Shelley M. Shier is a Canadian-American entrepreneur, art consultant, curator, music and theatrical producer.

Early life

Her mother, Rosaline Cutler Shier Sonshine, remains socially active, primarily in various charities and as an award winning sponsor of law enforcement initiative 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 ancho ...

, Ontario, Canada. Her father, Harry Shier was a noted Canadian industrialist (OSF) and investor with strong ties to the entertainment industry. Shier lived in Toronto, but also Miami and New York City. Her extended family, includes her stepfather, Harry Sonshine, an industrialist and sports figure, her stepmother, Roni Chesler Shier, and her step grandfather, Lou Chesler, an entrepreneur active in real estate development (Freeport), and entertainment (

Warner Bros.-Seven Arts Warner Bros.-Seven Arts, Inc. was a short-lived American entertainment company active from 1967 until 1969. History Seven Arts Productions acquired Jack L. Warner's controlling interest in Warner Bros. Pictures for $32 million in November 19 ...

). Shier attended

Branksome Hall Branksome Hall is an independent day and boarding school for girls in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School and a university-preparatory school. All three IB programs are offered: the Primary Years Pro ...

in Toronto and later studied for four years with Stella Adler in New York City. She became a US citizen in 2005. Shier left Canada to study with Stella Adler in New York (1976-1980) and graduated from the Conservatory of Acting at City Center. At the same time she was a company member of The Soho Artist's Theater for five years. During this time she supported herself working for New York City art galleries and with private clients at Sotheby's and Christie's.

Career

In 1983, Shier formed HOSS, Inc. a production company that over the next twenty five years produced hundreds of music festivals (The Floating Jazz Festival, The Blues Cruise), concerts ( Tony Bennett, Tommy Tune,

Debbie Reynolds Mary Frances "Debbie" Reynolds (April 1, 1932 – December 28, 2016) was an American actress, singer, and businesswoman. Her career spanned almost 70 years. She was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer for her portra ...

), and theatrical productions (''

Sweet Charity ''Sweet Charity'' is a musical with music by Cy Coleman, lyrics by Dorothy Fields and book by Neil Simon. It was directed and choreographed for Broadway by Bob Fosse starring his wife and muse Gwen Verdon alongside John McMartin. It is based on ...

'', ''

I Do! I Do! ''I Do! I Do!'' is a musical with a book and lyrics by Tom Jones and music by Harvey Schmidt which is based on the Jan de Hartog play ''The Fourposter''. The two-character story spans 50 years, from 1895 to 1945, as it focuses on the ups and dow ...

'', ''

Hair Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals. The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and f ...

'', ''

Jesus Christ Superstar ''Jesus Christ Superstar'' is a sung-through rock opera with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. Loosely based on the Gospels' accounts of the Passion, the work interprets the psychology of Jesus and other characters, with ...

'') throughout the world. In the mid-1990s Shier produced and toured, Hair, Jesus Christ Superstar and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band in conjunction with the original Broadway director,

Tom O'Horgan Tom O'Horgan (May 3, 1924 – January 11, 2009) was an American theatre and film director, composer, actor and musician. He is best known for his Broadway work as director of the hit musicals ''Hair'' and ''Jesus Christ Superstar''. During his ca ...

. In following years, working with

Gwen Verdon Gwyneth Evelyn "Gwen" Verdon (January 13, 1925October 18, 2000) was an American actress and dancer. She won four Tony Awards for her musical comedy performances, and served as an uncredited choreographer's assistant and specialty dance coach for t ...

and Grover Dale and the Bob Fosse Estate, she presented Sweet Charity and A Tribute to Bob Fosse. Simultaneously, she produced I Do, I Do and A Tribute To Marge and Gower Champion, working with the legendary Marge Champion. In 1996 she produced a series of special events for the Barcelona Olympics. In 1998 she formed Broadway Bound, Inc. and the following year established a theatrical company aboard the legendary ocean liner

Queen Elizabeth 2 ''Queen Elizabeth 2'' (''QE2'') is a retired British ocean liner converted into a floating hotel. Originally built for the Cunard Line, the ship, named as the second ship named ''Queen Elizabeth'', was operated by Cunard as both a transatlantic ...

. Over the next six years she produced, wrote and toured six new shows. Her production of Enter The Guardsman was produced simultaneously on the

QE2 ''Queen Elizabeth 2'' (''QE2'') is a retired British ocean liner converted into a floating hotel. Originally built for the Cunard Line, the ship, named as the second ship named ''Queen Elizabeth'', was operated by Cunard as both a transatlantic ...

and New York's Vineyard Theater. In 2006, Shier expanded Broadway Bound, creating Broadway Bound Fine Arts and Entertainment to include a Fine Arts Division to orchestrate the acquisition of a wide range of art works, paintings, sculpture, and photography, for indoor and outdoor installations. These installations include large-scale projects in public places, intimate exhibitions, as well as artwork for residential spaces and premium hotels worldwide. Among Shier's recent projects is the creation and development of the Pride of Canada Carousel, a multimillion-dollar fine art carousel commissioned by the Remington Group, that is the artistic centerpiece of Downtown Markham, a new city, outside Toronto, Ontario. The Pride of Canada Carousel opened to great critical acclaim on Canada Day, July 1, 2016. On December 13, 2018, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited The Pride of Canada Carousel in Downtown Markham as part of the Christmas event festivities. Shier is also developing ground breaking interior and exterior art installations worldwide. The Toronto Marriott Markham Hotel is her latest project, and features an extensive collection of public art. Shier continues to work closely with a number of visual artists and has been instrumental in arranging exhibitions for them in New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Dallas, Toronto and Oslo.

Humanitarian causes

When not developing large-scale art projects, photography exhibits, musical, theatrical and film productions, or integrating new artistic properties, Shier devotes much of her time to charitable causes, including special events for Save The Children, The Jazz Gallery and The Jazz Foundation of America. A Black Belt in karate, in addition to teaching karate and kickboxing, she is also an accomplished equestrian. Shelley is a member of Music On The Inside, Harmony and Hope in Criminal Justice, The Blues Foundation, and The National Alliance of Musical Theater.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shier, Shelley M. Living people Women theatre managers and producers American art dealers Women art dealers Canadian art dealers Year of birth missing (living people)