The Production Company

The Production Company was an Australian not-for-profit theatre company that staged a series of usually three musicals at the Arts Centre Melbourne each year.^[1]

The Production Company

Formation	1999
Type	Theatre group
Purpose	Musical Theatre
Location	Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Artistic director(s)	Ken Mackenzie-Forbes AM
Website	www.theproductioncompany.com.au

It was launched in 1999 by Jeanne Pratt AC^[2] with the goal of providing "professional opportunities for local artists and to entertain Melbourne audiences with the best shows from Broadway and beyond".^[3] The company closed in 2020.

The Production Company specialised in revivals of popular and lesser known musicals with short (two week) rehearsal periods and short runs.^[4] It also produced the Australian professional premieres of Thoroughly Modern Millie, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Grey Gardens, Nice Work If You Can Get It, Curtains, A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, Lazurus and Ragtime.

Its productions typically featured well-known Australian musical theatre performers such as Caroline O'Connor (Gypsy, Funny Girl), Michael Falzon (Chess), Marina Prior (Guys and Dolls, Kiss Me, Kate), Todd McKenney (The Boy from Oz, La Cage aux Folles), Lucy Durack (Kiss Me, Kate, Thoroughly Modern Millie), Christie Whelan Browne (The Producers, Sugar), Elise McCann (Brigadoon, Oklahoma) and Amanda Harrison (Anything Goes, Oklahoma!).

Seasons

The list of early productions can be found on the AusStage^[5] database

1990s 1999 She Loves Me Mame Funny Girl 2000s 2000 Guys and Dolls The Gilbert & Sullivan Show Gypsy Call Me Madam 2001 Anything Goes Mack and Mabel How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying 2002 Hello, Dolly! The Music Man Hair - The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical 2003 They're Playing Our Song South Pacific Bye Bye Birdie Hair (Sydney season and Melbourne return season) 2004 Annie Get Your Gun Carousel High Society 2005 Oklahoma! Sunset Boulevard Kiss Me, Kate South Pacific (Adelaide season) 2006 Thoroughly Modern Millie Camelot The Pajama Game 2007 Sweet Charity^[6] Little Me 42nd Street

2008 Follies (State Theatre, 16–20 July)^[7] Damn Yankees^[8] Mame^[9] 2009 Crazy for You (State Theatre, 15–19 July)^[4] Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (State Theatre, 30 September – 4 October)^[10] The Boyfriend (State Theatre, 12–16 August)^[11] 2010s 2010 The King & I (State Theatre, 14–25 July)^[12] The Boy From Oz (State Theatre, 18–22 August)^[13] Sugar (State Theatre, 29 September - 3 October)^[14] 2011 The Boy From Oz (State Theatre, 5–16 January; 9–13 February)^[15] Anything Goes (State Theatre, 20–24 July)^[16] Kismet (State Theatre, 17–21 August)^[17] Grey Gardens (Playhouse, 24 November–4 December)^[18] 2012 The Producers (State Theatre, 10–15 July)^[19] Chess (State Theatre, 21–26 August)^[20] Promises, Promises (State Theatre, 3–7 October)^[21] 2013 Gypsy (State Theatre, 6–14 July)^[22] Singin’ in the Rain (State Theatre, 21–25 August) The Pirates of Penzance (Hamer Hall, 30 October – 3 November) 2014 Guys And Dolls (State Theatre, 19–27 July) Show Boat (State Theatre, 16–24 August) La Cage aux Folles (Playhouse, 21 November – 7 December) 2015 West Side Story (State Theatre) Nice Work If You Can Get It (State Theatre) Jerry's Girls (Playhouse) 2016 Funny Girl (State Theatre) Curtains (State Theatre) Dusty (Playhouse) 2017 Hello, Dolly! (Playhouse) Jesus Christ Superstar (State Theatre) Brigadoon (State Theatre) 2018^[23] Oklahoma! (State Theatre) The Boy from Oz (State Theatre) A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder (Playhouse, Australian premiere) 2019^[24] Lazarus (Playhouse, Australian premiere) Thoroughly Modern Millie (State Theatre) Ragtime (State Theatre, Australian premiere)

Awards

Helpmann Awards

The Production Company's production of Grey Gardens was nominated for the 2012 Helpmann Award for Best Musical.^[25] Performers and creatives who have won Helpmann Awards for their work with The Production Company include Pamela Rabe and Nancye Hayes for Grey Gardens (for Best Female Actor in a Musical and Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical, respectively), and David Campbell for Sunset Boulevard (for Best Male Actor in a Musical).

Green Room Awards

The Production Company's production of Chess received the 2012 Melbourne Green Room Award for Outstanding Musical Production (as well as seven other awards).^[26]

References

1. "Welcome". The Age. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
2. "The Production Company Celebrates 10th Anniversary". Australian Stage. 6 March 2008. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
3. "Welcome". The Production Company. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
4. Graham Ford. "Crazy For you". Stage Whisper. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
5. "The Production Company". Retrieved 13 June 2013.
6. "Production Company Announces 2007 Season". 16 April 2007. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
7. Michael Finn (18 July 2008). "Follies The Production Company". Australian Stage. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
8. Vito Mattarelli (21 August 2008). "Damn Yankees The Production Company". Australian Stage. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
9. Melita Pereira (3 October 2008). "Mame The Production Company". Australian Stage. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
10. "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels". Stage Whispers. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
11. Darryl Emmerson (13 August 2009). "The Boyfriend The Production Company". Australian Stage. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
12. Simon Parris (18 May 2010). "TPC Expands King & I to Two Week Season". Theatre People. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
13. Simon Parris (8 August 2010). "Boy From Oz". Theatre People. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
14. Simon Parris (30 September 2010). "Sugar". Theatre People. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
15. Simon Parris (9 December 2010). "Boy Bonanza". Theatre People. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
16. Simon Parris (21 July 2011). "Anything Goes". Theatre People. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
17. Simon Parris (18 August 2011). "Kismet". Theatre People. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
18. Simon Parris (24 November 2011). "Grey Gardens". Theatre People. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
19. K.E. Weber (5 July 2012). "Brent Hill - The Producers - Its Good To be The King". Theatre People. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
20. Michelle Pountney (13 August 2012). "Players back in the game". Herald Sun. Retrieved 10 February 2013.
21. Simon Parris (4 October 2012). "Promises Promises". Theatre People. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
22. "The Production Company Announces Season 2013". Stage Whispers. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
23. "The Production Company celebrates 20 years of delivering musicals to Melbourne". 12 May 2018.
24. "The Production Company Launches 2019 Season with a Bowie exclusive". noise11.com. 19 February 2019.
25. "2012 Helpmann Award Winners Announced". Stage Whispers. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
26. "2012 Green Room Awards Recipients". Australian Stage Online. 6 May 2013. Retrieved 6 May 2013.

External links

• Official Website