David Mirvish | |
---|---|
Born | |
Nationality | Canadian |
Occupation(s) | Theatrical producer, Business owner, Art collector |
Spouse | Audrey Mirvish (m. 1967) |
Children | 3 |
Parent(s) | Ed Mirvish, Anne Macklin |
8th Chancellor of the University of Guelph | |
In office February 13, 2012 –c. 2017 | |
Preceded by | Pamela Wallin |
Succeeded by | Martha Billes |
David Mirvish, CM OOnt (born August 29,1944) is a Canadian theatre producer,impresario,and art collector. He owns and operates Toronto-based theatrical production company Mirvish Productions,which he founded with his father in 1986. [1] He has also produced and presented several productions on Broadway and in London's West End.
Mirvish is also a prominent art collector,having amassed a large collection of Canadian and international works,including from renowned artists Frank Stella and Jules Olitski. [2] Between 1963 and 1978,he owned and ran an art gallery and museum,David Mirvish Gallery. [3] He also owned an independent bookstore specializing in art and design between 1974 and 2009. [4]
Mirvish is the only child of Anne Lazar Macklin,an artist,and "Honest" Ed Mirvish,who was a Toronto businessman and owner of the discount department store,Honest Ed's. He is Jewish. [5]
Mirvish married his high-school sweetheart Audrey in 1967. [6] They have three children,Jacob,Hannah,and Rachael. [7] [8]
He has contributed to,and partnered with,many non-profit organizations,charities and other philanthropic organizations,including the Toronto Public Library,the Toronto Arts Foundation,and Kids Up Front. [9] [10] In 2023,he worked with The Thirty Birds Foundation to provide Kabul school girls who had fled Afghanistan with access to tickets to shows,including the Canadian production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child . [11]
In 1986, Mirvish co-founded Mirvish Productions with his father, with the purpose of producing and presenting large-scale original works at the Royal Alexandra Theatre, and, in 1993, the newly built Princess of Wales Theatre. Following his father's retirement, Mirvish took over control of the Royal Alexandra Theatre, which was initially purchased as a temporary venue for touring productions. [12] [13]
Mirvish experienced early success with Canadian productions, such as Les Misérables (1989-1990), Miss Saigon (1993-1995), Crazy for You (1993-1995), and Beauty and the Beast (1995-1997). After productions of Tommy (1995) and Jane Eyre (1996-1997) were less successful, Mirvish once again found continued success with other large-scale musicals. In 1999, Mirvish announced they would be launching a Canadian sit-down production of The Lion King , which premiered at the Princess of Wales Theatre in March 2000. [14] Also that same year, Mamma Mia! made its North American premiere at the Royal Alexandra Theatre. After its success, Mirvish opened a Canadian sit-down production of the musical which ran for five years. [15] After declining theatre attendance because of the SARS outbreak, The Lion King closed in January 2004 and Mamma Mia closed in May 2005. [16]
In 2005, he partnered with Kevin Wallace, Saul Zaentz, and Michael Cohl to produce The Lord of the Rings , a stage musical adaptation based on J. R. R. Tolkien's novels of the same name. The world premiere production opened in March 2005, and cost an estimated $30 million. [17] The musical closed on September 3, 2006, following poor sales and negative reviews. [18] The musical, which was advertised as the most expensive stage production in North American history, was unable to fully repay its investors. [18]
In 2008, Mirvish finalized a deal to acquire both the Canon Theatre and the Panasonic Theatre. The sale was challenged by Aubrey Dan, but Mirvish ultimately prevailed, giving him two Yonge Street theatres. [19] [20] The Canon Theatre was later renamed the Ed Mirvish Theatre in honour of his father. [21]
In 2018, Mirvish mounted a sit-down production of the Canadian musical Come from Away at the Royal Alexandra Theatre. As a result of the production's success, the production was relocated to the Elgin Theatre in 2019 to accommodate the new Canadian sit-down production of Dear Evan Hansen , which was promised the Royal Alexandra Theatre. [22] Come from Away later returned to the Royal Alexandra Theatre, and, after a hiatus because of the COVID-19 pandemic, returned in December 2021. However, the musical permanently closed after only a few performances amidst tightened pandemic restrictions that were re-introduced. [23] Come from Away played 855 performances in Toronto, making it the longest-running Canadian show and musical. [24]
In May 2022, a Canadian production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child premiered at the Ed Mirvish Theatre. [25] The theatre underwent an extensive $5 million renovation and set a Canadian weekly box office record for a non-musical play, grossing an estimated $2 million in sales. [26] By the time the play closed, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child set a record for the longest running professional play in Canadian history. [25]
In November 2023, Mirvish announced that The Lion King would return to Toronto for an open-ended run at the Princess of Wales Theatre. According to Mirvish, this would be the first time in North America that a city will host a second sit-down production of the musical, with the original Canadian production having run from 2000 to 2004. [27]
In 1982, Mirvish and his father purchased The Old Vic, a performing arts theatre when it was placed for sale. Mirvish's winning bid was approximately, £550,000, outbidding Andrew Lloyd Webber. [28] They immediately began renovating and refurbishing the theater. The theatre reopened on October 31, 1983 with The Queen Mother in attendance. [29]
In 1987, Mirvish installed Jonathan Miller as artistic director. They experienced a string of critical and commercial success, including winning an Olivier Award for a production of the musical Candide. However, after three consecutive years of mounting financial losses, Miller resigned in 1990. [30] Sir Peter Hall was also appointed artistic director of The Old Vic. [31] Under Hall's direction, the company experienced success with productions of The Master Builder and Waiting for Godot . Despite the successes, the financial losses continued. By 1998, Mirvish sold The Old Vic to a charitable trust, which has continued operating the theatre as a non-profit. [32] [33]
Mirvish began his career as an art collector in 1963, when he was 19 years old. That same year, he opened his first business, David Mirvish Gallery, to display contemporary Canadian, American and British art. In 1974, he opened David Mirvish Books, an independent bookstore dedicated to books on art and design. The bookstore closed in 2009. [4]
Since the closure of the art gallery in 1978, Mirvish continues to buy and sell Canadian and international artwork as a private collector. In addition, he lends works to museums and occasionally puts them on display in his theatres. [34]
In 1963, at the age of 19, Mirvish opened an art gallery that specialized in American abstract painters of the 1960s and 1970s known as the Color Field school. [35] The David Mirvish Gallery was one of the first businesses to open in the new Markham Street community, which later became known as Mirvish Village. [3]
The gallery primarily showcased Color Field and Post-painterly Abstraction works. Over the next 15 years, through approximately 130 exhibitions, the gallery became a focal point of Toronto's cultural life and was considered a pillar in the establishment of the abstract art movement in Canada. By the mid-1970s, Mirvish found that much of the artwork that interested him and that he wanted to display had decreased in popularity. [34] Despite this, the gallery continued to provide both inventory and expertise to a number of commercial art dealers worldwide and to lend works to scholarly exhibitions even after closing public exhibitions in the summer of 1978. [34]
In 1974, Mirvish opened an independent bookstore, David Mirvish Books, which specialized in books on visual arts, architecture, photography, design and film. [36] The bookstore was originally located directly across the street from his art gallery, and located near Honest Ed's. [36] However, upon closure of his art gallery in 1978, the bookstore relocated into its premises. [36]
In a similar spirit to his father's company, the bookstore sought to offer quality products at good value. The store also featured a 50-foot wall painting by Frank Stella, Damascus Gate, Stretch Variation. [4] The bookstore developed a cult following, and was popular among arts students and researchers since it offered many out-of-print books on art and design. [37]
The store closed in 2009, citing the changing retail market for small independent bookstores and uncertain economic market at the time. [4]
In 1999, Mirvish worked with Toronto real-estate developer Harry Stinson to purchase the building at 1 King Street West in downtown Toronto, and transform it into a mixed-use development featuring luxury condominiums, hotel suites, and commercial office space. The property became known as One King West . The redevelopment and renovation project began in 2000, and cost an estimated $95 million. [38] The luxury condos opened in 2006, however, later that year, Mirvish dissolved the partnership with Stinson. [39] Mirvish accused Stinson of owing him $11.8 million that was overdue. [39] In response to Mirvish's demand for payment, Stinson filed for bankruptcy protection. [40] This dispute led to Mirvish retaining some of the more valuable parts of the property, which included three penthouses and ownership of unsold units. [40] Mirvish eventually ended up selling off these assets. [41]
In August 2010, Mirvish announced that he would provide a 9,765 square foot space to Theatre Museum Canada. This provided the mostly online museum with its first permanent space for exhibition. [42]
In September 2012, Mirvish unveiled plans to demolish the Princess of Wales Theatre, where it would be replaced as part of a development project designed by renowned architect Frank Gehry. [43] The plan included the construction of three condominium towers, referred to as "sculptures", and a large public gallery called the Mirvish Collection, which would showcase Mirvish's extensive art collection. [44] Additionally, the project aimed to create a new campus for OCAD University, which would integrate cultural and educational elements into the residential complex. Although admitting he was hesitant to destroy the theatre, Mirvish still believed that this project would combine residential spaces with significant cultural amenities, and improve Toronto's reputation as a global cultural destination. [45]
This plan faced significant criticism and was ultimately rejected by Toronto Council due to concerns about over-densification, the towers' height, and the area's historical value as a cultural hub. [46] In response to these objections, Mirvish substantially revised his plans. In May 2014, he unveiled a new proposal that retained the Princess of Wales Theatre while still pursuing a major development project. The revised plan reduced the number of towers from three to two, with heights of 92 and 82 storeys, respectively. This modification decreased the overall density by 25-30% and reduced the number of residential units by 600. [46] The new design also incorporated a public square between the towers at street level and maintained space for art exhibitions. This compromise addressed many of the city's concerns while still allowing for significant development. This received support from the city's planning department, with Chief Planner Jennifer Keesmaat stating they were "substantively towards agreement". [46]
Between 2002 and 2005, Mirvish was a member of the Board of Trustees of the Royal Ontario Museum and the National Gallery of Canada. [47]
In February 2012, Mirvish was appointed the 8th Chancellor of the University of Guelph and was installed as Chancellor at the June 2012 convocation ceremonies. [48] Mirvish's appointment as Chancellor was extended in 2014. However, in September 2016, Mirvish resigned as Chancellor citing increased personal and work responsibilities. [49]
Mirvish presents several shows specifically for Toronto that play for either a limited engagement or an extended run, of which Mirvish was a producer or co-producer on:
As a producer, Mirvish has been nominated for 19 Tony Awards, winning 5 times.
Year | Nominated work | Category | Result |
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2008 | Macbeth | Best Revival of a Play | Nominated |
2009 | Guys and Dolls | Best Revival of a Musical | Nominated |
2013 | Lucky Guy | Best Play | Nominated |
2014 | Violet | Best Revival of a Musical | Nominated |
2015 | Skylight | Best Revival of a Play | Won |
2017 | Dear Evan Hansen | Best Musical | Won |
Come from Away | Nominated | ||
2018 | The Band's Visit | Best Musical | Won |
Angels in America | Best Revival of a Play | Won | |
Three Tall Women | Nominated | ||
The Iceman Cometh | Nominated | ||
2019 | Ain't Too Proud | Best Musical | Nominated |
Oklahoma! | Best Revival of a Musical | Won | |
Torch Song | Best Revival of a Play | Nominated | |
The Waverly Gallery | Nominated | ||
2020 | Jagged Little Pill | Best Musical | Nominated |
Tina: The Tina Turner Musical | Nominated | ||
2022 | Girl from the North Country | Best Musical | Nominated |
Hangmen | Best Play | Nominated |
Yehuda Edwin "Honest Ed" Mirvish, was an American-Canadian businessman, philanthropist and theatrical impresario who lived in Toronto, Ontario. He is known for his flagship business, Honest Ed's, a landmark discount store in downtown Toronto, and as a patron of the arts, instrumental in revitalizing the theatre scene in Toronto.
The Royal Alexandra Theatre, commonly known as the Royal Alex, is an historic performing arts theatre in Toronto, Ontario. The theatre is located at 260 King Street West, in the downtown Toronto Entertainment District. Owned and operated by Mirvish Productions, the theatre has approximately 1,244 seats across three levels. Built in 1907, the Royal Alexandra Theatre is the oldest continuously operating legitimate theatre in North America.
The Princess of Wales Theatre is a 2,000-seat live theatre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located on King Street West, in Toronto's downtown Entertainment District. The theatre's name has a triple meaning: it honours Diana, Princess of Wales, with whose consent the theatre was named; it links the building to its sister theatre, the Royal Alexandra, one block to the east, also named – with Royal assent – for a former Princess of Wales; and it recalls the Princess Theatre, Toronto's first "first-class legitimate" playhouse, that stood three blocks to the east until 1931.
The Ed Mirvish Theatre is a historic performing arts theatre in Toronto, Ontario, located near Yonge–Dundas Square. Owned and operated by Mirvish Productions, the theatre has approximately 2,300 seats across two levels. There are two entrances to the theatre, located at 263 Yonge Street and 244 Victoria Street.
Stephanie Marie Toscano DiDomenicantonio, also known as Steffi D, is a Canadian singer and actress, who first rose to prominence as a fifth-place finalist on the fourth season of Canadian Idol.
Louise Pitre is a Canadian actress in musical theatre. She performs on Broadway and in Canada. She is best known for her role as Donna Sheridan in the ABBA-themed musical Mamma Mia!, which earned her a 2002 Tony Award nomination.
Two Pianos Four Hands, also referred to as 2 Pianos 4 Hands, is a Canadian musical comedy play, written and originally performed by Ted Dykstra and Richard Greenblatt. It follows Ted and Richard, two boys who aspire to become famous classical pianists. The play follows their journey from childhood, and as the boys grow older, their competitions and music auditions. Two Pianos Four Hands premiered at the Tarragon Theatre in Toronto in 1996, and has since been staged on five continents and has been regarded as one of the most successful Canadian plays.
Mirvish Productions, commonly known as Mirvish, is a Canadian theatrical production company, based in Toronto. Founded in 1986 by David Mirvish with his father, Ed Mirvish, it is the largest commercial theatre company in Canada. Mirvish Productions own and operate four theatres in the downtown Toronto area: the Royal Alexandra Theatre, Princess of Wales Theatre, Ed Mirvish Theatre, and the CAA Theatre.
Dancap Productions was a Canadian theatrical production company, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 2007 by Aubrey Dan, the company presented large-scale musicals and plays in Toronto. The company initially found success with its Canadian production of Jersey Boys, which ran in Toronto for two years. After six years, Dancap Productions closed in July 2012.
The Toronto Theatre District is a part of the Toronto Entertainment District in Downtown Toronto that contains the largest concentration of stage theatres in Canada. It is the third largest English-speaking theatre district in the world, after West End in London and Broadway in New York City.
David Mirvish Gallery was a contemporary, commercial art gallery run by David Mirvish, within the Markham Street art community in Mirvish Village in Toronto. It opened in 1963 and closed in 1978. Artists at the gallery were best known for Color Field and Post-painterly Abstraction works. Mirvish assembled the Mirvish Collection, consisting of mostly contemporary artwork including artists he represented, lending it out to museums around the United States and Europe after the gallery's closure. In 2012, Mirvish announced plans to open a gallery to display these works, at planned condominium project Mirvish+Gehry Toronto.
Pressure is a 2014 play written by David Haig, based on true events that took place during World War II. It centres on the true story of James Stagg and the weather forecasts that determined the date of the D-Day landings as part of Operation Overlord. The personal and military stresses of Stagg, the tensions between the teams with different weather forecasts for the date of the proposed D-Day, and the events of the 72 hours leading up to D-Day are explored throughout the play. It premiered at the Royal Lyceum Theatre in Edinburgh in May 2014, and had its West End premiere at the Ambassadors Theatre in June 2018. The play had its North American premiere at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto in January 2023.
Dan Chameroy is a Canadian actor and singer, best known for his work in musical theatre. In 1995, he originated the role of Gaston in the Canadian premiere production of Beauty and the Beast at the Princess of Wales Theatre. Chameroy also originated the role of Miss Trunchbull in the Canadian premiere production of Matilda at the Ed Mirvish Theatre, and reprised the role in the show's first national tour. He has also co-created and performed as the character "Plumbum" at several Ross Petty pantomimes.
Erica Peck is a Canadian actress, singer, and entrepreneur. In 2007, she originated the role of Scaramouche in the Canadian premiere production of We Will Rock You at the Canon Theatre. Peck also appeared in the Canadian premiere production of Kinky Boots, and in the North American tours of We Will Rock You and Kinky Boots.
Come from Away is a musical, with book, music and lyrics by Irene Sankoff and David Hein. It is based on the events in the Newfoundland town of Gander during the week following the September 11 attacks, when 38 planes, carrying approximately 7,000 passengers, were ordered to land unexpectedly at Gander International Airport. The characters in the musical are based on actual Gander residents and stranded travelers they housed and fed.
David Hein is a Canadian librettist, composer-lyricist, musician, and actor best known for co-writing the Broadway musical Come from Away with his writing partner and wife, Irene Sankoff.
Irene Sankoff is a Canadian librettist and composer–lyricist, best known for co-writing the Broadway musical Come from Away with her writing partner and husband, David Hein.
Room is a play with songs based on the 2010 novel of the same name by Emma Donoghue, which was also adapted into a 2015 film of the same name. It tells the story of Ma, who was kidnapped as a teenager and locked inside a room for seven years by her captor. Longing to find a way out and escape, Ma is trapped with her five-year-old son, Jack, who has no concept of the world outside.
Britta Johnson is a Canadian-American composer, lyricist, and playwright. She is best known for her musical, Life After.
Chilina Kennedy is a Canadian musical theatre actress and singer. She is best known for having starred as Carole King in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, having played the role for over 1,200 performances. On Broadway, Kennedy played Mary Magdalene in the 2012 revival of Jesus Christ Superstar and originated the role of Annie Lewis in Paradise Square. Kennedy also starred as Dina in the first North American tour of The Band's Visit.