John Gore (theatre producer)

John Gore (born 1962) is a British entertainment producer, known for his live theatre company the John Gore Organization.

John Gore
Born1962 (age 57–58)
United Kingdom
OccupationProducer
NationalityBritish
EducationHarrow School
London University
GenreTheatre
Notable awardsTony Award, Drama Desk Award, Olivier Award, Emmy Award
Website
www.johngore.com

Early life and education

Gore was educated at Harrow School and graduated in film and theatre from London University in 1987. His student production of Joe Orton's What The Butler Saw enjoyed a successful professional run at the Bloomsbury Theatre. Gore's producing and/or directing credits on the West End include: Thunderbirds F.A.B. (produced first in 1989 is currently the most revived show in the history of the West End, returning for a sixth time in 2002);[1] Star Trek – the Lost Voyage of the Enterprise; and Wallace & Gromit.

Career

Gore founded Key Brand Entertainment (KBE) in 2004 to develop theatrical properties in the United States. Broadway Across America (BAA) was acquired in January 2008, from the music company Live Nation,[2][3][4] while the e-commerce theatre website Broadway.com was acquired in December 2010, from Hollywood Media Corp.[5] In 2016, KBE was rebranded as the John Gore Organization.[6]

Gore has received 13 Tony Awards, an Olivier Award and a NY Emmy Award.[7][8] Gore has been a member of the board of governors of The Broadway League since 2008.[9]

In 2010 Gore was nominated for a Prime Time Emmy Award for Outstanding Non-Fiction Special for Believe: The Eddie Izzard Story.[10] In 2018 Gore won a NY Emmy Award for At The Tonys with Imogen Lloyd Webber for WCBS-TV.[11]

Gore also has extensive property interests in County Donegal, Ireland.[12]

John Gore Organization

The John Gore Organization (JGO), formerly known as Key Brand Entertainment (KBE), is a producer and distributor of live theater in North America, as well as an e-commerce company, focused on theater. KBE was founded in the UK in 2004 by 13-time Tony Award-winning producer[7] John Gore, who is the company's chairman, CEO and owner.

The company's assets include:

  • Broadway Across America (BAA) a major theater touring organization in North America acquired in 2008.[2][3][4][13] With over 400,000 season subscribers,[14] BAA has earned 215 Tony Awards in over 30 years of producing and investing in Broadway shows.[7] BAA owns and/or operates five theaters in Boston, Baltimore, and Minneapolis.
  • Broadway.com, the e-commerce site, with the 2010 acquisition of Theatre Direct NY.[15][16] Broadway.com has been cited as the number one source of information on Broadway based on the Broadway League Audience Demographic Survey[17] In 2018, Broadway.com won a NY Emmy for its production of At The Tonys with Imogen Lloyd Webber for WCBS-TV.[11]
  • Group Sales Box Office, merged with Broadway.com/Groups in 2012.[18]
  • BroadwayBox.com, the top source for Broadway discounts was acquired in 2013.[19]
  • The Broadway Channel, the video content brand acquired in 2015.[20]

Awards

As the John Gore Organization, Gore and his company were awarded several awards including Tony Awards, Drama Desk Awards, and a NY Emmy Award for At The Tonys with Imogen Lloyd Webber for WCBS-TV.[7][11][21][22]

Theatre
As the John Gore Organization
  • The Band's Visit - 2018 Tony Award for Best Musical
  • Angels in America - 2018 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play; Drama Desk Award
  • Dear Evan Hansen - 2017 Tony Award for Best Musical
  • Hello, Dolly! - 2017 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical; Drama Desk Award
  • A View From The Bridge - 2016 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play; Drama Desk Award
As Broadway Across America
  • The Humans - 2016 Tony Award for Best Play; Drama Desk Award
  • Pippin - 2013 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical; Drama Desk Award
  • The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess - 2012 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical
  • War Horse - 2011 Tony Award for Best Play; Drama Desk Award
  • Memphis — 2010 Tony Award for Best New Musical; Drama Desk Award
  • La Cage Aux Folles — 2010 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical; Drama Desk Award
  • Hair — 2009 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical; Drama Desk Award
  • Spring Awakening — 2009 Olivier Award for Best New Musical in London
  • Passing Strange — 2009 Drama Desk Award for Best New Play
  • Boeing-Boeing — 2008 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play; Drama Desk Award
Television
  • At The Tonys with Imogen Lloyd Webber - 2018 NY Emmy Award for Special Event Coverage (Other than News and Sports)

Philanthropy

Philanthropically, Gore has supported The Arthur Miller Foundation with a grant to provide theater educators in NYC Public Schools.[23] In 2017, Gore raised $500,000 for Hurricane Maria relief in Puerto Rico by producing a benefit performance of Thornton Wilder's Our Town starring Scarlett Johansson, Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans.[24] It was announced in September 2018 that JGO pledged $100,000 to the T. Fellowship at Columbia University, a program that fosters new creative producers.[25]

Politics

He is a regular and substantial contributor to the Conservative Party in the UK; in 2018 his donation of £1.6 million was the largest that the party received.[26] During campaigning for the 2019 General Election, Gore again donated £1.5 million to the Conservative Party, topping the list of single-donations that the party received in this period.[27]

Footnotes
  1. Routledge, Daniel (11 December 2001). "Thunderbirds FAB Aldwych Theatre". What's On.
  2. Cox, Gordon (24 January 2008), "Live Nation sells off theater division", Variety
  3. Robertson, Campbell (25 January 2008), "Live Nation Finds a Buyer for its Theater Business", The New York Times
  4. Smith, Alistair (28 January 2008), "Live Nation theatrical business sale finalised", The Stage
  5. Gans, Andrew (16 December 2010), "Key Brand Acquires Broadway.com", Playbill
  6. Cox, Gordon (31 May 2016). "Broadway's Key Brand Entertainment Gets a New Name". Variety.
  7. "John Gore – Broadway Cast & Staff". IBDB.
  8. Shenton, Mark (21 March 2010). "Spring Awakening, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and Wicked Win Olivier Awards". Playbill.
  9. "Board of Governors". The Broadway League.
  10. "2010 Primetime Emmy Award Nominations", cbsnews.com, CBS News, 8 July 2010
  11. "The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, New York Chapter Announces Results of the 61st Annual New York Emmy Awards" (PDF). www.nyemmys.org (Press release). 14 April 2018.
  12. McKinney, Seamus (24 January 2020). "Major Tory donor buys arson-hit Co Donegal hotel". The Irish News. The Caiseal Mara hotel is the latest addition to his Co Donegal portfolio of properties.
  13. Jones, Kenneth (24 January 2008), "Key Brand Entertainment Acquires Live Nation Tour Markets, Plans to Nurture New Work", Playbill, archived from the original on 6 July 2014
  14. Cox, Gordon (5 September 2017). "Season Subscriptions Hit Record High for Broadway Across America". Variety.
  15. Gans, Andrew (16 December 2010). "Key Brand Entertainment Inc. Acquires Broadway.com". Playbill.
  16. Gans, Andrew (16 December 2010), "Key Brand Entertainment Inc. Acquires Broadway.com", Playbill, archived from the original on 15 September 2011
  17. "Lucky Seven! Broadway.com Named #1 Theater Source in Broadway League Report for the Seventh Year in a Row". Broadway.com.
  18. "Broadway.com and Broadway Across America Group Sales Merge with Group Sales Box Office". Broadway.com.
  19. "BroadwayBox has been acquired by Key Brand Entertainment, Inc". Oaklins.
  20. Cox, Gordon (4 March 2015). "The Broadway Channel Acquired by Broadway Across America's Parent Company". Variety.
  21. "Chicago Tony Awards Info". www.broadwayworld.com.
  22. "Drama Desk". archive.is. 18 May 2008.
  23. "Arthur Miller Theater Education Program Kick-Off Celebration". Arthur Miller Foundation. 5 October 2017.
  24. Nast, Condé. "Inside the Avengers Cast's One-Night-Only Performance of Our Town". Vanity Fair.
  25. "John Gore Organization Pledges 100K to the T. Fellowship with Columbia University". Columbia - School of the Arts.
  26. "Conservative Party tops donations list". BBC. 27 February 2019.
  27. "Tories top donation list for first election week". BBC. 21 November 2019.
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