Ross Petty was born on August 29,1946 and is a Canadian actor and theatre producer.
23 Facts About Ross Petty
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Ross Petty is best known for his eponymous production company, which staged what were promoted as "family musical" theatre productions in the British pantomime tradition in Toronto every holiday season from 1996 until 2022.
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Ross Petty appeared in the US and Canada in the title role of Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd, directed by Hal Prince.
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Ross Petty has done voices in several cartoon shows including X-Men, The Busy World of Richard Scarry, Bob and Margaret, Mythic Warriors: Guardians of the Legend, Bad Dog, Redwall, Mischief City, Ned's Newt, Jacob Two-Two, Monster Force, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Freaky Stories, Free Willy, Rupert, The Adventures of Tintin, Little Bear, RoboRoach, Birdz, Pippi Longstocking and Rescue Heroes.
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Ross Petty began co-producing the pantos with Elliott in 1986, and continued until Elliott decided to no longer present the shows in Toronto in 1996.
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However, Ross Petty dropped the use of the principal boy while retaining the pantomime dame.
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Ross Petty adapted it to a Canadian audience, writing original scripts, using an all-Canadian cast.
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Ross Petty ensured his productions were family-friendly and appropriate for children, even while occasionally incorporating some "adult jokes".
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In 2006, Petty revived the 2004 production of Aladdin and embarked on a cross-Canada tour in November and December.
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Between 1996 and 2015, Ross Petty appeared in his shows portraying the villain, who was usually dressed in drag.
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In 2015, Ross Petty retired from performing following the production of Peter Pan, but continued as a producer.
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In 2020, Ross Petty's planned production of Aladdin was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Ross Petty announced that the 2022 show, Peter's Final Flight: The Pan-Tastical Family Musical, would be the company's final production, with Ross Petty reprising his role as a villain for the final production.
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Many of Ross Petty's productions were well-received by Toronto theatre critics, and many of his shows performed to sell-out audiences.
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Ross Petty's productions have received praise for introducing theatre to children at a young age, with many noting that there was a lack of family-friendly theatre in the Toronto area.
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Ross Petty has been praised for his inclusion of drag performers in many of his shows.
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Ross Petty's villainous characters were usually dressed in drag and Dan Chameroy's recurring "Plumbum" character was a comedic feminine-presenting character.
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However, Ross Petty's productions have been criticized for their commercialism through product placement, as his shows project ads on a screen from their corporate sponsors during breaks in the show.
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Ross Petty defended this decision, indicating that his shows would not be financially viable without commercial sponsorship.
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Since Ross Petty's productions were for-profit, they were not eligible for government funding and had to rely on corporate sponsors to help subsidize the shows.
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Ross Petty's productions have been criticized for their lack of racial diversity in casting.
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Ross Petty acknowledged the importance of ensuring more racially diverse casts and the importance of doing so for children in their audiences, and pledged to create more inclusive casting processes.
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Ross Petty has been married to former National Ballet of Canada dancer and artistic director, Karen Kain since 1983.