'CURSED CHILD' Producer Sonia Friedman Tops The Stage 100 List; Kenneth Branagh, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Sheridan Smith Among 2017 Names!

Sonia Friedman has been placed number one in The Stage 100, The Stage's definitive guide to the most influential figures working in the UK theatre and performing arts industry today.

Friedman, who came second in the 2016 list, has been responsible for some of 2016's biggest hits including Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Dreamgirls, Funny Girl and Nice Fish starring Mark Rylance.

Friedman is only the second women to top the list as a solo entry, and she is the first number one not to own or operate West End theatres. Overall, it has been a strong year for women throughout the list, with a 50 percent increase in women in the top 10.

Friedman said: 'This is an amazing recognition of the extraordinary people I have been privileged to work with over the year, and also of my sensational team at SFP who helped me produce / co produce and develop over 20 shows in 2016 and who are already preparing for an even busier 2017. I am very grateful to The Stage for this honour and feel extremely lucky to do a job I love so much and to have had such a stimulating and creatively diverse year. Thank you!'

Last year's number ones, Ambassador Theatre Group co-founders Rosemary Squire and Howard Panter, paid tribute to Friedman. They said: "It has been a great privilege to share the last 17 years of Sonia's journey as a producer, and to create the right environment for her to grow and flourish. So, with enormous pride, now Sonia is truly at the top of her game, we are delighted to see her deservedly take over the number one spot of The Stage 100."

Alistair Smith, print editor of The Stage, said:

"Sonia Friedman has enjoyed a number of notable hits in recent years - including Jerusalem starring Mark Rylance and The Book of Mormon - but in 2016, she went stratospheric.

"Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was always likely to be a licence to print money. What has made it really special was that Friedman and her fellow creatives resisted the temptation to treat the production as a cash cow and created something truly magical, original and - above all - theatrical.

"In addition to creating the year's most popular play, she also has a fair claim to having produced 2016's most anticipated musical in Dreamgirls. She is a phenomenon and now undisputed Queen of Theatreland."

Other names on the list include HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD's John Tiffany, Noma Dumezweni, Jack Thorne and Gareth Fry, National Theatre artistic director Rufus Norris and his executive team, Kenneth Branagh, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Matthew Bourne, SheriDan Smith, Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart, Tim Minchin, Mark Rylance, Billie Piper, Simon Russell Beale and Maxine Peake.

For the full list, visit www.thestage.co.uk/thestage100.

Friedman founded Sonia Friedman Productions in 2002. She has been listed in The Stage 100 top five for the past four years. This year, she is placed at number one for the first time, following the opening of the West End production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child at the Palace Theatre, London. In addition to the Cursed Child, Friedman's 2016 productions include the newly opened Dreamgirls at the Savoy Theatre and Nice Fish starring Mark Rylance, as well as long-runners such as The Book of Mormon. She has been named Producer of the Year in The Stage Awards in 2015 and 2016 and is also nominated for the 2017 award, to be announced on January 27 at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London. Sonia Friedman Productions is a subsidiary of the Ambassador Theatre Group.

The Stage 100 reflects the 100 most influential people working in the theatre and performing arts industry. It is considered from the point of view of The Stage as a trade publication and so focuses on theatre both as a business and an art form. Inclusion within the list and ranking is weighted towards achievements in the past 12 months, but also takes into account continuous achievement. The aim of the list is to reflect the astonishing breadth of the theatre industry. However, we do not weight the list in an attempt to make it gender-balanced or ethnically diverse: the list reflects the way the theatre and performing arts industry is, not what it aims to be, or what we would like it to be.

The Stage Media Company Limited provides news and services for the UK entertainment and performing arts industry. Established in 1880, The Stage is a must read for those with an involvement or interest in the performing arts industry in the UK and beyond, offering theatre news, reviews, advice and more. The newspaper is published every Thursday and is available to purchase for just £2.30 from newsagents around the country. It is also available for download as a digital edition. The website (www.thestage.co.uk) is read by 550,000 unique users a month. The Stage also publishes an annual list of the 100 most influential people in theatre and the performing arts, The Stage 100, and runs The Stage Awards, recognising the best organisations operating within the UK theatre industry.