John Frost

John Edward Frost (AM) (born 30 September 1952) is an Australian theatrical stage impresario. He is co-founder and CEO of Sydney-based production company The Gordon Frost Organisation (GFO). In December 2020, he sold the company to Crossroads Live Company (CXL) but continues in the role of CEO. Early life John Edward Frost was educated at the Ferryden Park Primary School, and the Croydon Technical School. His father, Albert Edward was an Adelaide waterside worker and his mother, Louie Dorcas (née Oldfield) was a housewife and an officer cleaner. Frost grew-up in Adelaide where he regularly staged backyard entertainments with his doting Aunt, Mary, who despite her serious speech stutter played Eliza to his Henry Higgins, miming to the My Fair Lady cast album. His childhood was influenced by American television and Hollywood movies at Saturday afternoon cinema sessions. From the moment he saw a production of The Great Waltz at Her Majesty's Theatre in Adelaide he knew what he wanted to do with his life. A short stint in his teens with amateur theatre (he was in the ensemble of a local production of Show Boat) revealed, to his disappointment, that he was more suited to working backstage than performing. Career beginnings His first backstage jobs in the theatre were as a props assistant on Tibor Rudas' production of Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs, and a dresser on the JC Williamson's tour of the stage musical Mame starring the Broadway actor, Gaylea Byrne, at Her Majesty's Theatre Adelaide. Consequently, he was hired as a dresser for the remainder of the Australian tour. While he was guaranteed employment in each of the cities they played, the management required him to meet his own travelling costs to each of the destinations.