David Rothenberg
At 92, David Rothenberg might be the oldest person to make his standup comedy debut…others have continued in the 90s, most notably George Burns and Irwin Corey…but starting out????
As a press rep, David has worked with many standups, including Mort Sahl, Frank Gorshin, and was Joy Behar’s personal PR until he retired.
David appears in the new documentary, BROADWAY, BARS AND FORTUNE, which will be at the Cannes Film Festival, having played several other film festivals. The movie is
about the healing component of the arts, as exemplified in the play The Castle, which was conceived, co-authored and directed by David R. The cast of the play are all former residents of The Fortune Academy (The Castle) and are formerly incarcerated. The play performed off Broadway for a year at the New World Stages and continues to play at universities and prisons. It has played on Rikers Island twice in 2026.
David has authored two books, his memoir, “Fortune In My Eyes” and a collection of stories, “Manhattan Mayhem”….and will be recording them for the Library For the Blind.
The Fortune Society was started in 1967, literally on the stage of the Actor’s Playhouse after a performance of the prison drama, Fortune and Men’s Eyes, which he produced. With $32 donated, Fortune’s headquarters was in David PR office (1545 Broadway). As Executive Director, he slowly left the theatre and headed the organization for 20 years. Long retired, he remains involved and Fortune Society, now with a staff of 600 and a budget of $100 million, is considered the pre-eminent program dealing with re-entry for men and women coming out of jails and prison.
David is a former member of the NYC Human Rights Commission…and is one few the few surviving members of the Attica Observers Committee, men who went into the Attica prison yard during the infamous 1971 riot.
David Rothenberg has hosted a weekly program on WBAI/R for over 50 years..and currently hosts a Fortune Society podcast, “Reality Re-Entry.”
In the theatre, he produced several shows, most notably Viet Rock and Fortune and Men’s Eyes, which rerouted his life.
As a press agent, he was involved with more than 250 Bway and off Bway shows. Best known include Hair, Richard Burton’s Hamlet (was Elizabeth Taylors’s opening night date), John Gielgud’s production of School for Scandal, Gielgud’s Ages of Man, Beyond the Fringe, The Boys in the Band, “Blue Man Group, Tony n Tina’s Wedding, etc etc. He represented many artists including Peggy Lee, Linda Lavin, Michael Moriarty, Joy Behar, and more. Throughout his career he’s been involved with many legends, including Charles Boyer, Maurice Chevalier, Bea Lillie, Ralph Richardson, Charles Laughton, Elsa Lanchester, Jack Gilford, Bert Lahr, Mary Martin, Julie Harris, Larry Hagman, and God help us, Lauren Bacall.