The Show: Producing Partners
Diverse...Inclusive...Provocative
UK Arts International is a company based in the West Midlands which produces, manages and presents work both in the UK and overseas, with a strong emphasis on cross-cultural productions. UK Arts International works with a range of productions which deal with contemporary issues in a way that is exciting, challenging and accessible, with the aim of fostering a closer understanding of the richness, immediacy and diversity of both international work and the work produced by different communities in the UK. They are committed to developing a new audience for this work – specifically among young people and people from a variety of cultural backgrounds.
Jan Ryan, Director of UK Arts International is Producer of The Harder They Come, and she approached Perry Henzell with the initial idea for a stage musical version of the film.
To find out more about UK Arts International, please click here
Theatre Royal Stratford East became world famous in the 50’s and 60’s as the home of the Theatre Workshop Company under the direction of Joan Littlewood. Her productions of new shows such as A Taste of Honey, The Hostage and Oh, What a Lovely War brought a much-needed lift to British drama, all of them transferring from Stratford East to the West End. In the 90’s Five Guys Named Moe followed this trend - the fourth Stratford East production to do so in ten years, followed by The Invisible Man and The Big Life which opened at the Apollo Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue in 2005. This tradition of adventurous new work still informs TRSE’s productions today and adds to the theatre’s well-earned reputation as a crucible for the West End.
Theatre Royal Stratford East produced The Harder They Come with UK Arts International and opened the show at its theatre in 2006.
If you would like to find out more about Theatre Royal Stratford East, please click here
The Barbican Centre, in London, England, is Europe's largest multi-arts and conference venue presenting a diverse range of art, music, theatre, dance, film and education events. It was opened in 1982 by Queen Elizabeth II, and has since gone on to host countless shows of all scales and genres.
The Barbican produced The Harder They Come in 2008, in association with UK Arts International and Theatre Royal Stratford East.
If you would like to find out more about The Barbican, please click here
Robert Fox's first job was as an actor. Subsequently he worked as a runner for John Heyman at World Film Services. He then went to the Royal Court as an Assistant Director. In 1973 he joined Michael White Limited where he became an Associate Producer on a number of shows including A Chorus Line, Annie and The Rocky Horror Show. He formed Robert Fox Limited in 1980.
Since then he has produced or co-produced over 30 productions in the West End as well as a number on Broadway. These include: Goose Pimples; Anyone For Dennis?; Another Country; Crystal Clear; The Seagull; Torch Song Trilogy; Interpreters; Chess; Lettice And Lovage; Anything Goes; A Madhouse In Goa; When She Danced; Burn This; The Ride Down Mt. Morgan ; The Importance Of Being Earnest; Vita & Virginia; Three Tall Women; Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?; ,A Delicate Balance; Skylight; The Judas Kiss; Amy's View; The Blue Room; The Boy From Oz; Little Malcolm; Closer; The Lady in the Van; The Caretaker; Vincent in Brixton; The Breath of Life; Gypsy; Salome; Frost Nixon; The Lady From Dubuque; The Vertical Hour; Exit The King; God Of Carnage; A Behandling in Spokane.
In film, Robert Fox was Executive Producer on Another Country; Suddenly Last Summer; Oscar's Orchestra; A Month By The Lake. He co-produced Iris and The Hours and was Executive Producer of Closer and Notes On A Scandal.
If you would like to find out more about Robert Fox, please click here
Mirvish Productions is a Canadian theatre management and production company, based in Toronto. It was founded by David Mirvish in 1987 for the purpose of producing original plays and musicals, employing Canadian talent, as well as co-producing with such regional Canadian theatres as the Stratford Festival, the Shaw Festival, the Manitoba Theatre Centre and the Citadel Theatre and bringing their works to Toronto. Today Mirvish Productions is Canada's largest commercial theatre production company.
Mirvish Productions produced The Harder They Come for its Toronto run in 2009, in association with UK Arts International and Theatre Royal Stratford East.
For more information about Mirvish Productions, please click here
The Adrienne Arsht Center is the largest arts center in Florida and the second largest arts center in the United States. It is commited to embracing excellence, celebrating differences, renewing the spirit and engaging diverse communities through the power of the performing arts.
The Adrienne Arsht Center produced The Harder They Come in Miami, 2009, in association with UK Arts International and Theatre Royal Stratford East.
For more information about The Adrienne Arsht Center, please click here
Nottingham Playhouse has been one of the United Kingdom’s leading producing theatres since its foundation in 1948. Touring work nationally and internationally, the Playhouse remains firmly rooted in its vibrant home city, where its spacious modernist building – fronted by Anish Kapoor’s Sky Mirror – is one of the region’s most popular landmarks.
Premiered in Nottingham, Steven Berkoff’s staging of On the Waterfront has been presented this spring at the Hong Kong Arts Festival, following successful runs in the Edinburgh Fringe and West End. At the same time The Island, a play produced as part of the Young Europe exchange programme by the Playhouse’s acclaimed Theatre-in-Education company Roundabout, has been performed at Det Norske Teatret in Oslo.
Nottingham Playhouse produced The Harder They Come for the 2010 UK Tour in association with UK Arts International and Theatre Royal Stratford East.
For more information about Nottingham Playhouse, please click here
Production photography - Robert Day. Please note, these photos feature cast members from various productions since 2006