Garth H. Drabinsky

Garth H. Drabinsky is the only Canadian to have achieved international success in almost every facet of the entertainment business. His Broadway productions include Kiss of the Spider Woman (1993 Tony Award, Best Musical), the Hal Prince restoration of Show Boat (1995 Tony Award, Best Revival of a Musical), Candide, Barrymore, Fosse (1999 Tony Award, Best Musical), and the internationally acclaimed Ragtime. Mr. Drabinsky’s productions have collectively won 19 Tony Awards (out of 61 nominations). Mr. Drabinsky was also responsible for the Canadian productions of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Aspects of Love, Sunset Boulevard and The Phantom of the Opera, which remains the longest running musical in Canadian history, and the North American production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, starring Donny Osmond. Other works originally developed by Mr. Drabinsky but subsequently staged on Broadway by different producing entities include Parade, Sweet Smell of Success and Seussical. In addition to developing state-of-the-art legitimate theatres in both Toronto and Vancouver, Mr. Drabinsky has been devoted to the restoration and historic preservation of North America’s most acclaimed theatres, including the Pantages in Toronto, the Lyric and Apollo Theatres in New York and the Oriental (now Nederlander) Theater in Chicago. A recipient of two Honorary Doctorate Degrees, Garth Drabinsky is an ardent spokesman on behalf of individual liberty.