British theatre producer Martin McCallum has died at the age of 73. The Society of London Theatre (SOLT) announced the news yesterday (January 17), stating he passed away “peacefully surrounded by his family” on Sunday, January 14.
McCallum’s career spanned more than 500 productions and included becoming president of SOLT. He notably worked on Cats, Les Miserables and The Phantom Of The Opera with Sir Cameron Mackintosh.
Eleanor Lloyd, president of SOLT, said: “In Martin McCallum, we have lost an extraordinary individual who shaped the landscape of the theatre sector. His immense talent and expertise were matched only by his unwavering commitment to the arts.
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“Martin will be deeply missed, but his legacy will continue to inspire generations to come.” Born in Blackpool, McCallum became a production manager at the Old Vic Theatre, then home to the National Theatre, where he was under the mentorship of Laurence Olivier and managed productions including Harold Pinter’s No Man’s Land in 1975.
He left the National theatre in 1978 and co-established The Production Office, which supervised show’s including Evita, Sweeney Todd and Jesus Christ Superstar. Following his work on Cats, Sir Cameron employed McCallum as managing director and business partner where he stayed for 18 years – as well as three years as vice chairman, until 2003.
During this time Les Miserables, Miss Saigon and The Phantom Of The Opera were brought to the stage achieving worldwide success. McCallum also chaired the Donmar Warehouse for several years, as well as becoming president of SOLT for four years from 1999.
As president he was an advocate for access, which included getting funding from then-London Mayor Ken Livingstone, for a campaign to use theatre as a driver to bring back people into the West End after the 9/11 terror attacks. He is survived by his partner Gwynne and children Gabriel, Fabian, Amy, Toby and Sophie.
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