COMPANY STATEMENT

The Managing Directors of Back Row Productions are Liz Koops and Garry McQuinn. Back Row has successfully developed and presented innovative productions throughout the world for over a decade, beginning in Australia with national tours of Lift Off Live, Lano and Woodley, Paul Capsis, Lady Chatterley’s Lover, Wadaicho Ichiro, Annie Sprinkle, Ningali, Rudy Coby, Slava’s Snowshow, Shaolin Kung Fu Monks Arena Tour and more recently the Royal National Theatre’s production of An Inspector Calls with John Frost.

After witnessing the ground-breaking launch of Dein Perry’s Tap Dogs for the 1995 Sydney Festival, Back Row established a London base in order to export the show to the world. They have since produced Tap Dogs on six continents, in more than 20 countries and over 300 cities – often with a number of companies touring simultaneously. Over this time it has become Australia’s biggest theatrical export.

Internationally, Back Row has produced a range of shows from Slava’s Snowshow (presently playing off-Broadway) to the New York debut of Eddie Izzard, and from Ningali (the story of a remarkable young Aboriginal woman) to the record-breaking West End season and European tours of Jerry Seinfield. In 1999 Back row commissioned and developed the award-winning Gumboots, a show featuring a troupe of dancers, singers and musicians from Soweto, South Africa.

In 2000 Back row was acquired by Clear Channel, the largest live entertainment company in the world. Based in Clear Channel’s London office, Back Row consolidated the European and Asian touring circuits for their UK theatrical productions, and took responsibility for developing new international theatre markets, partnerships and strategies. In 2001 they launched the European tour of award-winning Fosse in Hamburg, followed by seasons in Basel, Amsterdam, Tokyo and Paris. During this time Back Row also produced the hit show about motherhood, Mum’s the Word for its European, North American and regional tours prior to a West end opening in 2003. The company’s international reputation was consolidated through booking, managing and/or producing seasons of Slava’s Snowshow, Cats, Chicago, Bounce, Circus Oz, Gumboots, Tap Dogs, Lady Salsa, Fosse, Mum’s the Word and Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake, which was featured in the film Billy Elliot and went on to become the longest-running and most-award contemporary ballet on both Broadway and the West End.

In January 2005, Liz and Garry re-acquired the company and once again became independent producers. They have since expanded the Back Row strategy to include general management and international tour booking consultancy for external clients. Past tours include seasons of Miss Saigon (Portugal), Starlight Express (Scandinavia), Chicago (Greece), Cats (Portugal), Grease (Monte Carlo) and Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (Dubai). Following a sell-out season in London’s prestigious Sadler’s Wells theatre, further tours of Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake throughout Europe, Asia and North America are forthcoming. Back Row took this internationally acclaimed Broadway spectacular to Australia in 2007, followed by seasons in Seoul, Moscow and Ravenna.

Forthcoming plans include debut seasons of Tap Dogs in Eastern Europe and Russia, further Swan Lake touring, the world premiere of Ingmar Bergman’s stage adaptation of Through A Glass Darkly in London and a number of international productions of Priscilla Queen of the Desert the Musical – opening in London’s West End from March 2009, and heading towards Toronto, Japan, North America, France and Germany over the next few years.