‘This is an incredibly exciting time’: Michael Cassel Group announces key appointments

July 22, 2024 9:55

Australian live entertainment producer, Michael Cassel Group, has announced two new big appointments, Mumbrella can reveal.

Annelies Crowe, who was the associate producer for the Australian and international tours of Hamilton and Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, has been promoted to deputy head of production and will oversee all upcoming local productions.

Meanwhile, Anna Fox, who most recently worked as associate director of the local & Juliet musical in Australia and the UK, will join MCG as creative development director based in London.

The key appointments come as MCG gears up for the Sydney premieres of Titanique in September, Dear Evan Hansen in October and Hamilton returning later this month, while Tony Award-winning productions like MJ The Musical and Beetlejuice will hit Australia in 2025.

Annelies Crowe

“This is an incredibly exciting time for Michael Cassel Group,” Crowe told Mumbrella.

“I am thrilled to be working with the amazing teams on each of those shows to bring them to life for our audiences, and I am hugely grateful for the trust and faith Michael Cassel and Todd Lacy have shown in me throughout my time at MCG, and while stepping into this new role.”

On moving up at the powerhouse brand that is MCG, Crowe said: “When it comes to commercial theatre producers, no one does it better than Michael Cassel Group. We bring the best theatre in the world to Australia and take the best of Australian theatre to the world, and having the opportunity to play any part in that is wonderful.

Hamilton. Image by Daniel Boud

“Our greatest asset is the people we work with, and I’m excited to continue to nurture and support these teams so the company can continue to grow, and keep finding the greatest shows that are going to light up stages all over the country.

“With significant media spends across our productions, our acting head of marketing, Tess Herrett, her team and our appointed agencies have really been focusing on working much more closely with our media partners to find innovative ways to share our shows with audiences around the country.”

As for its upcoming productions, Crowe said that MCG has put together a very special cast for Hamilton, and is set to announce the debut Titanique cast shortly.

Meanwhile, over 900 auditions were completed around Australia for the MJ musical which will premiere at Sydney’s Lyric Theatre next February.

“Annelies’ pursuit of excellence, her unwavering commitment to ensuring our productions are world class, her inexhaustible passion for theatre and her incredible leadership skills make her the ideal person to shepherd our Australian slate from concept to completion,” Michael Cassel said of Crowe’s appointment.

“Along with Todd Lacy’s tremendous experience and with his guidance, I am thrilled to have such an expert team to care for our productions all over the world.”