{{Short description|British theatre and television producer (1953–2020)}} {{Infobox person | image = <!-- Only freely-licensed images may be used to depict living people. See WP:NONFREE. -->| | name = André Ptaszynski | other_names = | birth_date = 7 May 1953 | death_date = 29 July 2020 | birth_place = Ipswich, Suffolk, England | occupation = Theatre executive and producer }}
'''André Ptaszynski''' (7 May 1953 – 29 July 2020) was a British theatre and television producer. He was Chief Executive of the Really Useful Group from 2005 to 2011 and Chief Executive of Really Useful Theatres from 2000 to 2005.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://alumni.jesus.ox.ac.uk/TT2007Newsletter.pdf |title=A few moments with... André Ptaszynski |publisher=Jesus College, Oxford |work=Jesus College Newsletter |date=2007 |issue= Trinity Term 2007 |accessdate=2008-02-02 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090319223603/http://alumni.jesus.ox.ac.uk/TT2007Newsletter.pdf |archivedate=March 19, 2009 }}</ref>
==Early life and education== Ptaszynski was born in Ipswich to Władysław Ptaszyński, a Polish officer who was released from a prisoner of war camp in the Soviet Union, and Joan Holmes, his father's English teacher. He studied English at Jesus College, Oxford.<ref name="Guardian Obit"/>
Prior to 2000, he ran his own theatre and TV production company. Amongst other shows, he was sole or co-producer on five which won Best Musical Olivier Awards and/or Evening Standard Awards in the 1990s: ''Return to the Forbidden Planet'', ''Show Boat'', ''Tommy'', ''Chicago'' and ''Spend Spend Spend''.<ref>{{cite news|title=The Top Brass: It's art but not for art's sake: shows don't have 'the |work=Independent on Sunday |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4159/is_20030302/ai_n12735702 |date=Mar 2, 2003 |accessdate=2007-07-16 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070401162309/http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4159/is_20030302/ai_n12735702 |archivedate=2007-04-01 |url-status=live }}</ref> He also promoted many comedians including Rowan Atkinson, Dave Allen, Rik Mayall, Victoria Wood, Eddie Izzard, The League of Gentlemen and Armstrong and Miller.
He produced four BBC television series. The first was ''Tygo Road'', starring Kevin McNally, which lasted six episodes in 1990.<ref>{{cite web |title=Tygo Road |work=BBC Comedy Guide |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/articles/t/tygoroad_7776590.shtml |accessdate=2007-07-16 |archive-date=2006-03-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060312102139/http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/articles/t/tygoroad_7776590.shtml |url-status=dead }}</ref> The veteran sitcom director Bob Spiers introduced Ptaszynski to writer Steven Moffat suggesting that Moffat should write a sitcom. Moffat pitched an idea about a sitcom set in a school, but as the writer was talking passionately about his divorce, Ptaszynski convinced him to write about that instead.<ref name="dust">''After the Chalk Dust Settled'', featurette on ''Chalk'' Series 1 DVD, ReplayDVD.co.uk, prod. & dir. Craig Robins</ref><ref name="2.1comm">Ptaszynski, Andre; Moffat, Steven, ''Joking Apart'', Series 2, Episode 1 DVD audio commentary</ref> The show became ''Joking Apart'' won the Bronze Rose at the Montreux Television Festival in 1995. Like ''Tygo Road'', the show was developed from the ''Comic Asides'' series of pilots.<ref>{{cite web |first=Mark |last=Lewisohn |title=Joking Apart |work=BBC Comedy Guide |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/articles/j/jokingapart_7773900.shtml |accessdate=2007-07-16}}</ref> The producer contributed to the DVD audio commentary for the second series.<ref name="2.1comm"/>
Moffat’s proposal of a school sitcom was resurrected for Ptaszynski’s next television project after the second series of ''Joking Apart'' was broadcast. Two series of ''Chalk'' were transmitted on BBC One in 1997.<ref>{{cite web |first=Mark |last=Lewisohn |title=Chalk |work=BBC Comedy Guide |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/articles/c/chalk_1299000564.shtml |accessdate=2007-07-16 |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20070203110525/http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/articles/c/chalk_1299000564.shtml |archivedate = 2007-02-03}}</ref>
His final television projects were the sketch/variety ''The Lenny Beige Television Show''<ref>{{cite web |first=Mark |last=Lewisohn |title=The Lenny Beige Television Show |work=BBC Comedy Guide |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/articles/l/lennybeigetelevi_66602150.shtml |accessdate=2007-07-16 |archive-date=2006-04-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060427115335/http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/articles/l/lennybeigetelevi_66602150.shtml |url-status=dead }}</ref> and a Saturday Night BBC1 series with Ainsley Harriott, ''The Hidden Camera Show''.
He was a president of the Society of London Theatre<ref>{{cite web|title=SOLT News: New President |work=britishtheatreguide.info |url=http://www.britishtheatreguide.info/news/library/news/blsolt.htm |accessdate=2007-07-16 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926220248/http://www.britishtheatreguide.info/news/library/news/blsolt.htm |archivedate=2007-09-26 }}</ref> and was on the board of the Royal National Theatre from 2001 to 2010.
==Personal life== Ptaszynski married Judith Terry in 1985. Their children include the writer and podcaster Anna. He died on 29 July 2020, at the age of 67.<ref name="Guardian Obit">{{cite news |last1=Coveney |first1=Michael |title=André Ptaszynski obituary |url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2020/aug/04/andre-ptaszynski-obituary |access-date=11 November 2024 |work=The Guardian |date=4 August 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Wood|first1=Alex|title=Producer Andre Ptaszynski has died aged 67 |url=https://www.whatsonstage.com/london-theatre/news/producer-andre-ptaszynski-has-died-aged-67_52095.html|website=What's On Stage|date=30 July 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=André Ptaszynski, renowned theatre producer and former right hand of Andrew Lloyd Webber – obituary |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2020/08/10/andre-ptaszynski-renowned-theatre-producer-former-right-hand/|website=The Daily Telegraph|date=10 August 2020|archive-url = https://archive.today/20200810213826/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2020/08/10/andre-ptaszynski-renowned-theatre-producer-former-right-hand/ |archive-date = August 10, 2020|url-status = live}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Ptaszynski, Andre}} Category:1953 births Category:2020 deaths Category:English television producers Category:English theatre managers and producers Category:Alumni of Jesus College, Oxford