The new festival will celebrate the work of 23 producers making their West End producing debuts.
Photographed at The Lyric Theatre, London. Photograph by David Levene.
It has been confirmed that twenty-three young theatre producers are being given an opportunity to present their work in the West End for the first time. The seventeen productions – including plays, musicals, concerts and one-off events – will form The Rising Stars Festival which will run from May to September in Nimax’s six theatres (the Apollo, Duchess, Garrick, Lyric, Palace and Vaudeville).
Talking about the festival Nica Burns, Chief Executive, said: “I am delighted to be welcoming into the spotlight a galaxy of talented young producers – our rising stars making their West End debuts. Entrepreneurial, adventurous, creating shows during our lockdown days to entertain and inspire, attracting stellar performers. Usually behind the spotlight, few understand what a producer does. Without them, there are no shows. If these enterprising producers are the future of the West End, it’s looking good.”
The Rising Stars Festival is set to run alongside the previously announced Nimax’s long-running shows and new summer programme.
The programme for the festival is as follows:
17th – 19th May Drag Queens of Pop (Vaudeville Theatre)
Producer David O’Reilly
18th May – 13th June Cruise (Duchess Theatre)
Producers Katy Lipson for Aria Entertainment, Jamie Lambert
and Eliza Jackson for Lambert Jackson Productions
19th May – 11th July Death Drop (Garrick Theatre)
Producers Ameena Hamid, Jamie Chapman Dixon and John-Webb Carter for Carter Dixon Productions
22nd & 23rd May Roles We’ll Never Play (Vaudeville Theatre)
Producer Thomas Duern
24th May An Evening with Kathy Burke (Lyric Theatre)
Producer David O’Reilly
24th May Intermissions Live (Vaudeville Theatre)
Producers Alice Fearn & Kirk Jamieson
24th May, 14th June & 5th July Monday Night at the Apollo (Apollo Theatre)
Producers Greg Barnett and Hugh Summers for Wild Mountain Productions Ltd
27th -30th May Public Domain (Vaudeville Theatre)
Producer Adam Lenson
2nd – 6th June The Show Must Go On! (Palace Theatre)
Producers Chris Marcus and Damien Stanton for Theatre Support Fund+ and Jack Maple and
Brian Zeilinger for MZG productions
7th – 13th June Alyssa, Memoirs of a Queen! (Vaudeville Theatre)
Producers Robin Rayner and James Quaife for New Frame Productions
7th June An Evening With Arlene Phillips (Duchess Theatre)
Producer David O’Reilly
10th – 13th June West End Musical Celebration (Palace Theatre)
Producers Shanay Holmes and Chris Steward for West End Musical Productions
14th June West End Live Lounge (Lyric Theatre)
Producer Shaun McCourt
21st June & 28th June The Distance You Have Come (Apollo Theatre)
Producers Sarah Evans for Sevans Productions and Krystal Lee
28th June The Wonderbirds Live (Duchess Theatre)
Producer David O’Reilly
15th July – 30th August Wonderment (Palace Theatre)
Producers Stephen McGill, McGill Productions, John-Webb Carter and Jamie Dixon, Carter Dixon
Productions, Piers Cottee-Jones, Piers Cottee-Jones Entertainment
17th September – 13th October The Last 5 Years (Vaudeville Theatre)
Producers Katy Lipson for Aria Entertainment, Edward Prophet and People Entertainment Group, with Dan Looney, Adam Paulden and Jason Haigh-Ellery for DLAP GROUP