About JM
John McDonald ~ JM Productions, Artistic and Executive Director
John F. McDonald, Jr. founded the Quincy Community Theatre in 1983, and served as its President. He was the Executive Producer and Director of many critically acclaimed theatricals events including three major musical productions, a special celebrity concert series and a children’s theatre series for over ten years. Mr. McDonald then went on with his production company, JM Productions to produce and direct celebrity productions including “An Evening with Broadway & Gospel star Jennifer Holiday”, “An Evening with Robbie O’Connell and the Clancy Brothers”, “An Evening with Jane Olivor”(her last public performance), “An Evening with Livingston Taylor” and a local celebrity production of “Love Letters” staring former WBZ TV personalities Joyce Kulhawik, Scott Whale, Suzanne Bates and Tom Bergeron as well as former WHDH personality Sara Edwards with Kiss 108’s Mat Schaeffer.
Mr. McDonald conceived and produced the wildly successful “Randy Rainbow 6 City New England Tour” in August of 2017 taking Randy to Boston, MA., Ogunquit, ME., Montpelier, VT., Ptown, MA., and Providence, RI. The sold out tour, conceived by Mr. McDonald, launched Randy’s current National and International tours that are playing to sold out theatres till this day.
Mr. McDonald has also produced events in conjunction with the City of Quincy at the Quincy Promenade, The Hancock/Adams Common and has served as an officer on the annual Blues Festival Committee. Through his production company, JM Productions & “Rising Stars”, Mr. McDonald was responsible for organizing a series of concerts and events that included but not limited to: Jazz, Dixieland, Big Band/Swing, Broadway, Irish/Celtic and New Age performances. Mr. McDonald is the creator of The Quincy Cultural Center, Inc, a non-profit organization dedicated to building the City’s first cultural community arts center.
Mr. McDonald’s “Rising Stars” dance, drama and voice workshops brings Broadway talent to Quincy conducting master classes, week long workshops during February & April school vacations and for two weeks in the summer. “Rising Stars” also arranges for group sales at all the Boston theatres which include discounted tickets, Q & A with the casts & tours backstage of the theatres. Many of his students have gone on to the finest colleges as dance, drama & voice majors and some have been cast in roles on Broadway and National tours.
In Boston Mr. McDonald was responsible for booking entertainment for two summers at the weekly farmers market at The Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy and for three seasons at The Boston Harborfest. He has also produced shows in Boston at Club Cafe, The Nancy & Edward Roberts Studio Theatre at The Calderwood Theatre & The Berklee Performance Center.
Mr. McDonald also has a diverse background in various fields of entertainment, event planning and modeling, including positions as personal assistant to Click Model Management President, Frances Grill at Carnegie Hall New York as well as super model and actress Isabella Rossellini and Academy award winning actresses Cher, Faye Dunaway and Marisa Tomei. He has also assisted super-personality Lauren Bacall as well as actresses Julie Harris, Parker Posey and author Elaine May. Mr. McDonald has assisted and dressed actors Charles Durning, Charles Nelson Riley, Matthew Broderick, Alan Arkin, Sir Paul McCartney, Kiss and Aerosmith. Mr. McDonald has worked on and off Broadway holding many positions and has one national tour and three Broadway credits.
Mr. McDonald has also held positions in many Boston professional theatres as Assistant House Manager and Dresser at The Wilbur and Colonial Theatres. He has been an usher, dresser, door and security person and customer service phone operator at four other Boston theatres. His vast knowledge of professional theatres holding many positions is considered to be a huge asset his personal goal of bringing a cultural center and black box theatre to Quincy.