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Giles Cooper

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Giles Cooper BIO

Giles Cooper is CEO of Giles Cooper Entertainment Ltd, UK concert promoters and show producers. He is also MD of the Soho Media Group, a marketing agency servicing UK promoters and event producers.

Giles Cooper was elected Chairman of the Royal Variety Charity on 30 November 2010 and on 26 January 2016 re-elected by unanimous vote for a second 5 year term. The Constitution of the Royal Variety Charity dictates that it is the elected Chairman, together with the honorary Life-President, that organise and have overall responsibility for the annual Royal Variety Performance and as such they act as Executive Producers for the show. The Royal Variety Performance was first staged in 1912 and in 2015 was viewed by over 152 million television viewers around the globe, making it the longest running and most successful entertainment show in the world.

Giles Cooper began his career in entertainment in the late 1980’s working on the weekly music papers Melody Maker and the New Musical Express (NME). He was also integral to the launch and management of music & movie magazines Uncut, Vox and Loaded.

In 1992, he joined advertising agency, Sold Out, as an Account Director where he marketed numerous tours for bands including U2, Oasis, Blur and the Rolling Stones, as well as dozens of music festivals such as Glastonbury, V-Festival, Womad, Creamfields and the Reading Festival.

In 1998, he founded the arts & entertainment agency, Media Junction, later developing it into the Soho Media Group of media and entertainment companies.

Some of Soho Media Group's most notable projects have included:-

> Sir Paul McCartney’s world tours in 2010, 2013-2015
> Sir Elton John’s UK tours in 2009 and 2010, 2015
> Take That’s record breaking UK stadium tours in 2009 and 2011
> Harry Hill’s triple BAFTA award-winning peak ITV1 show, ‘TV Burp’.
> West-End musicals: Jerry Springer the Opera and Blue Man Group
> Seasons at the Royal Opera House for the Bolshoi and Kirov ballets
> Launch of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre
> Launch of the London O2 Arena
> UK comedy stand-up tours 2000-2015 for Bill Bailey, Russell Howard, Russell Kane, Jenny Éclair, Peter Kay, Ricky Gervais, Frank Skinner, Omid Djalili, Al Murray and Harry Hill.

Giles has frequently offered the services of Soho Media Group free of charge in support of numerous charities including: Children In Need, Comic Relief, the Royal Masonic Variety Show, the Forces Children’s Trust and, of course, the Royal Variety Charity.

In almost 30 years in the industry, Giles has produced dozens of theatre tours (resulting in over 600 regional theatre performances and countless performances in London's West-End), promoted dozens of UK music tours (in venues of all sizes) and promoted several of his own, outdoor music and comedy festivals.

In 2006, Giles Cooper was elected a fellow of the RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of the Arts).

The following year, in December 2007, Giles volunteered his services to the Royal Variety Charity (formerly the Entertainment Artistes’ Benevolent Fund - EABF) and after spending just shy of 3 years as a Member of the Executive Committee, Giles was voted Chairman of the charity in November 2010. The Royal Variety Charity assists thousands of sick, elderly or impoverished entertainers each year and also owns and runs its own nursing and residential care home, Brinsworth House in Twickenham, for people who have spent their lives working in the entertainment industry.

In partnership with Laurie Mansfield (Life-President of the Royal Variety Charity), Giles Cooper as Chairman, is responsible for the annual Royal Variety Performance and, as such, is one of the Executive Producers of the show. The Royal Variety Performance reaches over 150 million television viewers worldwide and is one of the most important events in the entertainment industry's global calendar.

In May 2012, Giles was invited to work as a permanent consultant to an All-Party Parliamentary Committee for the promotion of UK comedy and regularly visited the House of Commons to give advice and opinions on the industry. he served until June 2014

In July 2014, Giles Cooper was awarded Freedom of the City of London.

In Jan 2016, Giles was re-elected as Chairman of the Royal Variety Charity.

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Giles Cooper News


Cast and Creative Team Revealed For GREAT EXPECTATIONS at Royal Exchange Theatre


The cast and creative team has been announced for Great Expectations at Royal Exchange Theatre. Find out who starring in the show here!

Banana Boat Productions and New Perspectives Theatre Company Present MAMMA DECEMBA


Banana Boat Productions and New Perspectives Theatre Company present a revival of MAMMA DECEMBA by noted Jamaican-British author Nigel D. Moffatt for a limited run May 4-13, 2023. Performances are Wednesday through Saturday at 7:00pm and Sunday at 2:00pm. at New Perspectives Studio, 458 West 37th Street.

New British Musical KISSES ON A POSTCARD Will Feature a Cast of Over 50, Including John Owen Jones and Katy Secombe


‘Kisses on a Postcard’ is a thrilling World War Two musical, an intensely moving portrait of an extraordinary episode in British history, packed with memorable songs, danger and humour.

BWW Review: STEVE, Seven Dials Playhouse


The theatre formerly known as Tristan Bates, located just across the road from the Palace in the West End, has undergone a refurbishment and come out of the pandemic with a brand new name and snazzy facelift. Now called the Seven Dials Playhouse, it’s finally opened its doors again with a camp, compassionate story about hurt and acceptance that’s really a tribute to musicals at its core.

Photos: First Look at European Premiere of STEVE at Seven Dials Playhouse


Joe Aaron Reid (Dreamgirls, Savoy Theatre; In the Heights, Kings Cross Theatre), Michael Walters (The Inheritance, Young Vic & West End transfer; Death of a Salesman, Royal & Derngate/UK Tour; The Sandman, Netflix/Warner Bros), Giles Cooper (Toast, The Other Palace; Henry V, The Knight of the Burning Pestle, The Duchess of Malfi, Shakespeare's Globe) and Nico Conde (Westworld, HBO Entertainment; El Inocente, Netflix) will join the cast of the highly-anticipated European premiere of Steve at Seven Dials Playhouse.

Photos: Inside Rehearsal For STEVE at Seven Dials Playhouse


Searing comedy Steve opens at Seven Dials Playhouse on 8th February 2022 for its European Premiere. Running until 19th March, Steve stars Tony Award nominee and Olivier Award-winner Jenna Russell opposite Holby City’s David Ames. 

Cast Announced for STEVE - the European Premiere Launching Seven Dials Playhouse


Joe Aaron Reid (Dreamgirls, Savoy Theatre; In the Heights, Kings Cross Theatre), Michael Walters (The Inheritance, Young Vic & West End transfer; Death of a Salesman, Royal & Derngate/UK Tour; The Sandman, Netflix/Warner Bros), Giles Cooper (Toast, The Other Palace; Henry V, The Knight of the Burning Pestle, The Duchess of Malfi, Shakespeare's Globe) and Nico Conde (Westworld, HBO Entertainment; El Inocente, Netflix) will join the cast of the highly-anticipated European premiere of Steve at Seven Dials Playhouse.

Jason Manford to Host this Year's Royal Variety Performance, Featuring Gary Barlow, Michael Ball, Samantha Barks, and More!


Comedian, actor and singer Jason Manford is to host The Royal Variety Performance at the historic Blackpool Opera House in the Winter Gardens Complex. His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales will deliver a special message to the charity and the artistes performing in the show, as he looks forward to this exceptional evening of entertainment.

BWW Review: NIGEL SLATER'S TOAST, Online


Nigel Slater's Toast is an online play a?" part radio play, part animated film. Written by Henry Filloux-Bennett, the show is based on Nigel Slater's award-winning biography and vividly recreates his childhood through stunning animation.

Lawrence Batley Theatre Will Bring A New Online Adaptation Of Nigel Slater's TOAST To Audiences At Home


Following its hugely successful 2019 West End run and national tour, Nigel Slater's Toast returns to the Lawrence Batley Theatre as a brand-new online play for audiences to enjoy from the comfort of their own home.

BWW Review: TOAST, Theatre Royal Brighton


Toast: The Story of a Boy's Hunger is a best-selling memoir novel from the renowned Observer food columnist, Nigel Slater. It was adapted into a film in 2010 and has now been reworked for the stage, premiering at The Lowry in Manchester in 2018. The show is currently running at the Theatre Royal in Brighton as part of a UK tour.

BWW Review: TOAST, Richmond Theatre


Toast is the adaptation of a poignant childhood memoir, where the early death of a parent leads to a strained relationship with an awful stepmother and an increasingly violent father. So far, so familiar. What makes the story of Nigel Slater, one of the country's best-loved food writers, so different is Slater's utterly infectious love for food. After very successful runs at Manchester's Lowry, Edinburgh's Traverse and London's The Other Palace Theatre, this deliciously bittersweet play is now on a national tour.

Full Cast Announced For Nigel Slater's TOAST UK Tour


Following its successful London transfer to Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Other Palace, Nigel Slater's Toast announces its full cast for its UK tour, which launches at Huddersfield's Lawrence Batley Theatre on 19 August, where the play's writer Henry Filloux-Bennett has recently been appointed Chief Executive, and will conclude at the Crewe Lyceum on 7 December.

York Theatre Royal Announces Autumn/Winter 2019 Season


Emma Rice's Wise Children company return with Enid Blyton's Malory Towers in York Theatre Royal's autumn-winter season, which also features new productions of Arthur Miller's A View from the Bridge and Athol Fugard's Hello and Goodbye.

Further Dates Announced For UK Tour Of Nigel Slater's TOAST


Following its world premiere at The Lowry, Salford in May, a sold-out run at as part of Traverse Festival 2018 at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and a London transfer to Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Other Palace, where it is currently playing until 3 August, Nigel Slater's Toast announces further dates for its UK tour.

BWW Review: TOAST, The Other Palace


The pretense begins as the audience walks into the auditorium. It's as the warm smell of perfect nearly-burnt toast hits their noses that the good-hearted and fluffy nature of Toast reveals itself. Based on Nigel Slater's homonymous memoir, Henry Filloux-Bennett's bakes a play with enough nostalgia and hopefulness to feed a crowd.

ALL MY SONS Leads April's Top 10 New London Shows


London is never short of temptations, whether splashy West End shows, epic dramas or bold fringe offerings. From Arthur Miller and Caryl Churchill to Don Quixote and zombie gore, here are some of this month's most eye-catching openings. Don't forget to check back for BroadwayWorld's reviews, interviews and features!

Photo Flash: In Rehearsal with TOAST


Following its world premiere at The Lowry, Salford, in May and a sold-out run at as part of Traverse Festival 2018 at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the critically acclaimed stage adaption of Nigel Slater's best-selling memoirs Toast as the show prepares to make its London transfer. Toast opens at The Other Palace on 4th April 2019, with Giles Cooper cast in the role of Nigel Slater.

Final Cast Announced For Nigel Slater's TOAST At The Other Palace


Following its world premiere at The Lowry, Salford, in May and a sold-out run at as part of Traverse Festival 2018 at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, casting is today announced for the critically acclaimed stage adaption of Nigel Slater's best-selling memoirs Toast as the show prepares to make its London transfer. Toast opens at The Other Palace on 4th April 2019, with Giles Cooper cast in the role of Nigel Slater.

The Piano Guys Announce Exclusive London Show At Kenwood House


Giles Cooper Entertainment has announced that Kenwood House, overlooking Hampstead Heath in North London, will host a stellar line-up of live music concerts in summer 2019 within the splendour of its breath-taking gardens.

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