Jay will step down from his position to fill a newly created position of executive producer after 13 years at the helm and replaced by Xoliswa Nduneni-Ngema.
His career as theatre manager, commercial theatre general manager, artists’ personal manager, associate producer and executive producer of shows has taken him across the globe, into London’s West End and onto New York’s Broadway.
During his tenure, the British-born also served as executive producer of many shows at the theatre, including The Woman Who Cooked Her Husband, Debbie Does Dallas, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Aspects of Love, Footloose, The Boys in the Photograph, eleven annual festive season pantomimes written and directed by Janice Honeyman and the upcoming Andrew Lloyd Webber mega-musical Starlight Express.
Jay said, “I’m delighted that I have been appointed Joburg Theatre’s first full-time executive producer and that I will be continuing to identify, negotiate, contract and sometimes produce world-class entertainment for a truly world-class venue.”
He added he was grateful to the board of directors for understanding the management priorities of Joburg City Theatres and in recognising the essential profile in the entertainment industry of a resident theatre producer.
The move was part of the executive management restructuring at Joburg City Theatre.
Chairperson of the board Dr Mongane Wally Serote said, “On implementing the merger of the three city owned theatres earlier this year, we saw that, going forward, the current duties of the CEO required separating between two executives.”
Jay was invited by Computicket founder Percy Tucker to relocate to South Africa to become Entertainment Director of the ticketing company.
He joined promoter Attie van Wyk’s Big Concerts as deputy managing director in 1997. He was responsible for overseeing successful presentations such as Steve Hofmeyer in the musical, Summer Holiday; Michael Flatley’s Lord of The Dance; The Magic of David Copperfield and Operama’s Aïda at the Loftus Stadium in Pretoria.
