Interview: Shanay Holmes on the Origins and Creation of MUSICAL CON

Musical Con, the world’s biggest musical theatre fan convention, is returning to London for its third year on 19 and 20 October. The convention is a celebration of all things musical theatre and includes panels, workshops and even a cosplay competition.

Recently, we had the chance to talk with Shanay Holmes, one of the creators of Musical Con. We discussed how she first became a producer, the creation of Musical Con and what panels she is most looking forward to.

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How did you first get started in the world of musical theatre?

I studied at my local college. I come from a single-parent background so couldn’t afford to go to a performing arts college. I went to an open audition for The Lion King, then asked the casting director to help me find an agent. Within three months, I had my first job in the West End in Thriller - Live.

How did you become a producer?

I started producing events with my husband in 2018. We started doing a local immersive pop-up cinema, then we did an immersive musical theatre cinema event of Rent with the cast as I was in the show at the time. That gave me an idea and we created West End Musical Brunch, which has been running every Saturday since. That led to West End Musical Drive-In during the pandemic, the first live music event anywhere in the country, and the West End Musical Celebration concert to reopen theatres afterwards at The Palace Theatre. We have since produced concerts at a number of West End theatres including the London Palladium and, of course, our fan event, Musical Con.

For those unfamiliar, can you tell us a bit about Musical Con? What was the creation process like?

Musical Con is the world's biggest musical theatre convention. It is attended by over 10,000 fans and we have over 100 guests who are cast and creatives from the West End shows and even Broadway. Fans can meet the stars, celebrate the shows, learn from the pros and find their tribe. We have spotlights on the biggest shows with performances, interviews and panels, meet and greets, singalongs, cosplay competitions, workshops and a huge marketplace brimming with shows, musical theatre businesses and fan merch.

I first attended a fan convention with my brother who has autism. He can sometimes find crowded spaces overwhelming, but the moment we entered the event, through cosplay, he became empowered. He had found a community where there was no judgment - only celebration. I could see the effect it had on him and that was amazing. It made me think that there needed to be a fan convention for the musical theatre community, and the rest is history! Our fans are every bit as passionate as those who love comics or gaming, for example, and they deserved an event they could come to and celebrate together. The event had never existed before so there was a huge amount of planning and preparations involved, but it was worth it once we saw the response and the excitement from the fans. Musical Con means a lot to people. 

How do you plan something as big as Musical Con?

It is always really difficult because there are so many different activities and so many casts and shows involved. It takes all year to plan - the moment we finish one year, we start planning the next! The first year was the hardest though as everything was unknown. It is definitely a labour of love - it’s very demanding, but also very rewarding. 

What has it been like to be putting on Musical Con while also preparing to take on the role of Nancy in Oliver! at the Gielgud Theatre?

Nancy is such an iconic role and huge responsibility so I have had to give it my full attention, but all my downtime has been focused entirely on Musical Con. We are on a 12-week break now before London so the timing has worked perfectly! I’m very focused and tenacious so you’ll often find me in my dressing room on my laptop or on the phone with my partner making plans for the event in between shows. 

Are there any panels and/or workshops that you’re particularly looking forward to?

Oh gosh, there is so much amazing content - it’s hard to pick! I always love the cosplay competition. The amount of work that goes into some of the costumes is just unbelievable. I’m also looking forward to talking about Oliver! as it’s such an amazing and historic show - this production is really incredible. We also have André De Shields attending and I saw him in Hadestown on Broadway and he blew me away, so that will be my fan moment!

What do you hope attendees take away from Musical Con?

It’s the place where they belong! It’s a place where they can find their tribe, share their passion and feel safe. They wait all year for Musical Con and it means so much to so many people. It’s a huge privilege for us to serve our community by producing this incredible event for the fans. It’s an honour. 

How would you describe Musical Con in one word?

Home.

Musical Con runs at ExCel London on 19 and 20 October.

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