The Stage

Jermyn Street and New Players to become producers next year

Published Tuesday 13 December 2005 at 15:40 by Alistair Smith

Two of London’s leading Off-West End venues, the Jermyn Street and the New Players theatres, will relaunch themselves as producing houses in 2006.

The New Players has been taken over by Jeremy Millins, managing director of the Pure Group, which runs Heaven nightclub in the same complex as the theatre. He has asked Mark Clements, who had been working at the venue in an advisory capacity, to stay on as artistic director.

Clements, who is former artistic director of Derby Playhouse, explained that he was planning to create an Off-Broadway style at the 275-seat theatre. A mixed programme of drama, musicals, cabaret and live music will be produced both on and off-site. He added he believed that the theatre’s late licence until 2.30am would be used for certain shows.

He added: “We want to create a strong brand for a quality theatre but it will take a while to build that up. We also want the venue to be an affordable place for production companies to bring their work and we want to have a really eclectic mix of programming.”

They have taken over the running of the venue from Off West End Theatres, which is led by New End Theatre chief executive Brian Daniels and former Arts Theatre board member Conrad Friedman. The pair had acquired the New Players early in 2004. Off West End Theatres retains control of the Shaw Theatre and continues to operate the New End theatre alongside that venture.

Meanwhile, Penny Horner, the Jermyn Street’s manager, has brought in the services of former Bridewell executive director Simon Collier as artistic associate at the central London venue. Next year, he intends to programme up to four in-house productions, beginning with Gutenburg! The Musical! in January and Preacherosity in April. Two other pieces - Smilin’ State and Mambo Max - are also being considered for later in the season.

He commented: “Penny and I are very much singing off the same hymn sheet. I don’t want to go the way a lot of small theatres go, where you have a small core audience and eventually you exhaust that audience. After the first year, I want to look at British writing and specifically British musicals.

“However, any gamble has to be calculated. But it’s about not being afraid that some of it is going to work and some of it will fail. In terms of my relationship with the Jermyn Street, it’s an open-ended one.”

While 2005 began badly for the capital’s fringe and cabaret scenes with the demise of the Bridewell Theatre and the temporary closure of Pizza on the Park, the success of the Menier Chocolate Factory in recent award ceremonies has provided a welcome boost, acknowledged Horner. However, theatres would need to adapt to survive.

She said: “The Jermyn Street has to reinvent itself to keep going, to keep us up there with everything else. We still have one thing over everyone else, which is location.

“We’re rebranding ourselves and moving into producing. But because we’re completely unfunded, we’re realistic enough to understand that we have to continue as a receiving house as well.”

• Read more about the Menier success story on page 7 of the newspaper this week.