INTRODUCTIONThe four-month campaign for this year’s Whatsonstage.com Awards – including the two star-studded events which top and tail audience voting – will be held in aid of Stage One, which is committed to supporting new producers and productions in order to sustain the future of quality commercial theatre in this country.
Inspired by the adoption of Stage One, Whatsonstage.com has declared the “Year of the Producer” campaign, comprising a 12-month series of interviews, blogs and other features, that will give theatregoers a greater understanding of the crucial role of the producer and an insight into the people who put on the shows they love, and the pressures they face in doing so – not least, over the next year, a continuing recession, arts cuts coming into effect and Olympic and other sporting distractions. Below are brief biographies of some of those taking part.
Biographies
Matthew Byam Shaw
www.playfuluk.com
Matthew has produced new work with the Donmar Warehouse, Almeida Theatre, Bush Theatre, Lyric Theatre Hammersmith, Liverpool Playhouse, Chichester Festival Theatres, Sheffield Theatres, Bristol Old Vic, Royal Court and the National Theatre. Matthew is currently a board member of the Bush Theatre, the Sheffield Crucible Theatre and the Society of London Theatre.
His London West End productions include the Olivier and Critics’ Circle Award-winning Humble Boy; the Evening Standard and Olivier Award-winning Michael Grandage’s Don Carlos; the Evening Standard Award-winning Mary Stuart; the Olivier Award-nominated Boeing-Boeing; the Evening Standard Award-winning Frost/Nixon which he developed with Peter Morgan; the award-winning Indian A Midsummer’s Night Dream (Roundhouse, UK, Australian, Canadian and US tours); the multi award-winning Spring Awakening; Legally Blonde and Enron.
On Broadway, he has produced the Tony Award-winning Frost/Nixon (he was also a producer of the Universal/Working Title film with five Golden Globe nominations, five Bafta nominations and five Oscar® nominations); the Tony Award-winning Boeing-Boeing: the Tony Award-winning Mary Stuart and Jude Law’s Hamlet. This season in New York: The Pride; Enron and Red.
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Carole Winter
www.mjeproductions.com
Carole began her career at the National Theatre where she worked for ten years. During this time she produced several small-scale tours, including the first education tour of The Caucasian Chalk Circle directed by Michael Bogdanov and she produced the first Lloyds Bank Theatre Challenge in the Olivier Theatre.
In 1990, she set up the Education department for the English Shakespeare Company and built an extensive programme of work that visited schools, colleges, prisons, regional theatres across the UK and international tours to India, Africa, USA, Germany and Beirut. Productions included God Say Amen, Enemy to the People, Macbeth, The Tempest (Maidstone Prison) and The Fantastical Legend of Dr Faust.
In 1996, Carole headed the development team to raise £1.2m to create the new Soho Theatre and Writers’ Centre. From 2002-2005, Carole managed the Artist Liaison Team for Comic Relief covering two Red Nose Days, Sport Relief and Live 8 at Murrayfield.
Recent producing credits with MJE Productions include Ghost the Musical (Piccadilly), Pygmalion (Garrick), Ruby Wax: Losing It (Menier Chocolate Factory & tour), Midsummer (Soho), Morecambe (Duchess), Carousel (Savoy), On the Waterfront (Theatre Royal, Haymarket) and Entertaining Mr Sloane (Trafalgar Studios).
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Edward Snape
www.fiery-angel.com
Edward Snape runs Fiery Angel, a theatrical production company that produces and presents drama, musicals and event theatre in London and on tour throughout the United Kingdom, and internationally.
The 39 Steps is currently in its fifth year at the Criterion Theatre in London's West End and has just completed its third year in New York. It won the Olivier Award for Best New Comedy in 2007, two Tony Awards for the Broadway production in 2008 and a Moliere in Paris, 2010. The play has been presented in over 40 territories worldwide.
Alongside the continued success of The 39 Steps Fiery Angel is currently developing a number of exciting projects as well working with Noel Gay and Sheffield Theatres on the acclaimed revival of Me and My Girl.
Previous productions include Peppa Pig’s Party (West End & tour); Boy George's original musical Taboo (UK Tour); Five Guys Named Moe (UK Tour); Dial M for Murder (UK Tour); the transfer of the RSC's Tynan; and the award winning Hurricane (West End and UK Tour).
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James Seabright
www.seabrightproductions.co.uk
James Seabright has produced and/or general managed over 100 shows since 2001, with an emphasis on touring shows around the UK and internationally, as well as productions in various venues both on and off West End in London. He has been profiled by both The Independent on Sunday and The Stage, and has twice been the recipient of the Stage One New Producer Bursary (2002 and 2004).
Since 2003, James has taken a number of productions to the Edinburgh festival each year under the Festival Highlights banner, and was named in 2008’s Stage 100 list of leading figures involved with the Edinburgh fringe, and in 2010's main Stage 100 list. His book So You Want To Be A Theatre Producer? was published in 2010.
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Tobias Round
www.cmplimited.com
Tobias Round began his career at Columbia Artists Management in New York where he worked with large touring arts organizations. He then moved to London where he worked with Harrison/Parrott and International Management Group (IMG) as general manager for international touring, working with commercial and not-for-profit organisations.
In 2000, Tobias was appointed Executive Producer of Matthew Bourne’s Adventures in Motion Picture (AMP). During his time at AMP, he also executive produced plays in London’s West End, including A Midsummer Night´s Dream at the Noel Coward Theatre with Dawn French and Betty at the Vaudeville.
In February 2003 Tobias was appointed General Manager at the Donmar Warehouse. He also served on the Board of the Donmar in the West End Limited and is a Trustee of Random Dance Company. He is currently joint director of Creative Management and Productions (CMP) Ltd.
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Paul Elliott
www.qdosentertainment.com
In a nearly 50-year career, Paul Elliott has produced, or co-produced over 60 West End productions including Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story, the Olivier Award-winning Jolson and Kat and the Kings, The Goodbye Girl with Gary Wilmot at the Albery Theatre, Run For Your Wife at various theatres in London and on tour, and the hugely successful Stones In Their Pockets, which won the Olivier and Evening Standard awards in 2001.
With Duncan C Weldon Paul has produced Private Lives at the Albery, the Royal Shakespeare Company production of The Hollow Crown, The Master Builder, Thoroughly Modern Millie at the Shaftesbury Theatre with Amanda Holden, Suddenly Last Summer, The Birthday Party, The Philadelphia Story with Kevin Spacey at the Old Vic, As You Desire Me at the Playhouse, The Best Of Friends, Hot Flush!, The Last Confession and Macbeth at the Gielgud with Patrick Stewart.
Paul has produced over 360 pantomimes in the UK and abroad, and has enjoyed a 17-year association with Nick Thomas, developing the biggest pantomime company in existence, Qdos Entertainment.
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Michael Harrison
www.qdosentertainment.com
Michael Harrison's recent productions include UK tours of - Chess (also Princess of Wales Theatre Toronto), Jolson and Co starring Allan Stewart, The Witches of Eastwick starring Marti Pellow and Aspects of Love starring David Essex (also J'oburg Civic Theatre).
He is Managing Director of Qdos Pantomimes and has produced over 100 pantomimes for the company.
Next year, with David Ian, he will produce The Bodyguard in the West End, directed by Thea Sharrock.
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Jethro Compton
www.jethrocomptonltd.co.uk
Jethro Compton is an independent theatre producer. His production company, Jethro Compton Ltd, has produced numerous shows across the UK including, with SJC Productions, ‘Belt Up Theatre’s Macbeth’ in a pre-Victorian prison in London.
At the start of 2011 Compton became an artist associate of Southwark Playhouse. He is also producer and co-artistic director of Belt Up Theatre with whom he has produced dozens of projects over the past three years. In 2010 Jethro was awarded a bursary from Stage One to encourage the development of his work as a commercial producer.
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