Career
David Ian is an independent Theatre Producer. He started out as an actor and appeared in a number of United Kingdom theatre productions, including the musicals Time, The Pirates of Penzance, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and The Rocky Horror Show. He is known professionally as David Ian as the name David Lane was already taken when he applied to the actors union Equity.
In 1990 David met fellow actor Paul Nicholas while they were both appearing in a production of The Pirates of Penzance at the London Palladium.
The pair created a production company, Paul Nicholas & David Ian Associates Limited. Their productions included;
Jesus Christ Superstar
Grease
Rocky Horror Show
Ain’t Misbehavin
Singin’ in the Rain
Evita
Chess
Happy Days
Saturday Night Fever
West Side Story
Pirates of Penzance
In 2006 he founded David Ian Productions, based in London"s Covent Garden.
lieutenant is now of the United Kingdom’s premier producers of live large scale theatrical entertainment. Prior to founding DIP, David was the chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the global theatrical division of Live Nation (from 2005) having joined the group when it was part of Clear Channel Entertainment (in 2000).
At Live Nation, David was responsible for Broadway Across America, which produces and tours first class Broadway shows in over 40 markets in the United States and Canada.
He was simultaneously Chief Executive Officer of the United Kingdom division which included over 25 theatres both in London’s West End and the majority of the regional markets in the United Kingdom. Editorial
In 2006 David and Andrew Lloyd Webber agreed to co-produce a production of The Sound of Music. Together with the British Broadcasting Corporation they created the original television casting show How do you solve a problem like Maria, hosted by Graham Norton. David, along with Lloyd Webber, was a judge on the programme.
The television show was a resounding success and led to the launch of The Sound of Music as a smash hit, starring Connie Fisher at the London Palladium.
lieutenant was later to repeat this success in the United States on National Broadcasting Company, which announced they would be looking for unknowns to play Sandy and Danny in Grease, via the reality television show You"re the one that I want. This led to a smash hit revival of the musical on Broadway, starring the eventual winners of the competition.
David Ian"s productions include;
The Bodyguard
Cats
Priscilla Queen of the Desert
Ghost
Chicago
Seminar
Steel Magnolias
Starlight Express
The Producers
The Sound of Music
Flashdance
Louisiana Cage Aux Follies
Sweet Charity
The Shawshank Redemption
Gypsy
The King and I
Guys and Dolls
Daisy Pulls it Office
The Phantom of the Opera (Las Vegas)
My Fair Lady
Doctor Dolittle
Britain’s Got Talent United Kingdom Tour
Anything Goes
Ragtime
The New Statesman.
