Nica Burns, London theatre producer and co-owner of the Nimax Theatres group, comprising six theatres, has opened her doors to 23 first-time West End producers. These rising stars will be producing a variety of shows ranging from entertainment, plays and musicals to cabaret and magic, but will all have freshness at their core.
“These talented young producers are people I have been watching who have had their careers held back for the last 12 months,” Burns told the Observer. “So it seems a fantastic opportunity to give them a boost that will now actually put them ahead of where they might once have hoped to be now.”
Several showcase nights will be featured during the first season and will see shows such as Jack Holden’s Cruise , which focuses on a young man facing a HIV diagnosis in the 1980s. Another show to look out for will be Alyssa, Memoirs of a Queen, which will feature drag star Alyssa Edwards, famous for television appearances on RuPaul’s Drag Race.
Robin Rayner, producer of Alyssa Edwards’s show, has always dreamed of producing for the West End, and has now found himself staging a show in the same venue he previously worked at. “I learned my trade at the Edinburgh Fringe, both on and off stage, like Nica did,” he said to the Observer. “I have even worked front-of-house at her Vaudeville theatre, the place we are now putting on our show.”
This scheme will provide a newfound hope for theatre lovers across the country and opportunities for producers to get their first break within the industry, despite disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
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