Bio
Pieter Toerien is South Africa's foremost theatre impresario, best known for funding commercial theatre productions at his two theatres: Theatre on the Bay in Cape Town and the Montecasino Theatre and Studio in Johannesburg.
Along with Hazel Feldman he is the producer of High School Musical: Live On Stage, which opens at Artscape in the Cape Town Opera House on 26 November 2008, and will move to The Teatro at Montecasino in Johannesburg in February 2009.
The leads of the musical will be chosen in a South African television first: they will be chosen by viewers of the M-Net reality talent competition High School Musical: Spotlight South Africa, from August to September, 2008.
In the television series Toerien offers advice to the judges on potential talent, and has a say in bringing back contestants voted out by the public if he feels they should be given a second chance.
Toerien was the subject of a scandal when an email he sent to a media agency was leaked, in which he advised the agency to help ensure that a particular contestant on HSM: Spotlight South Africa did not get voted as the winner.
Full Text: Reality TV Scandal Uncovered