Theatrical Producer Martin McCallum Has Passed Away

Martin McCallum, FRSA, was a British theatrical producer, former President of the Society of London Theatre and member of the Broadway League, who worked on over 500 shows on Broadway and in the West End. Martin died peacefully in Sydney on 14 January 2024 aged 73.

Martin McCallum was born in Blackpool on 6 April 1950. He was educated at Frensham Heights, an arts orientated school in Surrey, before beginning his theatrical career as an ASM at the Castle Theatre Farnham. After a number of years in rep he became a production manager at the Old Vic, then home to the National Theatre and under the leadership of Laurence Olivier. He managed numerous shows at the National, including Eugene O'Neill's Long Day's Journey into Night (1971), starring Olivier and Constance Cummings, and the premiere production of Harold Pinter's No Man's Land(1975), with John Gielgud and Ralph Richardson. Martin remained at The National Theatre after Olivier's departure and in 1975 worked on the opening of the NT on the South Bank with director Peter Hall.   

He left The National Theatre in 1978 and, with his colleague Richard Bullimore, established The Production Office in London’s Covent Garden. It was the first technical and general production management firm of its kind that was quickly engaged to supervise shows including Franco Zeffirelli’s Filumena, Harold Prince’s Evita & Sweeney Todd and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Jesus Christ Superstar. In 1981 their engagement to work on Cats and contribution to its success led to Martin being employed by Cameron Mackintosh as his Managing Director and business partner for 18 years and Vice Chairman for 3 years until Spring 2003 when he and his family moved to live in Australia. He thus oversaw a period of unique expansion with hits such as Cats, Les Misérables, The Phantom of the Opera and Miss Saigon drawing new audiences worldwide and enjoying unprecedented runs on Broadway as well as touring extensively throughout America and Canada.    

During this time Martin also frequently found himself being consulted on theatre design and refurbishment to accommodate these international hits.   In 2001 he was consultant on the front of house refurbishment and backstage rebuild of the Auditorium Theatre, Chicago. Notable architectural projects with London based Arts Team at RHWL included the Musical Hall, Stuttgart (1994) and the Musical Theatre, Duisburg (1996) as well as the West End theatre, the Prince Edward owned by Cameron Mackintosh.    

Other shows produced include Matthew Bourne’s Edward Scissorhands which won the New York Drama Desk Award in 2007, Philip Quast – Live at the Donmar, Spider Man, The Cripple of Inishmaan, nominated for six Tony Awards in 2014, and Dirty Dancing. From 1992 to 2003 he was Chairman of The Donmar Warehouse and from 2005 to 2014 was on the Board of Sydney Theatre Company.

Martin was President of the Society of London Theatre from 1999 – 2002 and a member of the Broadway League from 1988. He was on the Arts Council of England’s Drama Panel (1999-2003), and a member of its Advisory Task Group (2003-2005). He was also a member of London’s Cultural Strategy Group (2000-2003).

Martin is profoundly missed by his partner Gwynne and children Gabriel, Fabian, Amy, Toby and Sophie.