All six Nimax Theatres to open in May, says Nica Burns

West End theatres have been given the go-ahead to reopen, as part of the latest Coronavirus roadmap.

With the news that London theatres can reopen in May, Nimax Theatre's chief executive has laid out plans to reopen all six of it West End venues. Speaking to The Stage, Nica Burns spoke about how all its West End venues could reopen in a matter of months, affecting the Apollo Theatre, Duchess Theatre, Garrick Theatre, Lyric Theatre, Palace Theatre and Vaudeville Theatre.

Burns told The Stage: "We are definitely going to open all six theatres with social distancing, and are now working on our reopening plan to do that. We have a no-earlier-than date for reopening without social distancing but it's not guaranteed. Big shows need certainty and planning."

Full details of Nimax's reopening plans, as well as productions that will be staged at the collection of West End theatres are to be announced shortly.

Prior to the closure of West End theatres in December, all Nimax Theatres were open with productions including Six at the Lyric, Death Drop at the Garrick and a series of concerts at the Palace. Upcoming shows set to return include Everybody's Talking About Jamie at the Apollo, with Magic Goes Wrong coming back to the Vaudeville later this year.

As laid out in the Coronavirus roadmap yesterday, theatres will be allowed to open from 17 May, providing that the rates of transmission are low enough to guarantee safety for all. Step four will go into action from as early as 21 June, where social distancing regulations will no longer apply. 

Pilots of large-scale events will take place from April, although details on upcoming events, as well as testing and examining criteria are to be confirmed. 

^{Photo credit: Apollo Theatre (Photo courtesy of Nimax Theatres)}