West End stars launch Musical Con – the UK’s first ever musical theatre fan convention

West End musical theatre stars have banded together to launch Musical Con – the UK’s first ever musical theatre fan convention.

Brand new for 2022, thousands of musical theatre fans and enthusiasts will come together under one roof for the first time for a weekend-long celebration of musicals at the iconic ExCeL London.

Ambassadors for the event are West End superstars Aimie Atkinson (Pretty Woman The Musical, Six The Musical), Kerry Ellis (Wicked, Anything Goes), Alice Fearn (Come From Away, Wicked), Ben Forster (The Phantom of the Opera, Elf The Musical), Jodie Steele (But I’m A Cheerleader, Heathers, Six The Musical), Trevor Dion Nicholas (Hamilton, Aladdin), Omari Douglas (Cabaret), Shanay Holmes (Get Up, Stand Up! The Bob Marley Musical), Jenna Russell (Sunday in the Park with George, Fun Home, Piaf) and Layton Williams (Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, Rent, Thriller Live).

Fans will have the opportunity to meet the stars, celebrate the shows, and learn from the pros as never before, and it won’t just be the stars taking centre stage – everyone is invited to join in the musical magic!

“It’s such a fantastic idea. I don’t know why it hasn’t been done before.” said Ambassador Kerry Ellis with Ambassador Ben Forster adding “This is our chance to say thank you to everyone who has ever bought a ticket to see us in a show.“

Over 30 special guests have also been announced, including musical theatre supergroup SVN (Millie O’Connell, Natalie May Paris, Grace Mouat, Alexia McIntosh, Jarneia Richard-Noel, Maiya Quansah-Breed), Kelly Agbowu, Jocasta Almgill, Luke Bayer, Nikki Bentley, Lauren Byrne, Maddison Bullyment, Tarinn Callender, Lauren Drew, Hiba Elchikhe, Emma Hatton, Sophie Isaacs, Cassidy Janson, Aisha Jawando, Idriss Kargbo, Emma Kingston, Bobby Little, Carl Mann, Jason Pennycooke, Laura Pick, Karl Queensborough, Jon Robyns, Sharon Rose, Charlie Stemp, Ivano Turco, Michael Xavier & Mitch Zhangazha.

Many more special guests will be announced throughout the year.

The convention centre will split into four sections including a ‘Main Stage’ area, ‘Stage Door’ area, ‘Backstage’ area and Theatreland section.

The Main Stage will be where fans enjoy unique performances, surprise cast reunions, interviews, Q&As, discussion panels and show spotlights.

At Stage Door they can get up close and personal with their stage faves with meet and greets and photo and autograph opportunities.

Theatreland will host interactive show experiences, a marketplace full of stalls selling fandom merch and memorabilia, shops selling musical theatre clothing and accessories, and even a musical theatre themed café.

In the Backstage area, enthusiasts will enjoy an extensive selection of musical theatre workshops, masterclasses, and talks run by the cast and creatives of the shows. They can learn about getting into musical theatre and network with schools and colleges. There is even a competition to find the UK’s next musical theatre star with a chance to perform on the main stage!

A full programming schedule will be announced prior to the convention. Alice Fearn says, There will be so much to see. So much to do. It’s going to be great!

Musical Con is organised by West End Musical Productions (West End Musical Drive In, West End Musical Celebration) with the support of the Society of London Theatre (SOLT).

Emma De Souza, Head of Marketing and Communications for SOLT, says: ‘We are delighted to support this incredible convention which we look forward to becoming a staple of the West End’s annual events calendar, celebrating our world-leading theatre industry and its devoted audience.’

Book tickets to Musical Con here.

Musical Con will run from Saturday 22 – Sunday 23 October 2022 at Excel London, Royal Victoria Dock, London E16 1XL.