The Nimax Story

Nimax Theatres was formed in 2005 when Nica Burns and Max Weitzenhoffer bought four West End playhouses from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Really Useful Theatres – the Apollo, Duchess, Garrick, and Lyric theatres. The name Nimax is a portmanteau of their two names. Nimax then bought Weitzenhoffer’s Vaudeville theatre and in 2012, the magnificent Palace theatre. The theatres have a combined capacity of over 5,700 seats and in addition to hosting some of the UK’s most critically acclaimed plays and musicals, present a busy and varied programme of comedy, concerts and children’s theatre.

Nimax Theatres has housed notable and award-winning productions over its 20-year history and currently houses some of the West End’s favourite shows; from long-running classics like the ground-breaking, two part play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child at the Palace Theatre and The Play That Goes Wrong, recently celebrating 10 years at the Duchess theatre, to the Tony and Olivier award-winning Hadestown and SIX, as well as nurturing new British writing with Ryan Calais Cameron (For Black Boys… and Retrograde).

As theatres emerged from lockdown in 2021, Nica was the first theatre owner to re-open at 50% capacity, launching the Rising Stars Festival with a programme of new work giving 23 first time and emerging producers their West End debuts across Nimax’s six theatres.

In Autumn 2022, Nica Burns announced the opening of @sohoplace, the first purpose-built, fully accessible West End theatre in 50 years. The venue is owned by Nica and operated by Nimax Theatres. The culmination of a 12-year project, @sohoplace is adjacent to the site of the old Astoria theatre which was demolished to build Crossrail. The new theatre is at the heart of property giant Derwent London’s visionary £300 million regeneration of a neglected corner of Soho. The beautiful, in-the-round auditorium can be reconfigured and has occasionally been used in a three-sided thrust configuration. Nica said “Early in the design process I asked some of our greatest directors and writers – If we could build a brand-new theatre in the heart of the West End, what would be your dream? They wanted a space which was intimate but with scale, perfect sight lines, great acoustics and comfortable seats. So that is what we built, a theatre which adds a different dimension to our vibrant West End landscape.” In addition, the fifth floor offers on-site rehearsal room, spacious bar and outdoor terrace – perfect for additional events including conferences, workshops, first night parties and celebrations. In only three years, @sohoplace has become one of London’s most loved theatre spaces, garnering a fistful of nominations and awards. 

This year, Nimax celebrates 20 years of producing, innovating, and entertaining in Theatreland. We look forward to welcoming you to one of our theatres very soon.

Nica Burns CBE

Chief Executive and Owner

After reading law at UCL, Nica trained at Webber Douglas drama school and was a successful actress before starting her own theatre company, performing at the Edinburgh Fringe and on tour.  This led to her becoming the Artistic Director of the Donmar Warehouse (1983–89). She became an independent producer before being head hunted by Janet Holmes à Court to lead on the creative side of Stoll Moss which became Really Useful Theatres, as Production Director (1993–2005) programming 11 theatres while continuing to produce her own work. In 2005 she founded Nimax Theatres. She was elected President of the Society of London Theatre (2008–10) and Vice President (2011-13). Nica has had a long involvement in the comedy industry and since 1984 has been Director and Producer of the most prestigious comedy prize in the United Kingdom, the Edinburgh Comedy Awards.

Post COVID, she was the first theatre owner to reopen all her theatres at 50% capacity with the Rising Stars Festival, introducing 23 new and emerging producers to the West End. In 2021 Nica was recognised with the following awards: Producer of the Year at The Stage awards 2021, a Commendation for Exceptional Theatre Making During Lockdown at the Critics Circle Awards, an Evening Standard Special Award for Theatre and a Special Award for Services to UK Theatre at the WhatsOnStage Awards. Nica is consistently recognised in The Stage 100 as one of the top three most influential people in British theatre and the performing arts.

Among her many accolades, she was made a Fellow of University College London in 2007 and in 2013, she won Private Business Woman of the Year at the UK Private Business Awards. She was awarded an OBE from Queen Elizabeth II in the 2013 New Year’s honours list and a CBE in the 2024 Birthday Honours, both for services to theatre.

Nica has produced over 100 shows which include Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf starring Kathleen Turner and Bill Irwin, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest starring Christian Slater, Long Day’s Journey into Night starring David Suchet and Laurie Metcalf, the award-winning premiere of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, and most recently two seasons of Ryan Calais Cameron’s For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Hue Gets Too Heavy.

View all Nica Burns’ produced shows >

Max Weitzenhoffer

Chairman and Owner

Max is an experienced Broadway and off-Broadway producer who has co-produced and helped realise numerous acclaimed productions, including Sleuth, Equus, The Elephant Man, Rose, Timbuktu, Mass Appeal, Passion, and the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Piaf. His credits include Tickles by Tucholsky, The Good Parts, Three Guys Naked from the Waist Down, Road to Mecca, the Tony Award-winning Dracula, Going Up, Harold and Maude, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Song and Dance, Pump Boys and Dinettes, Dracula, and The Will Rogers Follies which won six Tony Awards including Best Musical.

In 1999 he started co-producing with Nica Burns in London. Productions include: Scissor Happy, Defending The Caveman (2000 Oliver Award), Medea starring Fiona Shaw directed by Deborah Warner (2001 Evening Standard Award for Best Actress and Best Director), Feelgood (2001 Evening Standard Award for Best Comedy), One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest , Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? , A Moon for the Misbegotten (Old Vic and Broadway), Pygmalion starring Rupert Everett and Kara Tointon, Long Day’s Journey into Night, Tennessee Williams’ Sweet Bird of Youth at starring Kim Cattrall, a co-production with the Old Vic, The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, A Little Night Music (London and Broadway), Aspects of Love and The Producers.

Max is also routinely recognised as one of the most influential people in British theatre by The Stage.

Company Mission

Nimax Theatres aspires and succeeds in delivering exceptional live and in-venue experiences with creativity, care, and impact. We’re a close-knit team; unafraid to innovate, powered by passion, and guided by our unwavering commitment to putting audiences first. We’re here to put on great shows to packed houses and deliver a fantastic audience experience in beautiful buildings.