Paul Blackman
Encyclopedia
Paul Blackman is a British
theatrical producer
and director.
(BAC) whose fortunes he revitalised with a string of programming and audience development initiatives including the now much copied "Pay What You Can" evenings. He founded the British Festival of Visual Theatre and the "Short BAC and Sides" festival that came to serve as the premier testing ground for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Notable and notorious productions during his tenure include an adaptation of the Marquis De Sades 120 Days of Sodom
; the David Glass Ensembles production of Gormenghast; the Company of Clerks production of The Master and Margarita
. Blackman produced and directed new writing such as Bloody Hero by Brendon Somers, Obsession by Douglas McFerran, new comedies such as Patricks Day by Sean Hughes and Owen O'Neil, Schmucks by Roy Smiles and established the tradition of the Christmas musical at BAC with productions of Sweet Charity
, Josephine and Calamity Jane.
Many writers, actors and company’s developed their work at BAC during Blackmans tenure included Theatre de Complicite, Ridiculusmus, the Clog Ensemble, Told By An Idiot, The Right Size, Talking Pictures, Trestle, Phil Wilmot and the Steam Industry, Jack Shepherd
, Arthur Smith
, Joe Penhall
, Adrian Lester
, Douglas Hodge
, Paul Merton
, Caroline Quentin
and Ken Campbell
.
After leaving Battersea in 1995 to work in New York, Blackman returned to the UK for two years in 1998 to programme the Roundhouse arts venue in Camden town which had laid closed for 17 years and had been bought by philanthropist Sir Torquil Norman - prior to the building closing for a multi-million pound refurbishment. Blackman produced a two year programme of work that recalled the venues legendary days of the 1970s featuring productions from the National Theatre, Ken Cambell, Stomp and De la Guarda - De La Guarda's Vila Villa became the longest running show ever to play at the Roundhouse.
In 2000, Blackman returned to live and work in New York City, where he is the chair of the Institute of British Theatre.
. They have three children.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
theatrical producer
Theatrical producer
A theatrical producer is the person ultimately responsible for overseeing all aspects of mounting a theatre production. The independent producer will usually be the originator and finder of the script and starts the whole process...
and director.
Career
Former Deputy Director of the National Youth Theatre of Great Britain, Blackman in October 1990 became the Artistic Director of The Battersea Arts CentreBattersea Arts Centre
The Battersea Arts Centre is a performance space near Clapham Junction in Battersea, in the London Borough of Wandsworth that specialises in music and theatre productions.-History:...
(BAC) whose fortunes he revitalised with a string of programming and audience development initiatives including the now much copied "Pay What You Can" evenings. He founded the British Festival of Visual Theatre and the "Short BAC and Sides" festival that came to serve as the premier testing ground for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Notable and notorious productions during his tenure include an adaptation of the Marquis De Sades 120 Days of Sodom
120 Days of Sodom
The 120 Days of Sodom, or the School of Libertinism is a novel by the French writer and nobleman Donatien Alphonse François, Marquis de Sade, written in 1785...
; the David Glass Ensembles production of Gormenghast; the Company of Clerks production of The Master and Margarita
The Master and Margarita
The Master and Margarita is a novel by Mikhail Bulgakov, woven around the premise of a visit by the Devil to the fervently atheistic Soviet Union. Many critics consider the book to be one of the greatest novels of the 20th century, and one of the foremost Soviet satires, directed against a...
. Blackman produced and directed new writing such as Bloody Hero by Brendon Somers, Obsession by Douglas McFerran, new comedies such as Patricks Day by Sean Hughes and Owen O'Neil, Schmucks by Roy Smiles and established the tradition of the Christmas musical at BAC with productions of Sweet Charity
Sweet Charity
Sweet Charity is a musical with music by Cy Coleman, lyrics by Dorothy Fields and book by Neil Simon. It was directed and choreographed for Broadway by Bob Fosse starring his wife and muse Gwen Verdon. It is based on Federico Fellini's screenplay for Nights of Cabiria...
, Josephine and Calamity Jane.
Many writers, actors and company’s developed their work at BAC during Blackmans tenure included Theatre de Complicite, Ridiculusmus, the Clog Ensemble, Told By An Idiot, The Right Size, Talking Pictures, Trestle, Phil Wilmot and the Steam Industry, Jack Shepherd
Jack Shepherd
Jack Shepherd is an English actor, playwright, theatre director, saxophone player and jazz pianist, who made his film debut in 1969 with All Neat in Black Stockings and The Virgin Soldiers. He is perhaps best known for his television roles, most notably the title role in detective drama Wycliffe...
, Arthur Smith
Arthur Smith
Arthur Smith may refer to:*Arthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith , American guitar player and composer*Arthur Donaldson Smith, American explorer of Africa*Arthur Henderson Smith , American missionary in China, author of books on Chinese culture...
, Joe Penhall
Joe Penhall
Joe Penhall is a British playwright and screenwriter.Born in London, his first major play was Some Voices for the Royal Court Theatre, London, in 1994, which won the John Whiting Award. It has twice been revived off Broadway...
, Adrian Lester
Adrian Lester
-Personal life:Lester was born in Birmingham, England, the son of Jamaican immigrants Monica, a medical secretary, and Reginald, a manager for a contract cleaning company. He sang as a boy treble in the choir of St. Chad's Cathedral, Birmingham...
, Douglas Hodge
Douglas Hodge
Douglas Hodge is an English actor, director, and musician who trained for the stage at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.Hodge is a council member of the National Youth Theatre for whom, in 1989, he co-wrote Pacha Mama's Blessing about the Amazon rain forests staged at the Almeida...
, Paul Merton
Paul Merton
Paul Merton is a British comedian, writer, actor and television presenter. Known for his improvisation skill, his humour is rooted in deadpan, surreal and sometimes dark comedy...
, Caroline Quentin
Caroline Quentin
Caroline Jones known by her stage name Caroline Quentin, is an English actress. Quentin became known for her television appearances in Men Behaving Badly, playing Dorothy, and playing Maddy Magellan in Jonathan Creek for three years.-Early life:...
and Ken Campbell
Ken Campbell (actor)
Kenneth Victor Campbell was an English writer, actor, director and comedian known for his work in experimental theatre...
.
After leaving Battersea in 1995 to work in New York, Blackman returned to the UK for two years in 1998 to programme the Roundhouse arts venue in Camden town which had laid closed for 17 years and had been bought by philanthropist Sir Torquil Norman - prior to the building closing for a multi-million pound refurbishment. Blackman produced a two year programme of work that recalled the venues legendary days of the 1970s featuring productions from the National Theatre, Ken Cambell, Stomp and De la Guarda - De La Guarda's Vila Villa became the longest running show ever to play at the Roundhouse.
In 2000, Blackman returned to live and work in New York City, where he is the chair of the Institute of British Theatre.
Personal life
Blackman is married to Sharon Rowlands, the CEO of Penton MediaPenton Media
Penton Media, Inc., founded in 1892 by John Penton, is a diversified business-to-business media company. Penton Media is a mass media corporation that publishes and produces 113 magazines, 96 trade shows, 145 websites and has over six million subscribers across 17 different market segments.Numerous...
. They have three children.