Even though he’s lived in New York City for nearly 40 years, Jeffrey Seller — the Tony-winning producer of “Rent” and “Hamilton” — said he’ll always consider himself a Detroiter.

“I’d be nowhere without my teachers in Oak Park, theater at Stagecrafters (in Royal Oak) and Temple Israel (in West Bloomfield), education at the University of Michigan, and loving family,” said Seller, 60, a 1982 alumnus of Oak Park High School and 1986 alumnus of U-M.

Seller will sign copies of “Theater Kid: A Broadway Memoir” (Simon & Schuster $29.99) at The J in West Bloomfield on Tuesday, May 6, at 7 p.m. Tony nominee and Franklin native Douglas Sills (HBO’s “The Gilded Age”) will lead the conversation with Seller.

“What’s so wonderful about that event is I used to bring the shows I directed at Camp Tamarack to the Jewish Community Center — that’s what it used to be called,” Seller said. “I’ve always felt a great sense of home at the JCC. It’s like another home. I’m coming back to it to talk about so many of my childhood experiences that led to my success as a Broadway producer, producing ‘Rent’ and ‘Hamilton’ and all those other shows. … The JCC connects so many of those dots.”

Seller spoke about the impetus behind “Theater Kid.”

“My story is unlikely. The notion that a poor, Jewish, gay, adopted kid from Oak Park, Michigan, could somehow get to Broadway and produce two of the most successful musicals in the last 30 years is so unlikely as to be almost absurd,” he said, laughing. “I felt a strong need to set that story down on paper — how I got to where I started to where I am. I did it because I spent so much of my youth out and not in. I don’t mean ‘out of the closet,’ but ‘out’ like you’re not part of the group. When you’re adopted, you don’t necessarily feel in; you feel out. When you’re gay, you don’t necessarily feel in; you feel out.”

He continued: “I wrote this in many ways for anybody who’s ever felt out in their life. Excluded. Not part of the group. It’s about how you find your own group, how you make your own group, how you discover your own group. I wrote it for people who love theater, theater kids, musical theater lovers, gay kids, Jewish kids, adopted kids — anybody who’s ever had that feeling of being an outsider.”

Seller was guided by two principles when penning his memoir.

“I wanted to tell the truth,” he said. “And, most important, I wanted to entertain. I wanted to write a book that’s compelling, entertaining, hopefully inspirational and moving.”

As a kid, Seller discovered theater in elementary school. It became his escape. It later became the passion of his life — his avocation and his vocation.

“When I sat in a theater, particularly a musical, I was transported to a place that was much better than regular life. I was transported to a better life, a different life,” he said. “That went from watching Purim plays and school plays when I was little to participating in a Purim play when I was in fourth grade at Temple Israel to writing a play immediately after in the fourth grade to participating as an actor in plays. And then — ultimately — asking the big question: Who picks the play? That was the first step toward becoming a producer. In fact, picking the play is the first and most important decision that a producer will make.”

Seller has won four Tonys for Best Musical: “Rent,” “Hamilton,” “In the Heights” and “Avenue Q.”

“I’m the only person alive who’s had two musicals that won both the Tony and Pulitzer Prize for Drama — ‘Rent’ and ‘Hamilton,’” he said.

Seller spoke about working with “Rent” creator Jonathan Larson and “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda.

“I met Jonathan in 1990 when I saw one of his shows that became ‘Tick Tick … Boom!’ His work so moved me, I wrote him a letter the next day, saying I want to produce his musical. Ultimately, I produced ‘Rent’ in 1996, which was the culmination of our professional friendship and collaboration,” recalled Seller. ‘(Miranda) came into my life years later when I produced his first musical, (2008’s) ‘In the Heights.’ We’ve done two extraordinary musicals together, one of which (‘Hamilton’) is celebrating its 10th anniversary on Broadway this summer.”

He praised Miranda’s success.

“The pleasure of working with Lin is we’ve now been able to do shows together,” Seller said. “I’ve been able to bear witness to his ingenuity, creativity and rise because I’ve watched him get better and better over our years together. That’s very satisfying to be a producer who has a long-term relationship with artists based on trust, dependability and nurturing.”

The shows Seller produced have garnered 22 Tonys. His Broadway productions and tours have grossed more than $4.6 billion and reached more than 43 million attendees. Seller also revolutionized Broadway’s business model by making theater more accessible and affordable for everyone with a $20 ticket lottery for “Rent.”

As Broadway ticket prices got increasingly expensive, Seller and business partner Kevin McCollum initiated Broadway’s first rush-ticket policy early on in the production of “Rent.” The idea was to keep the show accessible for people in their 20s and 30s. A select number of front-row tickets would be sold for $20 on a first-come, first-serve basis.

“When I produced ‘Rent,’ I was 31 and could barely afford a ticket to a Broadway musical myself. I was so young. At that moment in time (1996), there had been some shows that had done student discounts. They were last minute and in the nosebleed section. They were just for students,” Seller said. “My theory was we need to do something not just for students because people are coming to New York at 22, 25, and they don’t have any money. And, of course, there’s people who are 65, 75, and they don’t have any money. We needed to make sure (Broadway) was accessible to everyone. We wanted to make sure it was all-encompassing. We wanted to make sure it was affordable, so that led us to the $20 policy at the door — no credit cards, first-come, first-serve.”

Rush tickets became so popular that people began to sleep on the streets outside the theater overnight to get a spot at the front of the line. Out of concern for their safety, Seller and McCollum created Broadway’s first lottery ticket policy, which kept tickets accessible to a young audience by selling $20 tickets to the winners of a drawing two hours before showtime.

When “Hamilton” debuted, tickets went from $20 to $10 since the face of Alexander Hamilton, the historical figure and titular character of the musical, is on the $10 bill.

“We sold the first two rows of ‘Hamilton’ — 36 tickets for $10,” Seller said. “Tens of thousands of people have seen ‘Hamilton’ all over the country for $10!”

Broadway veteran and Tony winner Bernadette Peters — whose prominent film roles include 1979’s “The Jerk,” 1989’s “Pink Cadillac,” and 1997’s “Anatasia” — has high praise for Seller.

“I loved reading the wonderful, inspiring adventures of Jeffrey’s life and career,” she said. “If you feel like an outsider from the poorest part of town, take heart — your dreams can come true.”