Robin de Levita has been recognized with numerous awards including three Tony Awards for his Broadway productions of Into the Woods (2002) (Best Revival), 42nd Street (2001) (Best Revival), and Titanic (1997) (Best Musical). In addition, he received the Laurence Olivier Award for The Who’s Tommy (1996) on the West End in London. In the Netherlands, Robin de Levita established the record for the longest running theatrical production in history for Soldaat van Oranje (Soldier of Orange).
In addition to his theatrical stage productions, Robin de Levita co-founded Imagine Nation, a global media content company focusing on theater, live entertainment, film, and television. Through this venture, he created SceneAround ™ and StageAround ™ which are groundbreaking innovations incorporating a 360-degree rotating auditorium into the theatrical experience.
His work speaks for itself, but overall, Robin de Levita has produced six feature films, over one hundred shows for television, and more than eighty theater productions in seven different countries across Asia, Europe and in the US, including four hit plays on the West End in London and seventeen on Broadway in New York.
In Europe, he produced The Lion King, Les Misérables, CATS, Miss Saigon, The Phantom of The Opera, Dance of The Vampire, Blue Man Group, Chicago, Sweeney Todd, West Side Story, Cabaret, AIDA and more. For five years, he was on the board of Stage Entertainment overseeing all theatrical productions worldwide.
Robin de Levita during his long and successful career has worked with many high-profile celebrities including Ralph Fiennes, Julie Andrews, Raquel Welch, Tina Turner, Liza Minelli, David Bowie and more.
We sat with Robin for an in-depth interview about his career and creation StageAround™.
Thank you for talking with us today. Can you tell us about yourself?
I was born in Amsterdam on the Prinsengracht which is one of the main canals. I grew up in an artful family. My mother was a journalist and my father a producer of children’s television series. My grandmother was also a popular actress in the theater. She lived well into her nineties, and she would share her love for the stage with me as well as the sense of community it brings. So, I grew up in studios and theaters since childhood, and I have been surrounded by artists from as long as I can remember.
You have had quite the career to date in the world of entertainment boasting a plethora of awards.
Like every award it is great when it happens to you. I remember walking onto that huge stage at Radio City Music Hall. Completely surreal. I suddenly felt very Dutch. What the hell is the Dutch dude doing on this stage?
The awards you refer to are Titanic the Musical(1997) Tony Award for Best Musical, 42nd Street (2001) Tony Award for Best Revival, and Into the Woods (2002) Tony Award for Best Revival, starring Vanessa Williams.
In 1996 I received the Laurence Olivier Award for The Who’s Tommy. This production remains one of my favorite shows ever. It brought me a long friendship with Michael David and Ed Strong of Dodger Theatricals.
With so many smash hits on Broadway and the West End you developed StageAround™. Can you explain what it is?
StageAround ™ is the brand name for groundbreaking staging technology which we initially created for Soldier of Orange in Holland. We invented a system where the audience sits in a 360-degree rotating auditorium that turns from set to set. You can Google or check it out on YouTube.
We initially did this for Solider of Orange inside an abandoned hanger on a military airfield near Leiden in the Netherlands. Unbelievably, the show is still running and has actually been sold out since it first opened in 2010.
Four years later, in May 2014, I produced the critically acclaimed ANNE, a new contemporary play based on ‘The Diary of Anne Frank’. This was the first authorized stage adaptation since a Broadway production in the 1950’s and for the first time in history based on the original writings of Anne Frank. The play has run for two and a half years at Theater Amsterdam, which was specially constructed by Imagine Nation with StageAround ™ integrating technology film footage, and a replica of Anne Frank’s living environment during her life.
In March 2017, Tokyo Broadcasting System Television opened the first Asian StageAround ™ theater which was also constructed by Imagine Nation. The first production was Seven Souls in the Skull Castle followed by West Side Story.
Today, there are additional theaters equipped with StageAround ™ in Amsterdam and Tokyo.
Will there be a StageAround ™ equipped theatre in the US?
We are in various stages of development for sites in Las Vegas, London, Shanghai, and other territories as well. Covid has slowed us down.
Can you tell us something that people might not know about you?
I am born and raised in Amsterdam but am also officially a New Yorker after so many years living there and now I am in Los Angeles too. I directed a feature called ‘Lost Cos’ that won 65 IMDb qualified awards. On a personal level, I do not understand people that walk slowly, and I never cook.
Have you set any 2024 goals to achieve?
Laugh more, create some new stuff. Invest in friends and quality time.
Any upcoming projects?
Yes, but they still need to be announced.
How can people connect with you or find out more?
People can find me online on Instagram, and Facebook or my websites are https://www.imaginenation.nl/ and https://www.robindelevitaproductions.com/