Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Invest in Toad Hall? Wind in the Willows stage show invites funding

Small investors asked to cover 10% of cost of stage show planned for 2015 – with returns of up to 60% targeted

Mr Toad
Mr Toad could soon be prancing in his plus-fours on the West End stage. Photograph: Geoff Pugh/Rex Features

You wouldn't lend him your car, but would Toad be worth investing money in? The producers of a planned new musical of The Wind in the Willows certainly hope so as they unveil a crowdfunding scheme that is something of a West End first.
Producer Jamie Hendry has announced details of a "public-investment platform" for the £6.5m production of Kenneth Grahame's classic novel with a book written by Downton Abbey creator and writer Julian Fellowes.

"The business of West End theatre is changing," said Hendry. "This is an opportunity to try a new model – one that allows a direct relationship with the producer."
Hendry making 10% of the production's cost – £650,000 – available to small investors in amounts from £1,000 to £5,000. So who is likely to invest? "Theatregoers, budding entrepreneurs, anyone who wants to be involved in the show," Hendry said, claiming investors could see a 60% return over the first two years. Or not, of course. "Theatre is high risk," he adds.
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