Kevin Wallace on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
Kevin Gerard Wallace (born 19 June 1957) is an Irish
theatre producer
A theatrical producer is a person who oversees all aspects of mounting a theatre production. The producer is responsible for the overall financial and managerial functions of a production or venue, raises or provides financial backing, and hire ...
.
Early life and career
Wallace was born in
Limerick
Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...
,
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
, the youngest of the three children of Michael Kevin Wallace and Nancy (née Cussen). Wallace worked as a stage and television actor in his native Ireland and in Britain, with the
Abbey Theatre
The Abbey Theatre ( ga, Amharclann na Mainistreach), also known as the National Theatre of Ireland ( ga, Amharclann Náisiúnta na hÉireann), in Dublin, Ireland, is one of the country's leading cultural institutions. First opening to the p ...
, the
Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC),
Bristol Old Vic
Bristol Old Vic is a British theatre company based at the Theatre Royal, Bristol. The present company was established in 1946 as an offshoot of the Old Vic in London. It is associated with the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, which became a f ...
, The Liverpool Everyman,
Oxford Playhouse
Oxford Playhouse is a theatre designed by Edward Maufe and F.G.M. Chancellor. It is situated in Beaumont Street, Oxford, opposite the Ashmolean Museum.
History
The Playhouse was founded as ''The Red Barn'' at 12 Woodstock Road, North Oxfo ...
,
Yorkshire Television
ITV Yorkshire, previously known as Yorkshire Television and commonly referred to as just YTV, is the British television service provided by ITV Broadcasting Limited for the Yorkshire franchise area on the ITV (TV network), ITV network. Until 19 ...
and the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
.
Before joining The Really Useful Group, Wallace produced ''
The Emperor Jones
''The Emperor Jones'' is a 1920 tragic play by American dramatist Eugene O'Neill that tells the tale of Brutus Jones, a resourceful, self-assured African American and a former Pullman porter, who kills another black man in a dice game, is jailed, ...
'' (Offstage Downstairs), ''
Our Town
''Our Town'' is a 1938 metatheatrical three-act play by American playwright Thornton Wilder which won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The play tells the story of the fictional American small town of Grover's Corners between 1901 and 1913 thro ...
'' (Shaftesbury Theatre) starring
Alan Alda
Alan Alda (; born Alphonso Joseph D'Abruzzo; January 28, 1936) is an American actor, screenwriter, and director. A six-time Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award winner, he is best known for playing Captain Benjamin "Hawkeye" Pierce in the war come ...
and
Robert Sean Leonard
Robert Lawrence Leonard (born February 28, 1969), known by his stage name Robert Sean Leonard, is an American actor. He is best known for playing Dr. James Wilson in the television series ''House'' (2004–2012) and Neil Perry in the film ''Dea ...
with
Jonny Lee Miller
Jonathan Lee Miller (born 15 November 1972) is a British film, television and theatre actor. He achieved early success for his portrayal of Simon "Sick Boy" Williamson in the dark comedy-drama film '' Trainspotting'' (1996) and as Dade Murphy i ...
in his first West End role, and Tim Luscombe's ''
Eurovision'' starring ''
Anita Dobson
Anita Dobson (born 29 April 1949) is an English stage, film and television actress, and singer. She is best known for her role from 1985 to 1988 as Angie Watts in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. In 1986, she reached number four in the UK Si ...
'' and ''
James Dreyfus
James Dreyfus (born 9 October 1968) is an English actor most notable for roles on television sitcoms '' The Thin Blue Line'' as Constable Kevin Goody, and '' Gimme Gimme Gimme'' as Tom Farrell. Dreyfus is most recently known for a role as Rever ...
'' In January 2002 he re-established Kevin Wallace Limited (KWL), to produce musicals and plays. During 2002, KWL presented the multi-award winning
Traverse Theatre
The Traverse Theatre is a theatre in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was founded in 1963 by John Calder, John Malcolm, Jim Haynes and Richard Demarco.
The Traverse Theatre company commissions and develops new plays or adaptations from contemporary p ...
/
National Theatre production of
Gregory Burke's ''
Gagarin Way'' (
Arts Theatre
The Arts Theatre is a theatre in Great Newport Street, in Westminster, Central London.
History
It opened on 20 April 1927 as a members-only club for the performance of unlicensed plays, thus avoiding theatre censorship by the Lord Chamber ...
), directed by
John Tiffany
John Richard Tiffany (born c. 1971) is an English theatre director. He directed the internationally successful productions ''Harry Potter and the Cursed Child'', ''Black Watch'' and ''Once''. He has won 2 Tony Awards, an Olivier Award, a Drama ...
and the Abbey Theatre Dublin production of ''Eden'' by Eugene O'Brien (also at the Arts) Directed by
Conor McPherson
Conor McPherson (born 6 August 1971) is an Irish playwright, screenwriter and director of stage and film. In recognition of his contribution to world theatre, McPherson was awarded a doctorate of Literature, Honoris Causa, in June 2013 by the Un ...
, ''Eden'' won both the
Irish Times
''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...
/ESB Award and the Stewart Parker Award for Best New Play. Wallace is a Full Member of the
Society of London Theatre
The Society of London Theatre (SOLT) is an umbrella organisation for West End theatre in London. Founded in 1908, as Society of West End Theatre Managers, then Society of West End Theatre in 1975, changing to its current name in 1994, the (SOLT) ...
. .
Really Useful Group
Wallace was an in-house producer with
Andrew Lloyd Webber's
Really Useful Group
The Really Useful Group Ltd. (RUG) is an international company set up in 1977 by Andrew Lloyd Webber. It is involved in theatre, film, television, video and concert productions, merchandising, magazine publishing, records and music publishing. ...
(RUG) for eight years, where he was responsible for ''Celebration'', Andrew Lloyd Webber's 50th Birthday Concert at the
Royal Albert Hall starring
Glenn Close
Glenn Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress. Throughout her career spanning over four decades, Close has garnered numerous accolades, including two Screen Actors Guild Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, three Primetime Emmy Awards ...
,
Antonio Banderas,
Sarah Brightman and
Elaine Paige
Elaine Jill Paige (née Bickerstaff; born 5 March 1948) is an English singer and actress, best known for her work in musical theatre. Raised in Barnet, Hertfordshire, Paige attended the Aida Foster Theatre School, making her first professiona ...
; ''
Whistle Down the Wind'' (
Aldwych Theatre
The Aldwych Theatre is a West End theatre, located in Aldwych in the City of Westminster, central London. It was listed Grade II on 20 July 1971. Its seating capacity is 1,200 on three levels.
History
Origins
The theatre was constructed in th ...
), which featured "
No Matter What", the hit single recorded by
Boyzone
Boyzone were an Irish boy band, created in 1993 by talent manager Louis Walsh. Before even recording any material, Boyzone made an appearance on RTÉ's '' The Late Late Show''. Their most successful line-up was composed of Keith Duffy, Steph ...
; ''
The Beautiful Game
The Beautiful Game ( pt, o jogo bonito) is a nickname for association football. It was popularised by the Brazilian footballer Pelé, although the exact origin of the phrase is disputed. Stuart Hall, an English football commentator, used it as ...
'' (
Cambridge Theatre
The Cambridge Theatre is a West End theatre, on a corner site in Earlham Street facing Seven Dials, in the London Borough of Camden, built in 1929–30 for Bertie Meyer on an "irregular triangular site".
Design and construction
It was des ...
), winner, Best Musical, in the Critics' Circle Theatre Awards 2000 and ''
Closer to Heaven'' (
Arts Theatre
The Arts Theatre is a theatre in Great Newport Street, in Westminster, Central London.
History
It opened on 20 April 1927 as a members-only club for the performance of unlicensed plays, thus avoiding theatre censorship by the Lord Chamber ...
), with music and lyrics by the
Pet Shop Boys and starring
Frances Barber
Frances Barber (née Brookes, born 13 May 1958) is an English actress. She received Olivier Award nominations for her work in the plays '' Camille'' (1985), and ''Uncle Vanya'' (1997). Her film appearances include three collaborations with Gar ...
.
He also established productions of ''
The Phantom of the Opera
''The Phantom of the Opera'' (french: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra) is a novel by French author Gaston Leroux. It was first published as a serial in from 23 September 1909 to 8 January 1910, and was released in volume form in late March 1910 by Pier ...
'' in Switzerland, Belgium, Mexico and Denmark; a US tour of ''
Cats''; the original production of ''
Sunset Boulevard
Sunset Boulevard is a boulevard in the central and western part of Los Angeles, California, that stretches from the Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades east to Figueroa Street in Downtown Los Angeles. It is a major thoroughfare in ...
'', directed by Trevor Nunn, in Germany, and produced the new production of ''
Sunset Boulevard
Sunset Boulevard is a boulevard in the central and western part of Los Angeles, California, that stretches from the Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades east to Figueroa Street in Downtown Los Angeles. It is a major thoroughfare in ...
'', directed by
Robert Carsen Robert Carsen O.C. (born 23 June 1954) is a Canadian opera director. He was born in Toronto and is the son of philanthropist Walter Carsen.
Early steps towards directing
From an early age "I became obsessed with the theatre" Carsen states and he ...
and starring
Faith Brown
Faith Brown (born Eunice Irene Carroll; 28 May 1944) is an English actress, singer, comedian and impressionist. She was a star of the ITV impressions show '' Who Do You Do?'', and was The Voice in the TV show '' Trapped!''.
Brown was born in ...
. Wallace produced the UK tour of ''
Jesus Christ Superstar'', directed by Gale Edwards, and won an
International Emmy
The International Emmy Awards, or International Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. Bestowed by the New York–based International Academy of Television Arts and Sci ...
Award in 2001 as Executive Producer of the film based on that production. Wallace also produced the Broadway production of ''
Jesus Christ Superstar'', (
Foxwoods Theatre
The Lyric Theatre (previously known as the Ford Center for the Performing Arts, the Hilton Theatre, and the Foxwoods Theatre) is a Broadway theater at 214 West 43rd Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened i ...
), directed by Gale Edwards, that received a 2000 Tony Award Nomination for Best Musical Revival.
''The Lord of the Rings'' stage production
Wallace, with
Saul Zaentz
Saul Zaentz (; February 28, 1921January 3, 2014) was an American film producer and record company executive. He won the Academy Award for Best Picture three times and, in 1996, was awarded the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award.
Zaentz's film p ...
, produced ''
The Lord of the Rings
''The Lord of the Rings'' is an epic high-fantasy novel by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, intended to be Earth at some time in the distant past, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's b ...
'' directed by
Matthew Warchus
Matthew Warchus (born 24 October 1966) is a British theatre director, filmmaker, lyricist, and playwright. He has been the Artistic Director of London's The Old Vic since September 2015.
Personal life
Warchus is married to American actress La ...
, with music by Indian music composer
A. R. Rahman,
Värttinä
Värttinä (, meaning " spindle") is a Finnish folk music band that started as a project by Sari and Mari Kaasinen in 1983 in the village of Rääkkylä, in Karelia, the southeastern region of Finland. Many transformations have taken place in t ...
and Christopher Nightingale. ''
The Lord of the Rings
''The Lord of the Rings'' is an epic high-fantasy novel by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, intended to be Earth at some time in the distant past, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's b ...
'' played in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...
(Princess of Wales Theatre), where the show was nominated for 15 Dora Awards, winning 7, including "Outstanding New Musical" and awards for direction (
Matthew Warchus
Matthew Warchus (born 24 October 1966) is a British theatre director, filmmaker, lyricist, and playwright. He has been the Artistic Director of London's The Old Vic since September 2015.
Personal life
Warchus is married to American actress La ...
), costume design (Rob Howell) and choreography (
Peter Darling
Peter Darling (born 25 October 1963) is an English dancer and choreographer best known for his award-winning work in ''Billy Elliot the Musical''.
In 2010 he choreographed '' Matilda the Musical'' at the RSC's Courtyard Theatre, which has since t ...
) and in London (
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) and backs onto Dr ...
), where it was nominated for 7 Whatsonstage Theatregoer's Choice Awards in 2007 and 5
Olivier Awards
The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply the Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre in London at an annual ceremony in the capital. The awards were originally known as ...
in 2008.
Other productions
In 2009 Wallace produced the Christmas season of Stuart Wood's music hall musical, ''Frank's Closet'', starring Russell Whitehead and Gary Amers, at the
Hoxton Hall
Hoxton Hall is a performance arts theatre and community centre in the Hoxton area of Shoreditch, at 130 Hoxton Street, in the London Borough of Hackney.
A grade II* listed building, the theatre was first built as a Music hall in 1863, as MacDonal ...
in London's East End.
In 2012 Wallace was a co-producer on the musical, ''Loserville'', by
Elliot Davis and
James Bourne
James Elliot Bourne (born 13 September 1983) is an English singer-songwriter and musician. He is known as the co-founder of pop punk bands Busted and Son of Dork, and he also created his own electronic project: Future Boy. From 2013 to 2015 ...
, at The Quarry Theatre,
West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds. ''Loserville'' transferred from
West Yorkshire Playhouse to The Garrick Theatre in London's West End in October 2012, and received a Best New Musical 2013 Olivier Awards nomination.
Wallace was consultant producer to the Australian-based company, Global Creatures, on their stage adaptation ''
King Kong
King Kong is a fictional giant monster resembling a gorilla, who has appeared in various media since 1933. He has been dubbed The Eighth Wonder of the World, a phrase commonly used within the franchise. His first appearance was in the novelizat ...
'', directed by Daniel Kramer, which had its world premiere in Melbourne (
Regent Theatre, Melbourne
The Regent Theatre is an historic former picture palace built in 1929, closed in 1970, and restored and reopened in 1996 as a live theatre in Collins Street, in the city of Melbourne, Australia. It is one of six city theatres collectively kno ...
) on 15 June 2013.
In 2016 Wallace and its Brazilian partners in Tempo Entertainment, premiered a musical based on "
Gabriela Clove and Cinnamon" by "
Jorge Amado
Jorge Leal Amado de Faria (10 August 1912 – 6 August 2001) was a Brazilian writer of the modernist school. He remains the best known of modern Brazilian writers, with his work having been translated into some 49 languages and popularized in ...
", opening at TEATRO CETIP, São Paulo. ''Gabriela'', adapted for the stage by
Adriana Falcão
Adriana Falcão (born in 1960 in Rio de Janeiro) is a Brazilian screenwriter.
Life
Born in Rio de Janeiro but moved to Recife at 11 years old.
First her father committed suicide and later her mother too, taking a fatal dose of sleeping pills.
...
and João Falcão, and directed by João Falcão, won three Bibi Ferreira Awards; Best Brazilian Musical, Best Lighting and Best Direction, and an APCA Cultural Award for Best Director.
In 2017 Wallace co-produced ''I Capture the Castle'', a musical based on the Dodie Smith novel, with Book & Lyrics by Teresa Howard and Music by Steven Edis, at Watford Palace Theatre.
Wallace was Creative & Consultant Producer on the Seven Ages production of ''Cinderella'' directed by Joe Graves and designed by Ti Green that opened at Shanghai Cultural Square Theatre in May 2018 and toured throughout China until September 2019.
As of 2023, Wallace had a new production of ''The Lord of the Rings'' in development. It is being produced by The Watermill theatre in West Berkshire, UK. The production runs from 25th July 2023 to 15th October 2023. It is Directed by Paul Hart (the venue's artistic director)
[https://www.whatsonstage.com/news/full-company-for-the-lord-of-the-rings-musical-revival-announced_1312081/]
Honours and awards
Wallace is a Fellow of
Rose Bruford College
Rose Bruford College (formerly Rose Bruford College of Theatre & Performance) is a drama school in the south London suburb of Sidcup. The college has degree programmes in acting, actor musicianship, directing, theatre arts and various discipl ...
of Theatre and Performance.
Olivier Awards for Best New Musical
*1999: ''Whistle Down the Wind'' (Nomination)
*2001: ''The Beautiful Game'' (Nomination)
*2008: ''The Lord of the Rings'' (Nomination)
*2013: ''Loserville'' (Nomination)
Tony Awards for Best Revival of a Musical
*2000: ''Jesus Christ Superstar'' (Nomination)
Critics' Circle Theatre Awards for Best Musical
*2001: ''The Beautiful Game'' (Won)
Dora Awards for Outstanding New Musical
*2006: ''The Lord of the Rings'' (Won)
International Emmy Awards for Outstanding Performing Arts Program
*2001: ''Jesus Christ Superstar'' (Won)
References
External links
Kevin Wallace Productions official website 2023Lord of the Rings official site for London stage production
Kevin Wallace in 'Actors' file at Limerick City Library, Ireland
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wallace, Kevin
British theatre managers and producers
Living people
1957 births