JOHN FROST
Producer
John Frost is the Managing Director of The Gordon Frost Organisation. Born in Adelaide, he began in show business at the age of 16 as a dresser for J.C. Williamson on their production of Mame. Since then he has worked his way up the showbiz ladder: Wardrobe Master, Stage Manager, Company Manager and now Producer. In 1983 he teamed up with the late Ashley Gordon to form The Gordon/Frost Organisation. Together they negotiated the lease for Sydney’s Footbridge Theatre, where they successfully produced a range of shows including, Jerry’s Girls, Night Mother, The Venetian Twins and Women Behind Bars. The company then moved into large scale musicals such as Big River, The King and I, South Pacific, Hello Dolly!, The Secret Garden, Smokey Joe’s Café, Cabaret and Crazy for You.
He co-produced Sir Peter Hall’s acclaimed productions of Oscar Wilde’s An Ideal Husband starring Googie Withers and John McCallum, and Lady Windermere’s Fan starring Vanessa Redgrave and Joely Richardson at the Theatre Royal Haymarket in London.
In 1998 John Frost joined forces with Sports and Entertainment Limited (SEL) to produce Grease – The Arena Spectacular! The production broke all box office records for an arena event in Australia. His production of The King and I on Broadway won the coveted Tony Award® for ‘Best Revival of a Musical’ as well as the Drama Desk and New York Outer Critics Circle Award. John has also been the recipient of two Mo Awards and a Sydney Critics’ Circle Award and a Lifetime Achievement Award in 1999 from GLUGS.
In 1999 John Frost and SEL presented The Main Event, which toured to critical acclaim and huge box office success. This was followed by a production of the Tony Award®-winning play Art starring Tom Conti.
A hugely successful production of The Sound of Music starring Lisa McCune was followed by Annie with Anthony Warlow, Man of La Mancha, The Wizard of Oz and Footloose.
In 2004/2005 John co-produced around Australia The Producers. This highly acclaimed production garnered five Helpmann Awards® including Best Musical for 2005. In the same year John also co-presented an arena production of Grease starring John Farnham.
John was represented on Broadway with the smash hit musical Hairspray for which he won his second Tony Award®.
Since January 2006 he has produced the national tours of the National Theatre of Great Britain’s celebrated production of An Inspector Calls, the Broadway theatre icon Mandy Patinkin and Hollywood and cabaret legend Debbie Reynolds.
John Frost, in partnership with The Really Useful Company Asia Pacific, presented The Phantom of the Opera Australia Tour starring Anthony Warlow. In 2009 John was represented on Broadway with the play, Exit the King, starring Geoffrey Rush and Susan Sarandon. Also in that year, John brought Mandy Patinkin back on tour to Australia with fellow theatre icon Patti LuPone.
John is currently producer for the Julie Andrews World Tour of Gift of Music and is also one of the producers of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert – The Musical, which is now playing in London.
In Australia, John is currently co-producing the Broadway blockbuster Wicked as well as producing Kelley Abbey’s new production of FAME the Musical and the current Australian and Asian tour of Chicago.
In the 1999 Australia Day Honours, John was awarded an OAM for his contribution to the Arts.
TIM FIRTH
Writer
Tim's theatre credits include NEVILLE'S ISLAND (Nominated Best Comedy Evening Standard & Olivier Awards 1994, winner Best Play MEN Awards 2006), THE SAFARI PARTY, the musical OUR HOUSE (Olivier Award Best New Musical 2002), the musical THE FLINT STREET NATIVITY (record-breaking productions two years running at Liverpool Playhouse, revived as THE CORSTORPHINE ROAD NATIVITY at Edinburgh Festival Theatre) and recently SIGN OF THE TIMES. Tim's stage adaptation of CALENDAR GIRLS, produced by David Pugh & Dafydd Rogers, has broken all British box office records for a play and is currently on tour in the UK and worldwide. It was nominated for an Olivier and won the 2010 Whatsonstage Best Comedy Award.
Film credits include BLACKBALL, CALENDAR GIRLS (British Comedy Awards, Best Film 2003) and KINKY BOOTS (Sundance Selection, Best International Feature, Florida Film Festival).
Television credits include MONEY FOR NOTHING (Writers’ Guild Awards Best Television Film 1993) THE ROTTENTROLLS 4 series (BAFTA Award, best children’s Entertainment 1997), CRUISE OF THE GODS, THE FLINT STREET NATIVITY and PRESTON FRONT (3 series Writer’s Guild Best Series; Comedy Awards, best Comedy Drama, RTS Awards Best Series, BAFTA nominated best drama series).
Recently Tim co-wrote a tour of words and original songs with Willy Russell called THE SINGING PLAYWRIGHTS. Currently Tim is working on a new film and a new play.
PSYCHE SCOTT
Director
Psyche was winner of the Channel 4 Directors Bursary and Director in Residence at Northern Stage in Newcastle (UK) 2006/07; she was invited on to the National Theatre Studio Directors programme in 2006 and was Resident Assistant Director at the Kings Head Theatre in 2004.
Recent Theatre includes Directing “Calendar Girls” on the UK Tour in 2010, New Connections Festival (National Theatre 2009) “Personal Enemy” (RADA world premiere, reading)”Miniaturists 19” (Arcola), “New Writing Shorts” (Operating Theatre), “Pub Quiz” (Northern Stage and North East Theatre Consortium UK Tour), “Felix” (Kings Head/Zeitgeist Theatre), “The Jewish Wife” (Graeae, Clore Theatre),”That’s How I’d Go” (Nabakovs Present Tense, “Love and Money” (Young Vic Studio) “A Raisin In the Sun” (Young Vic Studio), “Four Walls” (Kings Head), “Everything and Nothing” (Jersey Arts Centre).
She was Associate Director of “Calendar Girls” (Chichester Festival Theatre, UK Tour 2008, West End 2009), “Our Friends in the North” (Northern Stage and UK Tour). Psyche’s early career included as Assistant Director “Ruby Moon” (Northern Stage, Stage 2), “The Little Prince” (Northern Stage, Stage 1), “Son of Man” (Northern Stage, Epic Space), “Mammals” (Bush Productions tour), “The Knight of the Burning Pestle” (Barbican BITE:05, Young ViC). She was Project Manager for Living Pictures, Directors Acting Programme 2004 – 06.