William May (artistic director)
William H. "Billy" May (30 August 1953 – 31 December 2009) was an American-born Australian
Biography
Early life
May was born on 30 August 1953, in Brooklyn, New York, United States.[3] May earned a scholarship to Carnegie Hall to study dance when he was twelve years old.[2]
Career
In 1972, at the age of 19, he moved to Australia to live with his
He also partnered with Cooke to manage the career of Australian singer Samantha Sang.[2] May hired Barry Gibb from the Bee Gees to write and produce a single for Sang, which resulted in the 1977 international hit single, Emotion.[2]
In 1983, May returned to New York City to produce the musical, Marilyn: An American Fable.[1][2] As a result, May, who was just 24 years old in 1983, became the youngest producer on Broadway at the time.[2]
May's other credits included The Hobbit; the 2002 theatrical production of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe at the Arts Centre Melbourne; Boswell for the Defense, which starred actor Leo McKern as James Boswell; and the 1997 musical, Always.[1][2] May wrote and composed the music, book and lyrics for Always, a musical focusing on the lives of Edward VII and Wallis Simpson.[1][2] However, poor reviews caused Always, to close soon after its opening.[1]
May suffered another professional setback after he sold his screenplay for a film to be called Skippy to
Walking with Dinosaurs – The Live Experience
However, May found professional and commercial success when he created the 2007 live stage production of Walking with Dinosaurs – The Live Experience, based on the documentary of the same name which aired on the BBC and the Discovery Channel.[1]
May was inspired to create the
May needed two years to create the lifelike dinosaurs, which needed to be both realistic and easily transportable for the tour.[4] May hired approximately fifty people to create the dinosaurs using his designs.[4]
He chose Sonny Tilders, one of the film and television industries' leading professionals in the field of animatronic puppetry, to head the development of the dinosaurs.[4] May designed the fifteen life-size dinosaurs used in the production.[3] Ten species of dinosaurs are included in the show,[4] including the Liliensternus, Plateosaurus, Allosaurus, Stegosaurus, Utahraptor and Torosaurus.[4] The largest dinosaur in the production, the Brachiosaurus, which most resembles the cranes which inspired the show, measures 56 feet long and 36 feet tall.[4]
The live adaptation, which debuted in 2007, was called Walking with Dinosaurs – The Arena Spectacular in Australia, but was later marketed under the name, Walking with Dinosaurs – The Live Experience in North America and Europe.
Walking with Dinosaurs cost $20 million to create[3] and was an instant commercial success. The Hollywood Reporter described Walking with Dinosaurs as "one of the largest and most acclaimed shows to come out of Australia."[2]
According to Polstar, Walking with Dinosaurs was the best-selling non-musical touring production in North America in 2009.[2][3] The production grossed $46.2 million and sold more than one million tickets throughout the United States and Canada leg of the tour.
As of early 2010, May's Walking with Dinosaurs – The Live Experience is still touring arenas and stadiums throughout North America and Europe.[1]
Death
May died of pneumonia at St Vincent's Hospital in Melbourne, Australia, on 31 December 2009, at the age of 56.[1] He was survived by his partner of 37 years, Malcolm Cooke. May's funeral was held at St Patrick's Cathedral, Melbourne.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Griffin, Michelle (6 January 2010). "William May, dinosaur creator, dies". The Age. Retrieved 28 January 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Barnes, Mike (4 January 2010). "'Dinosaurs' producer Billy May dies, Produced more than 40 theatrical productions". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 25 January 2013. Retrieved 28 January 2010.
- ^ Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Associated Press. 5 January 2010. Retrieved 28 January 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f Palicki, Martin (28 May 2008). "T-Rex Appeal: Prehistoric Production Notes from Walking with Dinosaurs". Blooloop.com. Retrieved 28 January 2010.
External links
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