| Kevin Wallace | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Kevin Gerard Wallace |
| Born | 19 June 1957 Limerick, Ireland. |
| Occupations | Theatrical producer |
| Years active | 1990–present |
Kevin Gerard Wallace (born Limerick, Ireland on 19 June 1957) was in-house producer with Andrew Lloyd Webber's Really Useful Group (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, Antonio Banderas, Sarah Brightman and Elaine Paige, Whistle Down the Wind (Aldwych Theatre), which featured "No Matter What", the hit single recorded by Boyzone that sold over 1 million copies in the UK alone , The Beautiful Game (Cambridge Theatre), winner, Best Musical, in the Critics' Circle Theatre Awards 2000 and Closer to Heaven (Arts Theatre), with music and lyrics by the Pet Shop Boys and starring Frances Barber. He also established productions of The Phantom of the Opera in Switzerland, Belgium, Mexico and Denmark; a US tour of Cats; the original production of Sunset Boulevard, directed by Trevor Nunn, in Germany, and produced the new production of Sunset Boulevard, directed by Robert Carsen and starring Faith Brown. Kevin produced the UK tour of Jesus Christ Superstar and won an International Emmy Award in 2001 as Executive Producer of the film based on that production.
Before joining RUG, he produced The Emperor Jones (Offstage Downstairs), Our Town (Shaftesbury Theatre) starring Alan Alda and Robert Sean Leonard with Jonny Lee Miller in his first West End role, and Tim Luscombe's Eurovision starring Anita Dobson and James Dreyfus. 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/Royal National Theatre production of Gregory Burke's Gagarin Way (Arts Theatre), directed by John Tiffany and the Abbey Theatre Dublin production of Eden by Eugene O'Brien (also at the Arts). Directed by Conor McPherson, Eden won both the Irish Times/ESB Award and the Stewart Parker Award for Best New Play.
Most recently Kevin Wallace, with Saul Zaentz, produced The Lord of the Rings directed by Matthew Warchus, with music by A. R. Rahman, Värttinä and Christopher Nightingale. The Lord of the Rings played in Toronto (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), costume design (Rob Howell) and choreography (Peter Darling) and in London (Theatre Royal, Drury Lane),[1][2] where it was nominated for 7 Whatsonstage Theatregoer's Choice Awards in 2007 [3] and 5 Olivier Awards in 2008.[4]
The National Geographic Channel produced a 50 minute television programme as part of their INSIDE series that followed The Lord of the Rings London production from the first day of rehearsals to the first performance. Since July 2007 the programme has aired on international National Geographic channels in over 30 countries, and on PBS in the United States.
Kevin Wallace productions outside London’s West End are produced and presented by FIRST ACT! Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Kevin Wallace Limited. In 2009 FIRST ACT! Limited produced the Christmas season of Stuart Wood's music hall musical, Frank's Closet starring Russell Whitehead and Gary Amers, at the historic Hoxton Hall in London's East End.
In 2012, Kevin Wallace for FIRST ACT! Limited will co-produce the new musical, Loserville, by Elliot Davis and James Bourne, with West Yorkshire Playhouse and Youth Music Theatre UK at The Quarry Theatre, West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds, with performances from 16 June until 14 July 2012. http://www.loservillemusical.tv.
Kevin Wallace also worked as a stage and television actor in his native Ireland and in Britain, with the Abbey Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), Bristol Old Vic, The Liverpool Everyman, Oxford Playhouse, Yorkshire Television and the BBC.
In September 2011, Kevin Wallace was made a Fellow of Rose Bruford College of Theatre and Performance.