Nimax will open all six West End theatres with social distancing from 22 October (Amended)

Nimax Theatres have announced that they will re-open all six of their West End Theatres in sequence from 22 October 2020 with social distancing.

This news item was amended at 5.5pm with new information. For accuracy, we posted the original release this morning as it was sent to us. What you see below in BOLD are those bit that have just been amended and now change the nature of the story!

Nica Burns Nimax Theatres Chief Executive Nica Burns has announced that Nimax will open all six West End theatres in sequence from October 22nd 2020 with social distancing under COVID-19 Secure government guidelines. Please note that Nimax has issued a subsequent statement and additional information has been added to our original post here in bold! Nica said “On the six-month anniversary of the last performance in the West End I am delighted to announce that we will be switching on all our lights and re-opening with a special season of fantastic entertainment.  First up from 22 October to 8 November at the Apollo Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue is This is Going to Hurt written and performed by ex-NHS doctor Adam Kay. His first performance on Thursday 22 October is a free performance for NHS staff only. Our programme of special shows will reopen each of our six theatres prior to the return of our brilliant long-running shows. Details of this special season of shows will be announced by their producers over the next fortnight.” The producer of Nimax’s biggest long-running show, the renowned Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Sonia Friedman said: “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child will definitely return to the West End once social distancing has ended, the Palace Theatre can safely and viably play to full capacity 8 times per week, and we have a government-backed insurance scheme. Whist we are desperate to be back as soon as possible, given the sheer scale, expense and complexity of our magical show we will need many months’ notice to reignite our huge production, build a box office advance and give everyone enough time to plan.” Nica Burns continues: “Also returning in due course are Everybody’s Talking About Jamie (Apollo theatre), Magic Goes Wrong (Vaudeville theatre) and The Play That Goes Wrong (Duchess theatre). For our special season, our theatres will open with social distancing plus robust risk mitigation to comply with current government COVID-19 Secure guidelines. Although with reduced capacities it is not possible to make a profit, we will be earning a contribution to our costs. With the furlough support scheme ending on 31st October, this income will help us retain Nimax’s highly skilled, experienced workforce and give work to some of the talented tapestry of freelancers onstage and backstage. We will also be able to support some of the many teams and businesses which together give our audiences a night to remember. Our theatre community cannot wait to get back to work safely. JOIN OUR MAILING LIST FOR TICKET INFORMATION AS IT COMES TO HAND

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