Melbourne's Regent Theatre to Premiere KING KONG

In a major events coup for Victoria, the Minister for Tourism and Major Events Louise Asher today joined Global Creatures at auditions for King Kong, to announce that the world premiere and only Australian season will take place at Melbourne's Regent Theatre in early 2013.

"This is a terrific day for Victoria's creative industries and Melbourne's reputation as the cultural heartland of Australia," Minister Asher said.

"I congratulate Global Creatures on their vision and innovative spirit, and I thank them for choosing Melbourne as the city to breathe new life into the epic love story of King Kong," she added.

Part of the Government's Major Events Strategy, King Kong will attract thousands of interstate and international visitors to Victoria, creating jobs and generating economic benefits for Victoria, as well as adding to the liveability and vibrancy of Melbourne.

Noting the production would not tour elsewhere within Australia, Minister Asher added, "King Kong will be made in Melbourne, and exclusive to Melbourne due to its scale. We look forward to welcoming visitors from right around Australia and the region to Melbourne to experience the magic of King Kong before it transfers to the rest of the world".

Set in 1933 in New York City at the height of the Depression, King Kong will feature a cast of more than forty actors, singers, dancers and puppeteers.

Global Creatures, the company behind King Kong, is a great Australian success story of a pioneering company creating new theatrical productions in Australia and taking them to the world.

Gerry Ryan OAM, Chairman, Global Creatures said, "I am proud that my home city of Melbourne will host the world premiere of this major theatrical production. The economic boost this will provide for the city's transport, retail, accommodation and dining industries will be significant, and from a cultural standpoint, it consolidates Melbourne's position as a leading centre for the arts."

Expanding on Global Creatures' approach to entertainment, Producer of King Kong, Carmen Pavlovic, added "This show continues the innovative direction of Global Creatures in creating world class productions in Australia and then taking them to the world. In this regard, King Kong is in a class all of its own in terms of scale, vision, ambition and technical advancement, and we can't wait to see it come to life in Melbourne's Regent Theatre. We have been impressed by the entrepreneurial vision of the Victorian Major Events Company in securing King Kong for Melbourne and we look forward to continuing our collaboration with them through to the opening in 2013."

Global Creatures is an international entertainment group that develops new and exciting theatrical productions to take to audiences around the world. The animatronics arm, The Creature Technology Company, invents and deploys the latest in animatronic design. Their hugely successful production Walking with Dinosaurs - The Arena Spectacular, based on the award winning BBC TV series, represents a new entertainment genre all on its own. The production is a spectacle of unprecedented size and quality, which captivates young and old alike. The Walking With Dinosaurs tour was the number one tour worldwide in 2010. Global Creatures has announced King Kong, which will be produced in co-operation with the estate of "Kong" creator Merian C. Cooper. Directed by Daniel Kramer, and written by Tony® nominee Craig Lucas, King Kong will have music by BAFTA winner and Grammy® nominee Marius de Vries, with several other musical collaborators to be announced. The creative team also includes Helpmann Award-winner Peter England (Production designer), Sonny Tilders (Creature designer), John O'Connell (Choreographer), Tony® Award-winner Roger Kirk (Costume designer), Olivier Award-winner Peter Mumford (Lighting designer), Gavin Robins (Aerial/Circus director) and Frieder Weiss (projection). In addition to King Kong, Global Creatures has announced a partnership with Bazmark (the multi-media company founded and owned by Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin) to produce a stage musical adaptation of the first movie of Baz Luhrmann's ground-breaking Red Curtain Trilogy, Strictly Ballroom. They are also working in collaboration with Dreamworks Animation to develop an arena show based on the hugely successful film How to Train Your Dragon, which will also premiere in Melbourne in March 2012.

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