION MINCEMEAT: A NEW MUSICAL in September 2026.

PPAC is the second largest Theatre of its kind in New England, with a seating capacity of 3100. The Loew’s Theatre Building, which is the historic home of PPAC, opened in October 1928 and is acclaimed for its stunning architectural design and grandeur. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1977, PPAC consistently ranks among the top ten entertainment venues of its size nationwide, according to Pollstar /Venues Now and Billboard.

In addition to presenting all types of theatrical presentations, dance, comedy, concerts and more, PPAC is committed to providing the communities of Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts with extensive educational and community outreach and engagement programs. Learn more about PPAC at ppacri.org and about their outreach and engagement programs at ppacri.org/outreach

About Professional Facilities Management, Inc. (PFM)

Professional Facilities Management, Inc. (PFM) is a wholly-owned for-profit subsidiary of Providence Performing Arts Center, incorporated in 1988 in response to a growing need for objective evaluation and management of small-to-medium-sized performing arts facilities in geographically diverse locations. One of the first companies of its kind, PFM’s business is focused on performing arts productions.
It was founded by a group of dedicated business and entertainment-industry professionals who had been invited to consult and advise on a number of venue-related projects in New England.

They saw the need for a company that could act quickly, responsively and decisively to both public and private facility management needs, programming needs, marketing support and fiduciary responsibilities.
PFM is governed by a Board of Directors who contribute successful business experience, entrepreneurial spirit and a bottom-line focus. Presently, PFM holds management/booking contracts in nine facilities located in eight states. Learn more at pfmcorp.com

About The Broadway League

The Broadway League, founded in 1930, is the national trade association for the Broadway industry representing more than 800 members from nearly 200 national and international markets including theatre owners and operators, producers, presenters and general managers as well as suppliers of goods and services to the commercial theatre industry. Key league programs and resources such as Kids’ Night on Broadway, The Jimmy Awards/National High School Musical Theatre Awards, Broadway Bridges, Black to Broadway, East to Broadway, ¡Viva! Broadway, Broadway Membership Fellows, Broadway Speakers Bureau, and the Internet Broadway Database (ibdb.com) represent the League’s ongoing commitment to creating an inclusive culture within the industry that is geared toward accessibility and advancements of audience development, industry practices, and workforce opportunities. The Broadway League co-administers the dotBroadway top-level domain, providing online visitors assurance that the web address they are accessing is from a verified League member. Since 1967, The Broadway League has been co-presenting the Antoinette Perry “Tony” Awards. Learn more at broadwayleague.com.