Two years ago, before our lives changed forever, The Production Company staged its last production. Ragtime, an Australian premiere, was the company’s final show after twenty-one years of presenting musicals in the State Theatre at Arts Centre Melbourne.
Founded by Jeanne Pratt AC in 1998, the company produced sixty-five musicals in more than five hundred performances between 1999 and 2019, selling more than a million tickets, presenting no fewer than ten Australian premieres and creating thousands of jobs and major career development for artists and creatives.
How best to remember the unique contribution the company made to the vibrant artistic life we all enjoyed in Melbourne? Today, the company has launched an online archive celebrating the sixty-five musical productions they presented and the people who both created and starred in them.
“What a wonderful time we’ve all had! I hope you enjoyrevisiting the many brilliant shows we brought to Arts Centre Melbourne. Until we meet again, this is our way of saying thank you for your support of The Production Company,” said Chairman Jeanne Pratt AC.
The company’s Artistic director Ken Mackenzie-Forbes AM and Executive Director Rachel D Taylor are delighted to announce that The Production Company’s online archive is now live.
“We are understandably proud of the unique contribution we made to the musical theatre industry across twenty-one years,” said Ken Mackenzie-Forbes.
“This online archive will enable our subscribers, sponsors, artists and creatives to relive the excitement of those years. This journey through the archives will bring back the joy and delight these memorable productions gave us all.”
“The online archive is a major resource on the company’s history. It’s a beautiful reminder of the outstanding job The Production Company did presenting and promoting Australian talent, giving Melbourne audiences the best shows for twenty-one wonderful years,” added Rachel D Taylor.
“The website honours our artists, creatives and collaborators with a permanent presence, long after the curtain has fallen. It was a joy to create and I think it will make people very happy.”
The Production Company home page, features an icon for each musical: Click on an icon and see the original show announcement, the cast and creative team and enjoy a photo gallery of production images. Each musical page includes a copy of the show program, providing the complete details for that production.
Additionally, on the home page there are pull down menus featuring reviews from many shows and a history of the Pratt Prize for Musical Theatre.
For more information on The Production Company Archive, visit: www.theproductioncompany.com.au for details.
Images: A selection of shows in The Production Company Archive | Jeanne Pratt AC, Ken Mackenzie-Forbes AM and Rachel D Taylor – photo by Jim Lee