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PRESS RELEASE STRICTLY BALLROOM TO CHA CHA CHA IN TO THE UK FOR CHRISTMAS 2016 Dazzling new production created by Baz Luhrmann directed & choreographed by Drew McOnie Previews at West Yorkshire Playhouse from Wednesday 30 November The first UK staging of STRICTLY BALLROOM THE MUSICAL – based on the much loved film that inspired the world to dance – is to premiere at West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds on Wednesday 30 November 2016, playing a season through until Saturday 21 January 2017 (Press Night: Tuesday 6 December at 7.30pm). Drew McOnie (In The Heights, Hairspray) will direct and choreograph the production, which is based on the original Australian musical created by Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin. Terry Johnson joins the creative team to adapt the original book. Baz Luhrmann said: “One of the great joys for us was to take a story that began as a play when I was at drama school and return to our homeland in Australia to birth the musical stage version with all our original collaborators. Now that it’s been born, Strictly Ballroom must go on. It’s wonderful that one of the new bright-­‐lights of the English theatre, who himself was fan of the film at a young age, is taking the show to realize it in a new way, for new audiences, and oversee its continued growth. “ Drew McOnie said: “The film Strictly Ballroom has had such a huge impact on me. It inspired me as an 8-­‐
year-­‐old dancer to follow my choreographic instinct and gave me the desire to explore the many different ways of communicating ideas through dance. The opportunity to bring that passion and personal connection to the next stage of Strictly Ballroom's journey means the world to me; and having Baz Luhrmann's support is a dream come true.” STRICTLY BALLROOM THE MUSICAL is the inspiring story of a championship ballroom dancer who defies all the rules to follow his heart. It features break-­‐into-­‐song numbers such as Love is in the Air, Perhaps Perhaps Perhaps and Time After Time, as well as several wonderful new songs by internationally acclaimed artists including Sia, David Foster and Eddie Perfect. STRICTLY BALLROOM THE MUSICAL is a co-­‐production by Global Creatures (the team behind Walking With Dinosaurs – The Arena Spectacular, How To Train Your Dragon and King Kong) and West Yorkshire Playhouse, who most recently co-­‐produced James Brining’s critically acclaimed production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, currently on a major year-­‐long tour of the UK and Ireland. Carmen Pavlovic, CEO, Global Creatures said “Baz Lurhmann’s Strictly Ballroom is such an important touchstone for so many of us and creating the new musical with Baz and Catherine Martin in Sydney was a joy. Now I am so excited that STRICTLY BALLROOM THE MUSICAL will debut in England in partnership with the creative might of West Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds and helmed by Drew McOnie. Baz and I were thrilled to discover the dazzling Drew McOnie who is a brilliant talent and I believe the perfect person to continue building on Baz and Catherine’s vision and remarkable achievement.” James Brining, Artistic Director of West Yorkshire Playhouse, said: “'We're delighted to be collaborating with international producers Global Creatures to create the next incarnation of STRICTLY BALLROOM THE MUSICAL. I have loved the film since I first saw it and I’m thrilled that we will be working with a world class creative team here in Leeds and creating the first UK staging of this musical for our 2016 Christmas show.” STRICTLY BALLROOM THE MUSICAL made its world premiere at the Sydney Lyric Theatre in April 2014, followed by seasons in Melbourne and Brisbane in 2015. This spectacular show, a kaleidoscope of colour and fun, now promises to have UK audiences dancing in the aisles! This uplifting and courageous tale originated as a stage play that Baz Luhrmann devised with a group of students at the National Institute of Dramatic Art, Sydney, Australia, in 1984. The film was discovered at the Cannes Film Festival, where it was the winner of the Prix de Jeunnesse and runner up for the Palme D’Or. When released in Australia, Strictly Ballroom swept the field at the 1992 Australian Film Institute (AFI) Awards, gaining 13 nominations and winning in eight major categories. It also won three awards at the 1993 BAFTA awards, received a 1994 Golden Globe nomination for Best Picture, and eventually went on to become one of the most successful Australian films of all time, earning more than $80 million at the box office. Baz Luhrmann said: “From a small student play to my first motion picture and now a theatrical stage musical, Strictly Ballroom has been an almost thirty year journey for me. I have often marvelled at how this story, born so long ago, has been in my life for so many years and has managed to touch, move, entertain and uplift so many different people from so many different backgrounds. “I think the simple truth is that, despite all the sequins, outrageous hairdos and classic Hollywood musical plotting, the simple message that ‘there isn’t only one way to cha cha cha’ and that ‘within us all we have the true potential to dance through life with our own steps’, is something that appeals to all of us. The message that life doesn’t have to be strictly ballroom is something I hope our audiences will carry with them as they dance down the aisles.” Drew McOnie will direct and choreograph STRICTLY BALLROOM THE MUSICAL. His theatre credits include Bugsy Malone (Lyric Hammersmith), Oklahoma! (National Tour), The Sound of Music (Curve Theatre, Leicester), Hairspray (National Tour) In the Heights (Southwark Playhouse & Kings Cross Theatre), and Chicago (Curve Theatre, Leicester). He is currently creating a brand new dance thriller production of Jekyll and Hyde, which will premiere at the Old Vic in May 2016. Further details of the production, including casting, to be announced. For media information please contact Amanda Trickett at West Yorkshire Playhouse (e) [email protected] (t) 0113 213 7273 For further enquiries please contact David Bloom at Target Live (e) david.bloom@target-­‐live.co.uk (t) 020 3372 0955 For all information about STRICTLY BALLROOM THE MUSICAL, please see: www.wyp.org.uk STRICTLY BALLROOM THE MUSICAL – LISTINGS INFORMATION West Yorkshire Playhouse Playhouse Square Quarry Hill Leeds LS2 7UP SEASON DATES Wednesday 30 November 2016 -­‐ Saturday 21 January 2017 PRESS NIGHT Tuesday 6 December at 7.30pm BOOKING ONLINE www.wyp.org.uk PERFORMANCE TIMES Tuesday -­‐ Saturday: 7.30pm Matinees: 1.30pm, days vary TICKETS Prices range from £45.00 -­‐ £13.50 TELEPHONE BOOKING 0113 213 7700 SOCIAL MEDIA Facebook: www.facebook.com/westyorkshireplayhouse/ Twitter: @wyplayhouse NOTES TO EDITORS HISTORY The Australian success story Strictly Ballroom began life in 1984 as a short play drawing on Baz Luhrmann’s personal experiences of the deeply passionate world of ballroom dancing. He himself had grown up as a competitive dancer and discovered first-­‐hand the energy, determination, eccentricity and sacrifice personal experiences of the deeply passionate world of ballroom dancing. During his teens, Luhrmann’s mother had also been a ballroom dance teacher. It’s almost as if the wish-­‐
fulfilment tale was pre-­‐destined. “Strictly Ballroom has always been very personal to me; the genesis drawn from my childhood experience,” says Luhrmann. “The world of ballroom dancing has these very strict rules about what is good and bad dance. The metaphor with which we began was about creative oppression and freedom; that artistic endeavour and the rule books don’t really mix.” In the creative crucible of the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA), Luhrmann pinned the words “Strictly Ballroom” on a notice board. The intriguing project immediately attracted keen interest from several second-­‐year students. The resourceful NIDA production comprised Catherine McClements, Sonia Todd, Nell Schofield, Helen Mutkins, Jaime Robertson, Glenn Keenan (a champion ballroom dancer) and Tony Poli. With the support of their dance instructor Keith Bain, who was then head of movement studies at NIDA, they learnt their own dance moves in eight weeks. The play was a critical and popular success. The late Nick Enright, one of the teachers, said that Strictly Ballroom was arguably the most remarkable production he had seen in his time at NIDA. Its budget was about $50. The play laid the foundations for what would become a world-­‐wide cinema sensation and gave rise to an ethos of courage and commitment that remains at the heart of Baz Luhrmann’s life and career. “The ideals of Strictly Ballroom, that a life lived in fear is a life half lived, and creativity triumphing over artistic oppression, are the ideals by which I live and create art to this day,” he says. Upon graduation, Luhrmann was invited to re-­‐stage the play for the Czechoslovakian World Youth Drama Festival in Bratislava in 1986. He asked his school friend Craig Pearce to help rewrite and enlarge the script. With its themes of artistic repression and the underdog battling authority, Strictly Ballroom won Best Production and Best Director awards at the festival. The play hit a nerve. The audience gave it a 30-­‐minute standing ovation with many a frenzied patron rushing the stage at the end. Says Luhrmann: “We weren’t prepared for the fact that the metaphorical implications of the story (the individual leading a popular revolt against a repressive order) would strike such a chord with an audience who obviously had their own all-­‐powerful federation to deal with”. In 1988, as part of the Australian Bicentenary celebrations, the Sydney Theatre Company, headed by the late Richard Wherrett, invited him to establish an experimental theatre ensemble. It was called Six Years Old. The company took up a residency at The Wharf Theatre during 1988. Alongside Luhrmann and Pearce, the company included actor Catherine McClements, Production Designer Catherine Martin, Set Dresser Bill Marron and Costume Designer Angus Strathie. Martin, or CM as she is affectionately known, went on to collaborate with the Director on all his future opera productions and films and creative projects. Six Years Old workshopped a larger scale version of Strictly Ballroom. After a preview season at the Brisbane Expo in 1988, the play opened at the Wharf Studios on 24 September 1988. The cast featured Glenn Keenan, who played Scott Hastings and choreographed the production, Tara Morice as Fran, Tyler Coppin, Di Emry, Lisa Kelly, Genevieve Mooy, Mark Owen-­‐Taylor and Craig Pearce. During its popular run at the Wharf, the play was seen by the influential Australian music executive, Ted Albert, a leading record producer and music publisher, perhaps best known in Australia as the original producer of 1960s pop sensation, The Easybeats. By the time he saw Strictly Ballroom, Albert was the managing director of his family-­‐owned music publishing company Albert Music (formerly J. Albert & Sons). Its subsidiary, the record label Albert Productions, scored a string of hits in the 1970s and 1980s with a variety of acts, including AC/DC and John Paul Young. Albert’s wife Antoinette (known as “Popsy”) took him to see the play. They loved the energy, colour and musicality of the work. Ted Albert immediately saw its potential as a film, one that would be able to make use of the songs available to him through Albert’s publishing and recording enterprises. Soon after, Albert established the film company M&A Productions with ex-­‐Film Australia executive Tristram Miall. They approached Luhrmann with an offer to turn the play into a movie. In its early stages, the script began to assume a more serious tone but any move towards naturalism was not what Luhrmann had sought. He brought in his friend and collaborator Craig Pearce to help translate his theatrical vision into a workable screenplay. Although Strictly Ballroom had already proved a hit with theatre critics and audiences, securing funds for the film was an odyssey fraught with struggle, short-­‐
sightedness, unreasonable demands and rash judgements, not least that Luhrmann was too big a risk as a first-­‐time film director. There were also objections about the original budget of more than $5 million. It was reduced to $3.5 million and the Film Finance Corporation (FFC) agreed to provide about 65% on condition that the producers were able to raise the remaining $1 million and secure a local distributor. After more frustrated efforts to secure funds, the passionate and persuasive Luhrmann had a fortuitous meeting with Andrew Pike, the head of the independent distribution company Ronin Films. He was excited and intrigued by the director’s pitch, which included sketches, set miniatures and bits of costume. Pike agreed to back a limited local release. Although the FFC funding was in place, the production faced its biggest challenge in November 1990 when Ted Albert died suddenly from a heart attack. (The film is dedicated to him.) This jeopardised the entire project until Albert’s widow Popsy resolved that it should be made in honour of her husband. She took over as executive producer with Miall as producer. Albert Music contributed $1 million to the project, with the remaining $300,000 sourced from private investors. Once the film was given the green light, further research, auditions, casting, set building and location work began in earnest. Aside from three professional dancers, the cast chosen comprised actors who skilfully created the illusion of dance. The most well-­‐known actors at the time were Bill Hunter as Barry Fife, Barry Otto as Doug Hastings and Pat Thomson as Shirley Hastings. After extensive auditions, the lead role of the champion ballroom dancer Scott Hastings was won by Paul Mercurio. Although he had never acted, he had made a name for himself at Graeme Murphy’s beloved Sydney Dance Company as one of its most charismatic talents. “What was great about Paul was that he was a modern dancer, and contemporary dancing is all about having to find your inner expression,” says Luhrmann. “He was the first guy to audition and we kept coming back to him. We loved Paul. He was instinctive and it’s hard to imagine anyone else in that role.” Cast opposite him in the Ugly Duckling/Cinderella role of Fran was the relatively unknown Tara Morice, who similarly made the role her own. When the play was first performed at NIDA, the character was originally called Jenny Wallflower. The film’s cast included Gia Carides, Lauren Hewett, Peter Whitford, Antonio Vargas (who contributed to the choreography and background on Spanish dance), John Hannan, Kerry Shrimpton, Kris McQuade, Sonia Kruger, Todd McKenney, Pip Mushin, Leonie Page and Steve Grace. The story of Strictly Ballroom’s journey from stage to screen – and soon back to the stage, this time as a stage musical – echoes the film’s David and Goliath theme and its spirit of creative freedom and tireless endeavour. From modest circumstances Strictly Ballroom, with its heart-­‐warmingly uplifting tone, exhilarating energy and bold theatricality, would become the stuff of legend. The film had its world premiere at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival in May 1992. Its first public screening came at midnight in the Un Certain Regard program and become an overnight sensation. The audience loved it and gave the cast, led by Paul Mercurio and Tara Morice, and crew a 15-­‐minute standing ovation. The film met the same response the following night and Strictly Ballroom became one of the major hits of the festival, winning the Prix De Jeunesse and igniting a fierce bidding war between potential international distributors. Miramax clinched the deal. Luhrmann recalls that after all the efforts to secure funding and having some naysayers declare “that will never work”, it came as a shock when Strictly Ballroom was selected for Cannes. “When we went to Cannes, no one had really seen the film and within 24 hours of the midnight screening we’d been sold all over the world,” he says. “It was one of the most incredibly explosive moments in the history of Cannes. It’s a very special story – that very first film of ours which we all worked together on, it was such a magical first work.” A month before the film’s debut in Cannes, personal tragedy struck when the actress Pat Thompson, who played Scott’s mother, was diagnosed with cancer. She died in April 1992. When released in Australia, Strictly Ballroom swept the field at the 1992 Australian Film Institute (AFI®) Awards, gaining 13 nominations and winning in eight major categories. It was also a major success at the 1993 BAFTA® awards, where it garnered eight nominations and won three awards for Best Costume Design, Best Original Film Score and Best Production Design. Other accolades included a 1994 Golden Globe® nomination for Best Picture, Newcomer of the Year at the 1993 London Critics Circle Film Awards, the People’s Choice at the 1992 Toronto International Film Festival and Most Popular Film at the Vancouver International Film Festival. Strictly Ballroom went on to become one of the most successful Australian films of all time, earning more than $80 million at the box office. With the success of the film, its closing song, a remake of the John Paul Young song Love is in the Air, re-­‐
entered the Australian charts and became a Top 5 hit in October 1992. With its heightened theatricality and innate musicality, the romantic comedy is the first instalment of Luhrmann’s Red Curtain Trilogy, which includes the theatre-­‐motif-­‐related films Romeo + Juliet and Moulin Rouge!. For many years, there has been keen interest from potential producers to bring Strictly Ballroom to the stage. The film is credited with having inspired the UK television show Strictly Come Dancing and its American counterpart, Dancing with the Stars. In 2014 at the Sydney Lyric Theatre, Strictly Ballroom burst on to the stage in all its dazzling splendour. The world premiere production was directed by Luhrmann, designed by Catherine Martin, co-­‐written by Craig Pearce and choreographed by John (Cha Cha) O’Connell, and produced in Australia by Global Creatures (Walking with Dinosaurs, King Kong) and Bazmark, the multi-­‐media company founded and owned by Luhrmann and Martin. The chief executive of Global Creatures, Carmen Pavlovic, said the partnership of the company and Bazmark was a meeting of like minds. “There is a natural fit between our two companies. We share an ambition to create thrilling, ground-­‐breaking experiences for the international stage.” -­‐ written by Bryce Hallett, 2014 CREATIVE TEAM BAZ LUHRMANN Born in Sydney, Australia, Baz Luhrmann has captured the popular and critical imagination internationally with a diverse range of award-­‐winning projects in film, opera, theatre, and music, making him one of world’s most recognizable creative forces. Currently Luhrmann is writing, producing, and directing on The Get Down, an original series for Netflix premiering in 2016. Set in 1970s New York City, The Get Down is a mythic saga of how a battered city at the brink of bankruptcy gave birth to hip-­‐hop, punk and disco – told through the lives and music of the South Bronx kids who changed the city and the world, forever. His most recent film is the extraordinary, Oscar® winning 3-­‐D adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby (2013), starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan, Tobey Maguire and Joel Edgerton. Earlier works include the ambitious epic Australia (2008), starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, the Oscar® -­‐winning Moulin Rouge! (2001) featuring Kidman and Ewan McGregor, his boldly luminous version of William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet (1996), starring DiCaprio and Claire Danes, and the celebrated Strictly Ballroom (1992), starring Paul Mercurio and Tara Morice. The soundtrack albums for The Great Gatsby, Romeo + Juliet, and Moulin Rouge! executive produced by Luhrmann, have sold more than 14 million copies worldwide. The Great Gatsby received 2 Academy Awards® for Art Direction and Costume Design, a BAFTA for production design and 13 AACTA awards. Moulin Rouge! won three Golden Globes® and received eight Academy Award® nominations, with Catherine Martin winning two for Art Direction and Costume Design. Australia won four AFI® Awards. It is the second highest-­‐grossing Australian film of all time. The phenomenally successful Strictly Ballroom was originally conceived by Luhrmann as a short play while still a student at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA). It was while producing an extended version under the auspices of the Sydney Theatre Company in 1988 that he met Catherine Martin, one of the company’s designers. He later directed and co-­‐wrote the film version which premiered at the 1992 Cannes Film Festival and was awarded the Prix de la Jeunesse. It would go on to win eight AFI® Awards. In 1997, Luhrmann married Catherine Martin, his longtime creative collaborator. They have two children, Lillian and William. The same year they founded Bazmark, an innovative multi-­‐media company with the motto “A life lived in fear is a life half lived”. Baz Luhrmann is one of Australia’s most imaginative and strikingly original opera directors. His signature production of Puccini’s La Bohème for Opera Australia won considerable acclaim in 1990 when it starred Cheryl Barker and David Hobson. His later production of La Bohème on Broadway in 2002 was lauded by critics for its sensuality and glorious production design. It was nominated for seven Tony® Awards, including Best Revival and Best Director for Luhrmann. It won the Tony® Award for Best Scenic Design. Previous opera productions include Lake Lost, which won a Victorian Green Room Award for Best Director in 1988, and Benjamin Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. It received a Victorian Green Room Award for Best Director, a Sydney Theatre Critics’ Circle award for Best Director and the Critic’s Prize at the Edinburgh Festival in 2003. Luhrmann came full circle when he directed the stage musical adaptation of Strictly Ballroom which opened in Sydney, Australia in April 2014. CATHERINE MARTIN Catherine Martin, costume and production designer, has collaborated with Baz Luhrmann, director and visualist, on the distinctive look of all his films and theatre productions for over 20 years. Along with Luhrmann, Martin is a partner in Bazmark Inq, which includes subsidiaries Bazmark Live and Bazmark Music, and is one of the world’s most innovative producers of film, theatre and entertainment. Martin began collaborating with Luhrmann during her final year at NIDA, when she was hired by Luhrmann's experimental theatre company to design his production of Lake Lost for the Australian Opera. This earned Catherine and colleague Angus Strathie a Victorian Green Room Award for Best Design. Since then, Martin has designed almost all of Luhrmann’s subsequent productions including Benjamin Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream for which she won the Sydney Theatre Critic’s Award for Best Opera Design, and a version of Puccini’s opera La Boheme set in 1957. The latter went on to open on Broadway in 2002 to critical acclaim and won Martin the coveted Tony Award® for Production Design. 1992 saw Martin’s film debut with Luhrmann on the hugely successful Strictly Ballroom. Her design on this film earned her Best Production Design and Best Costume Design at both the BAFTA and AFI awards. She followed this success in 1996 with William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet, also directed by Luhrmann, for which she was awarded another BAFTA for Best Production Design and an Academy Award® Nomination for Best Art Direction. In 2001, Martin won two Academy Awards® for Costume Design and Art Direction for her work on Moulin Rouge! as well as AFI awards for Best Production Design and Best Costume Design and a Los Angeles Film Critics Award for Best Production Design among numerous others. Martin was Production & Costume Designer and Co-­‐Producer of Luhrmann’s epic Australia in 2008. The film starred Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman and earned Martin an Academy Award® Nomination for Costume Design. Martin’s other projects with Luhrmann include guest editing the first signature edition of Vogue Australia (January, 1994) and designing the look of 2004’s lavish Chanel No. 5: The Film, a global campaign starring Nicole Kidman for which Martin designed sets, while legendary designer Karl Lagerfeld designed costumes. Following up on the success of their first Chanel campaign Luhrmann created and directed another Chanel No. 5 film staring Gisele Bundchen with Production Design by Martin and Costumes by Karl Lagerfeld. Martin has also been developing her own homewares brand, Catherine Martin Home, collaborating with Designer Rugs and Mokum Textiles on fabrics and wallpaper. Her rugs and fabrics feature prominently in the newly opened Faena Hotel, Miami Beach. Martin worked with Luhrmann again as Production & Costume Designer and as one of the producers on his film The Great Gatsby, garnering two Academy Awards® for both Production and Costume Design. Released in May 2013, the film stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Carey Mulligan and Joel Edgerton. In 2014 Martin enjoyed collaborating again with Luhrmann on his stage production, Strictly Ballroom The Musical, as both Costume and Set Designer. Currently Martin is working on Baz Luhrmann’s Netflix Original Series “The Get Down” on which she Co-­‐Costume and Production Designed with Jeriana San Juan and Karen Murphy respectively on Episode One and continues on the project in the capacity of Executive Producer. Catherine divides her time between Sydney, New York and Paris and has two beautiful children, Lillian (12) and William (10). DREW McONIE Strictly Ballroom marks Drew’s directorial debut in the world of Music Theatre however he has been the Director/Choreographer of The McOnie Company shows since its inception in 2014. Theatre credits as a choreographer include: The Lorax (Old Vic), Hairspray (BroadwayWorld award winner for Best Choreography-­‐UK Tour), Bugsy Malone (Lyric Hammersmith), Oklahoma! (National Tour), The Sound of Music (Curve Theatre Leicester), Little Red Riding Hood (NYB), In the Heights (WhatsOnStage Award Nomination for Best Choreography/Winner of the ‘Off West End Theatre Award’ for Best Choreography-­‐Southwark Playhouse and Kings Cross Theatre), Chicago (Curve Theatre Leicester), West Side Story (NYMT), British Style (Collaboration with Matthew Bourne at Buckingham Palace-­‐ BBC), Laurel and Hardy (The Watermill), James and the Giant Peach (National Tour), 13 (Directed by Jason Robert Brown-­‐ West End), Tommy (European Tour), Spring Awakening (German Premier-­‐ Frankfurt), The Full Monty (German Premier, Frankfurt), Kes (Liverpool Playhouse & UK Tour). Film credits include: Me Before You (Directed by Thea Sharrock) and Recordare: Days of Remembrance (pre-­‐selected for the Cannes & Berlin Film Festival). Drew is a proud Associate Artist of The Old Vic Theatre and Curve Theatre Leicester. He is also the Artistic Director of the McOnie Company for which he is currently creating a brand new dance thriller production of Jekyll and Hyde which will premiere on the Old Vic's main stage in May 2016. Also for the McOnie Company: DRUNK! (Curve Theatre Leicester/ The Bridewell Theatre London) which lead to him being nominated for the ‘Emerging Artist Award’ at the National Dance Awards, Making Midnight (Jermyn Street Theatre/ Latitude Festival) Slaughter (Audience Choice Award Winner-­‐ The Place Prize) and Be Mine! (Robin Howard Theatre). Upcoming work includes: Jesus Christ Superstar (Regent’s Park) and Kinky Boots (Malmo). Twitter: @DrewMcOnie TERRY JOHNSON TERRY JOHNSON'S work has been performed all over Great Britain and worldwide. He is the recipient of a dozen major theatre awards including the Tony Award for Best Director of a Musical 2010, Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival and Critics Circle Best Musical 2009 for LA CAGE AUX FOLLES. He also won the Olivier Award for Best Comedy of 1994 and of 1999, Playwright of the Year 1995, Critics Circle Best New Play 1995, The League of American Theatres and Producers Best Touring Play 2001, two Evening Standard Theatre Awards, Time Out Best Play Award 1995, Writers Guild Best Play 1995, Writers Guild Best play 1996, the Mayer-­‐Whitworth Award 1993 and the John Whiting Award 1991. In addition he has received over a dozen further nominations for various awards. West End credits include: MRS HENDERSON PRESENTS, THE DUCK HOUSE, END OF THE RAINBOW, THE PRISONER OF SECOND AVENUE, THE RISE AND FALL OF LITTLE VOICE, LA CAGE AUX FOLLES, RAINMAN, WHIPPING IT UP, ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOOS NEST, HITCHCOCK BLONDE, ENTERTAINING MR SLOANE, THE GRADUATE, DEAD FUNNY, HYSTERIA, ELTON JOHN'S GLASSES and THE MEMORY OF WATER. For the Hampstead Theatre he has recently directed the acclaimed revival of his own play HYSTERIA, RACE by David Mamet and OLD MONEY. He has twice worked with Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago, directing John Malkovitch in THE LIBERTINE, which was nominated for five Jeff Awards, including Best Production, and LOST LAND, both plays by Stephen Jeffries. For the Royal National Theatre he has written and directed three productions; CLEO, CAMPING, EMMANUELLE AND DICK, THE LONDON CUCKOLDS, and SPARKLESHARK (by Philip Ridley). He also directed the acclaimed revival of FINGS AIN’T WOT THEY USED T’BE at the Theatre Royal Stratford East and OH WHAT A LOVELY WAR, which also toured the UK. Work for television includes: THE MAN WHO LOST HIS HEAD and ‘COR BLIMEY! (ITV) and NOT ONLY BUT ALWAYS (Ch4), which won five International Award nominations, Best Film at Banff, and the Best Actor Bafta for Rhys Ifans. He also wrote THE BITE for the BBC and ABC Australia. His film WAY UPSTREAM was chosen for the London Film Festival and INSIGNIFICANCE was the official British Entry at Cannes in 1985. He is a former Literary Associate at the Royal Court Theatre where he has had five of his own plays; INSIGNIFICANCE, CRIES FROM THE MAMMAL HOUSE, HYSTERIA, HITCHCOCK BLONDE and PIANO/FORTE produced, and has directed two further premieres including Joe Penhall’s DUMB SHOW. GLOBAL CREATURES Awe-­‐inspiring. Magical. Dynamic. Global Creatures is at the forefront of innovative stagecraft, brilliant storytelling and spectacular theatricality. Global Creatures is a unique and visionary international entertainment group involved in the creation, development and touring of imaginative and exciting theatre productions. The relatively young Australian-­‐based company is raising the bar in live performance through collaboration, artistic rigour and a spirit of adventure. It is a truly ground-­‐breaking entertainment group that enables diverse talents to take risks and to dream big. The company is taking its theatrical innovation and ideas to the world. Global Creatures prides itself on giving voice to experienced practitioners and a new generation of talent committed to achieving visually astonishing, emotionally-­‐powerful and inspiring live shows. With the company’s combination of enterprise, specialist skills and ambition, it is setting new technological and theatrical benchmarks while pointing to a brave new world of wonder and enchantment steeped in tradition and inventive storytelling. Global Creatures first venture was WALKING WITH DINOSAURS – THE ARENA SPECTACULAR. Based on the eponymous award-­‐winning BBC-­‐TV series, the live show was developed through the integration of state-­‐of-­‐the-­‐art animatronics, bold leaps of faith and traditional forms of theatre design and practice. A production of epic proportion, Global Creatures WALKING WITH DINOSAURS was conceived and developed in Australia and made its international debut in 2007. The show has since toured the world and become a phenomenal global success story. Global Creatures is proud of its strategic partnership with the Creature Technology Company (CTC). CTC designs and builds cutting edge, innovative animatronics to create dynamic puppetry performances. Formed in 2006 to create full-­‐scale naturalistic dinosaurs for WALKING WITH DINOSAURS – THE ARENA SPECTACULAR, CTC now produces extraordinary creatures for theatrical productions around the world. CTC is at the vanguard of animatronic design and automation technology. Global Creatures second production, HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON LIVE SPECTACULAR, finished a North American tour in 2013 after successful seasons in Australia and New Zealand. The co-­‐production with Dreamworks Theatricals further revealed Global Creatures’ ingenuity and visual prowess in bringing mythical dragons to vivid life. In a fitting partnership, Global Creatures joined forces with The National Theatre of Great Britain to produce the Australian premiere season of the acclaimed Tony® Award-­‐winning theatre show, WAR HORSE. The intimate and epic production presents a seamless blend of exceptional puppetry, fine acting and authentic storytelling. Five years in the making, the ground-­‐breaking theatre production KING KONG had its world premiere at the Regent Theatre, Melbourne, on June 15, 2013. The multi-­‐million dollar production is an extravaganza in every sense and draws on an extraordinary assemblage of creative talents from the worlds of theatre, music, puppetry, animatronics, opera, circus, cabaret, dance and design. The show’s “leading man” is arguably the most authentic, technologically-­‐advanced puppet in the world. Audiences have been stunned and spellbound by Kong’s life-­‐like attributes, both physical and emotional. In one of the most exciting creative and producing partnerships on the world stage, Global Creatures has joined with Bazmark to bring STRICTLY BALLROOM THE MUSICAL to the stage. The show faithfully re-­‐
ignites Baz Luhrmann’s popular 1992 hit Australian film Strictly Ballroom as a dynamic and immediate live show. Strictly Ballroom The Musical had its global premiere at the Sydney Lyric Theatre, Sydney, in April 2014. It is directed by Baz Luhrmann and designed by Catherine Martin. WEST YORKSHIRE PLAYHOUSE For Spring Summer 2016 West Yorkshire Playhouse presents a new adaptation of GREAT EXPECTATIONS directed by Lucy Bailey; the world premiere staging of THE DAMNED UNITED adapted from David Peace's novel, in a co-­‐production with Red Ladder Theatre Company; Eve Ensler's THE FRUIT TRILOGY in association with the Southbank Centre; OPENING SKINNER'S BOX, a co-­‐production with Improbable and Northern Stage; a new production of KES which visits community venues across Leeds following its Playhouse staging; James Brining directs INTO THE WOODS, a co-­‐production with Opera North and Alice Nutter writes BARNBOW CANARIES. The Playhouse’s critically acclaimed production of Maxine Peake’s debut play BERYL premieres in London and West Yorkshire Playhouse and Music & Lyrics co-­‐production CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG tours to 18 UK venues on a year-­‐long tour. West Yorkshire Playhouse has a reputation both nationally and internationally as a leading UK producing theatre. The theatre is a cultural hub, a place where people gather to tell and share stories and to engage in world class theatre. From large scale spectacle to intimate performance the Playhouse develops and makes work for the stage, for found spaces, for touring, for schools and community venues. Alongside work for the stage the Playhouse is dedicated to providing creative engagement opportunities, building and running sustainable projects that reach out to a diverse range of communities. Supporting new and emerging artists is key and the theatre provides creative space for new writers, directors, companies and individual theatre makers to refine their practice.