A producer said a prestigious Tony award nomination was all thanks to the 'greatest theatrical education' he received at Norwich's Theatre Royal.

Richard Jordan grew up in Cringleford, attended Hethersett High School, and spent his childhood watching performances at the city venue.

The play Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, which he co-produced, has now been nominated for a Tony award, the highest accolade in American theatre.

Currently running at the Golden Theater on Broadway, it stars Sigourney Weaver, David Hyde Pierce and Katherine Nielsen.

The production is up for best play as well as best actor, best director and best supporting actor awards.

Mr Jordan has worked on over 160 productions since setting up his own production company in 1998.

He began his career at the age of 16 as a stage hand on the West End musical Cats and was a production assistant for Norwich Theatre Royal chief executive Peter Wilson's production company.

But the 38-year-old's interest in theatre began in Norwich at the age of seven when his parents took him to see Seven Brides for Seven Brothers at the Theatre Royal.

Mr Jordan said: 'The Tony nomination is a dream come true for me and it is the result of how all great theatre gets created – out of collaboration, shared belief, a great script, vision, and a large dollop of optimism.

'In theatre, you need to know where you came to know where you came from to know how to get back. For me, I owe the privilege of a Tony nomination to the Theatre Royal in Norwich where, as a child, it introduced me to live theatre and then by going regularly and seeing so many shows there it gave me the greatest theatrical education which enabled me to go on to pursue my producing career.'

Peter Wilson, Norwich Theatre Royal chief executive, said everyone at the venue was delighted to hear of Mr Jordan's latest achievement.

He said: 'Richard's success comes as no surprise to those of us who have watched him forge his career in the theatre. His father Tony Jordan was the Theatre Royal's licensing lawyer when I arrived here in 1992, Richard subsequently worked in my office in London, and I co-produced Marian Margolye's Dickens Women with him, so there's great personal satisfaction for me in seeing him nominated for a Tony Award.

'All of us at the Theatre Royal wish him well and send our congratulations.'

The Tony nomination is the latest accolade in Norwich Playhouse patron Mr Jordan's successful career.

Last year, he won a Laurence Olivier Award for his production of a brutal drama about human trafficking called Roadkill.

The producer has also been featured in The Stage newspaper's annual list of top 100 UK theatre professionals seven times.

Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike recently won the US Drama Critics Circle Award for best play.