JOSEPH SMITH
Joseph is currently Executive Producer for Old Vic Productions (OVP) in London where he represents the company in its role as co-producer, alongside Working Title Films, of Billy Elliot The Musical worldwide. He also heads the company in its key producing relationship with Kevin Spacey's Old Vic Theatre Company. Together the companies have co-produced many plays at the Old Vic including The Entertainer, Speed the Plow and most recently the smash hit Noises Off that will transfer to the Novello Theatre. For OVP Joseph has produced many plays in the West End, most recently, Clybourne Park (Oliver Award for Best Play) and Jerusalem (Oliver Award for Best Actor, Mark Rylance).
Prior to working for OVP: Associate Producer for RJK Productions in New York. Credits on Broadway include: Gypsy, Life x 3, Retreat from Moscow. Off Broadway; Alan Bennett's Talking Heads, Gutenberg! The Musical! (NYMF, 59e59, transferred to the Actors Playhouse), Cycling Past the Matterhorn by Deborah Grimberg, starring Shirley Knight, and three new plays, Mayhem by Kelly Stuart, Sweetness by Gary Sunshine and The Map Makers Sorrow by Chris Lee, all at Theatre Row on 42nd Street. Also worked as a consultant for and alongside Dustin Hoffman in the creation of The Broad Stage, a new theatre in Santa Monica that opened in 2008.
Before working in New York, he was an Associate Producer at the National Theatre in London where he worked for ten years, producing plays both nationally and internationally, culminating in devising and producing the Transformation Season for Trevor Nunn, then Artistic Director. The season included 13 world premiere productions including the Olivier Award-winning Play Without Words by Matthew Bourne.
Joseph is on the Board of On Theatre, a new company lead by award-winning director Mick Gordon. He also acted as a commercial consultant to the Royal Court Theatre for the last two years.
Joseph is also the Chief Executive of Stage One, an organisation that supports new producers and productions in the West End and across the UK.