John McDaniel has been tapped as the new artistic director of the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center's Cabaret and Performance Conference. The annual event will take place July 31, 2013 to August 10 in Waterford, Connecticut.
The conference focuses on developing new artists and forms of cabaret theater, and closes the O'Neill professional summer season of new work. Alongside the O'Neill's playwrights conference and its musical theater conference, the cabaret arm of the programming has helped developed new fare like [title of show] and The Story of My Life.
McDaniel spent six years leading the band on The Rosie O'Donnell Show. His recent Broadway credits include serving as orchestrator and arranger for Bonnie and Clyde and as music director and conductor for Catch Me If You Can. He was the supervising music director for Boy George's Taboo in 2003, and conducted the hit revival of Chicago. McDaniel won a Grammy as a producer of the cast album for the 1999 revival of Annie Get Your Gun.