Cameron Mackintosh
Cameron Mackintosh is a British theatrical producer, impresario, and record producer, born on 17 October 1946 in the London Borough of Enfield.
He attended Prior Park College and later studied at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. Those two institutions form the educational background on record for him, and from there he built a career in theatrical production that has continued across several decades.
Mackintosh was awarded the honour of Knight Bachelor, a recognition that came in connection with his work as a producer. He has worked in English-language theatre throughout his career, and his roles have spanned both theatrical and record production.
Among his notable works is Cats, the production most directly associated with his name in the available record. It is the genre of theatrical production — English-language and stage-based — that characterises the body of work tied to his career as a producer and impresario.
Quotes by Cameron Mackintosh
I think the worst thing that could have happened to me would have been having a hit at 20. I don't know what that would have done to me. But instead, I had to scrape a living for years. And my first show, which opened in 1969, lost over £45,000, an absolute fortune then.
I used to have to beg and borrow £25 to hire some French windows. I started producing in 1967, and I was in debt until 1981. Having a think about whether you can afford 'this' or 'that' is a good discipline to have, to maximise what you can achieve to the highest standard.
I'm privileged to have had some success, but I've never forgotten what it was like to queue for a half-crown gallery seat for 'Oliver!' which is why I ensure that there are £20 day tickets for 'Miss Saigon' and that the balconies in my theatres are as comfortable as I can possibly make them.
My own tastes happen to be in tune with what the public wants. I think that’s the reason my batting average is so high, not because I’ve discovered some brilliant formula.
It horrifies me how much it costs to put on shows now, mainly due to EU regulations. The freedom to be entrepreneurial is no longer there. It’s a massive business now.
