Disney Theatrical Productions
Disney Theatrical Productions, the organisation behind much-loved musicals such as The Lion King and the recently arriving Aladdin in London's West End, is a division of The Walt Disney Studios. It was formed in 1994 and operates under the direction of Thomas Schumacher. Worldwide, its eight Broadway titles have been seen by over 133 million theatregoers, and have been nominated for 57 Tony Awards. With 15 productions currently produced or licensed, a Disney musical is being performed professionally somewhere on the planet virtually every hour of the day.
In the UK, the company’s iconic production of Beauty and The Beast came to London in 1996 where it won the Olivier Award for Best Musical. First seen on Broadway in 1994, it has now been produced in 28 countries worldwide. The next Disney musical to be seen in the West End was the The Lion King, which opened at The Lyceum in 1999 where it won two Olivier Awards and the Evening Standard Award for Theatrical Event of the Year. Now in its 16th year in London, it has also just finished a record-breaking UK tour.
Since The Lion King opened on Broadway in 1997 - where it received six Tony awards - it has been seen by more than 80 million theatregoers. It is currently running in nine cities worldwide, and will soon be joined by Shanghai in 2016. It has played 22 countries on every continent except Antarctica, and The Lion King’s gross income exceeds that of any other entertainment title in box office history.
In addition to the company’s West End credits, Broadway productions include Tarzan, which is now an international hit with an award-winning German production in its 6th year; The Little Mermaid, the number one-selling new Broadway musical of its year; and the Tony Award-winning hit production of Newsies which is currently on tour across North America.