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Just-the-Ticket Productions
Stewart Nicholls - Artistic Director
Just-the-Ticket exists to produce, restore and revive British
musicals. But why would someone in his 20's want to spend so
much time searching, restoring, revising, directing and staging
old shows that would otherwise be forgotten? Well, I was a somewhat
unusual child in that I didn't listen to pop music - unlike all
my friends - I was much happier to listen to old fashioned records,
and I was never more excited than to go and see all the musicals
that were presented by the local operatic society. It wasn't
long before I started dancing, playing the piano and performing
with local amateur societies.
My life changed when I was at 6th Form College and I was encouraged
by my 'A' level music teacher to direct a musical. I was 16 and
so, not knowing any better, I directed my first British musical,
Stop the World - I Want To Get Off, and played the lead too!
Perhaps too precocious but not put off by this, I was encouraged
further and at 17 directed Half a Sixpence - and played Kipps
too! I also invited the writer, David Heneker to come to the
show. Unfortunately he couldn't, but his wife Gwenol came to
a rehearsal. This was wonderful because we were all being coached
by the actual writer of the show. David and I became good friends
from thereon and he continually supported and encouraged me throughout
the next few years.
At 18, I went to the Guildford School of Acting and studied
Musical Theatre for three years. During that time, I started
my own theatre company and produced musicals during my summer
holidays! My aim was to recognise so many of the 'forgotten'
British musicals that I knew were good but yet were never performed.
Having collected cast albums since I was 12, and having read
Kurt Gänzl's excellent book, 'The British Musical Theatre
- Vol. 2', I knew that there were many shows just waiting to
be re-discovered.
Copyright Adrian Wright [CONTACT ] Webmaster
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