David Mirvish

David Mirvish, (born August 29, 1944) is a Canadian theatre producer, impresario, and art collector. He owns and operates Toronto-based theatrical production company Mirvish Productions, which he founded with his father in 1986. He has also produced and presented several productions on Broadway and in London's West End.

Mirvish is also a prominent art collector, having amassed a large collection of Canadian and international works, including from renowned artists Frank Stella and Jules Olitski. Between 1963 and 1978, he owned and ran a commercial art gallery, David Mirvish Gallery.

Mirvish married his high-school sweetheart Audrey in 1967. They have three children, Jacob, Hannah, and Rachael.

He has contributed to, and partnered with, many non-profit organizations, charities and other philanthropic organizations, including the Toronto Public Library, the Toronto Arts Foundation, and Kids Up Front. In 2023, he worked with The Thirty Birds Foundation to provide Kabul school girls who had fled Afghanistan with access to tickets to shows, including the Canadian production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

Theatre career Mirvish Productions

In 1986, Mirvish co-founded Mirvish Productions with his father, with the purpose of producing and presenting large-scale original works at the Royal Alexandra Theatre, and, in 1993, the newly built Princess of Wales Theatre. Following his father's retirement, Mirvish took over control of the Royal Alexandra Theatre, which was initially purchased as a temporary venue for touring productions.

Mirvish experienced early success with Canadian productions, such as Les Misérables (1989-1990), Miss Saigon (1993-1995), Crazy for You (1993-1995), and Beauty and the Beast (1995-1997). After productions of Tommy (1995) and Jane Eyre (1996-1997) were less successful, Mirvish once again found continued success with other large-scale musicals. In 1999, Mirvish announced they would be launching a Canadian sit-down production of The Lion King, which premiered at the Princess of Wales Theatre in March 2000. Also that same year, Mamma Mia! made its North American premiere at the Royal Alexandra Theatre. After its success, Mirvish opened a Canadian sit-down production of the musical which ran for five years. After declining theatre attendance because of the SARS outbreak, The Lion King closed in January 2004 and Mamma Mia closed in May 2005.

In 2005, he partnered with Kevin Wallace, Saul Zaentz, and Michael Cohl to produce The Lord of the Rings, a stage musical adaptation based on J. R. R. Tolkien's novels of the same name. The world premiere production opened in March 2005, and cost an estimated $30 million. The musical closed on September 3, 2006, following poor sales and negative reviews. The musical, which was advertised as the most expensive stage production in North American history, was unable to fully repay its investors. The Canon Theatre was later renamed the Ed Mirvish Theatre in honour of his father.

In 2018, Mirvish mounted a sit-down production of the Canadian musical Come from Away at the Royal Alexandra Theatre. As a result of the production's success, the production was relocated to the Elgin Theatre in 2019 to accommodate the new Canadian sit-down production of Dear Evan Hansen, which was promised the Royal Alexandra Theatre. Come from Away later returned to the Royal Alexandra Theatre, and, after a hiatus because of the COVID-19 pandemic, returned in December 2021. However, the musical permanently closed after only a few performances amidst tightened pandemic restrictions that were re-introduced. Come from Away played 855 performances in Toronto, making it the longest-running Canadian show and musical.

In May 2022, a Canadian production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child premiered at the Ed Mirvish Theatre. The theatre underwent an extensive $5 million renovation and set a Canadian weekly box office record for a non-musical play, grossing an estimated $2 million in sales. By the time the play closed, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child set a record for the longest running professional play in Canadian history.

The Old Vic In 1982, Mirvish and his father purchased The Old Vic, a performing arts theatre when it was placed for sale. Mirvish's winning bid was approximately, £550,000, outbidding Andrew Lloyd Webber. They immediately began renovating and refurbishing the theater. The theatre reopened on October 31, 1983 with The Queen Mother in attendance.

In 1987, Mirvish installed Jonathan Miller as artistic director. They experienced a string of critical and commercial success, including winning an Olivier Award for a production of the musical Candide. However, after three consecutive years of mounting financial losses, Miller resigned in 1990. Sir Peter Hall was also appointed artistic director of The Old Vic. Under Hall's direction, the company experienced success with productions of The Master Builder and Waiting for Godot. Despite the successes, the financial losses continued. By 1998, Mirvish sold The Old Vic to a charitable trust, which has continued operating the theatre as a non-profit.

Art collections Mirvish began his career as an art collector in 1963, when he was 19 years old. That same year, he opened his first business, David Mirvish Gallery, to display contemporary Canadian, American and British art. In 1974, he opened David Mirvish Books, an independent bookstore dedicated to books on art and design. The bookstore closed in 2009.

David Mirvish Gallery

In 1963, at the age of 19, Mirvish opened an art gallery that specialized in American abstract painters of the 1960s and 1970s known as the Color Field school. The David Mirvish Gallery was one of the first businesses to open in the new Markham Street community, which later became known as Mirvish Village.

The gallery primarily showcased Color Field and Post-painterly Abstraction works. Over the next 15 years, through approximately 130 exhibitions, the gallery became a focal point of Toronto's cultural life and was considered a pillar in the establishment of the abstract art movement in Canada. By the mid-1970s, Mirvish found that much of the artwork that interested him and that he wanted to display had decreased in popularity. However, upon closure of his art gallery in 1978, the bookstore relocated into its premises.

The store closed in 2009, citing the changing retail market for small independent bookstores and uncertain economic market at the time.

Real estate ventures In 1999, Mirvish worked with Toronto real-estate developer Harry Stinson to purchase the building at 1 King Street West in downtown Toronto, and transform it into a mixed-use development featuring luxury condominiums, hotel suites, and commercial office space. The property became known as One King West. The redevelopment and renovation project began in 2000, and cost an estimated $95 million. The luxury condos opened in 2006, however, later that year, Mirvish dissolved the partnership with Stinson. Mirvish accused Stinson of owing him $11.8 million that was overdue. This dispute led to Mirvish retaining some of the more valuable parts of the property, which included three penthouses and ownership of unsold units.

In August 2010, Mirvish announced that he would provide a 9,765 square foot space to Theatre Museum Canada. This provided the mostly online museum with its first permanent space for exhibition.

In September 2012, Mirvish unveiled plans to demolish the Princess of Wales Theatre, where it would be replaced as part of a development project designed by renowned architect Frank Gehry. The plan included the construction of three condominium towers, referred to as "sculptures", and a large public gallery called the Mirvish Collection, which would showcase Mirvish's extensive art collection. Additionally, the project aimed to create a new campus for OCAD University, which would integrate cultural and educational elements into the residential complex. Although admitting he was hesitant to destroy the theatre, Mirvish still believed that this project would combine residential spaces with significant cultural amenities, and improve Toronto's reputation as a global cultural destination.

This plan faced significant criticism and was ultimately rejected by Toronto Council due to concerns about over-densification, the towers' height, and the area's historical value as a cultural hub. In response to these objections, Mirvish substantially revised his plans. In May 2014, he unveiled a new proposal that retained the Princess of Wales Theatre while still pursuing a major development project. The revised plan reduced the number of towers from three to two, with heights of 92 and 82 storeys, respectively. This modification decreased the overall density by 25-30% and reduced the number of residential units by 600.

In February 2012, Mirvish was appointed the 8th Chancellor of the University of Guelph and was installed as Chancellor at the June 2012 convocation ceremonies. Mirvish's appointment as Chancellor was extended in 2014. However, in September 2016, Mirvish resigned as Chancellor citing increased personal and work responsibilities.

Theatre credits

Toronto Mirvish presents several shows specifically for Toronto that play for either a limited engagement or an extended run, of which Mirvish was a producer or co-producer on:

Les Misérables Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing Miss Saigon Crazy for You Beauty and the Beast Jane Eyre Rent Two Pianos Four Hands The Lion King Mamma Mia! The Drowsy Chaperone The Producers Hairspray Lord of the Rings We Will Rock You Dirty Dancing The Sound of Music The Harder They Come The Boys in the Photograph My Mother's Lesbian Jewish Wiccan Wedding Fiddler on the Roof Rent Cloud 9 A Jew Grows in Brooklyn Rock of Ages How Now Mrs Brown Cow Priscilla, Queen of the Desert A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum Billy Elliot the Musical Calendar Girls Ghost Stories The Railway Children Chess Private Lives War Horse Terminus The Wizard of Oz Without You Clybourne Park Mary Walsh's Dancing with Rage Cats Les Misérables God of Carnage The Last Confession Dead Metaphor The Heart of Robin Hood Blades on Stage Blithe Spirit Once Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike Kinky Boots Seminar The Judas Kiss Disgraced Matilda Cuisine & Confessions Come from Away The Audience The Bodyguard My Night With Reg Mrs Henderson Presents Strictly Ballroom Beautiful: The Carole King Musical North by Northwest The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time Salt-Water Moon Come from Away Fun Home Ain't Too Proud Oslo Dear Evan Hansen Next to Normal Girl from the North Country Piaf/Dietrich Room Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Two Pianos Four Hands Indecent Fisherman's Friends Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat Things I Know to Be True In Dreams SIX Uncle Vanya Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead Come from Away The Lion King Titanique Just for One Day Life After Tell Tale Harbour Bright Star & Juliet Kimberly Akimbo

Broadway / West End

The Mikado H.M.S. Pinafore Into the Woods Spoils of War Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story Mamma Mia! Stones in His Pockets Stones in His Pockets Legends! Macbeth Guys and Dolls Looped Elling Priscilla, Queen of the Desert High Private Lives Seminar Dead Accounts Lucky Guy The Wizard of Oz Violet The Audience Skylight An Act of God Dear Evan Hansen Come from Away Amélie Anastasia The Band's Visit Heisenberg: The Uncertainty Principle Angels in America Three Tall Women The Iceman Cometh The Waverly Gallery Dear Evan Hansen Come from Away Anastasia Company Torch Song Network To Kill a Mockingbird Come from Away Ain't Too Proud Oklahoma! The Band's Visit Derren Brown: Secret Tina Jagged Little Pill Girl from the North Country Girl from the North Country Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat Oklahoma! Ain't Too Proud Girl from the North Country Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat To Kill a Mockingbird Hangmen Fisherman's Friends Tina Death of a Salesman Bleak Expectations The Wizard of Oz In Dreams Sunset Boulevard The Wizard of Oz Just for One Day Come from Away Player Kings Starlight Express Swept Away

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Honours and awards Distinguished awards 1995: Received an Honorary Fellowship from the Royal Conservatory of Music. 1996: Invested as a Member of the Order of Canada. 1996: Received an Honorary Doctor of Letters from Ryerson University 1998: Awarded the Laurence Olivier Award for Society of London Theatre Special Award for his achievements in British theatre (also awarded to his father, Ed Mirvish) 1998: Received an Honorary Doctor of Laws from Queen's University 2002: Received an Honorary Doctor of Letters from York University

Tony Awards As a producer, Mirvish has been nominated for 19 Tony Awards, winning 5 times.

Year Nominated work Category Result 2008 Macbeth Best Revival of a Play 2009 Guys and Dolls Best Revival of a Musical 2013 Lucky Guy Best Play 2014 Violet Best Revival of a Musical 2015 Skylight Best Revival of a Play 2017 Dear Evan Hansen Best Musical Come from Away 2018 The Band's Visit Best Musical Angels in America Best Revival of a Play Three Tall Women The Iceman Cometh 2019 Ain't Too Proud Best Musical Oklahoma! Best Revival of a Musical Torch Song Best Revival of a Play The Waverly Gallery 2020 Jagged Little Pill Best Musical Tina: The Tina Turner Musical 2022 Girl from the North Country Best Musical Hangmen Best Play Sources: