A recently formed theatre production company has collapsed under the weight of a series of debts following a disastrous national tour. Over 37 creditors have received copies of a letter from solicitors acting for London-based Cay productions confirming that the company is no longer able to trade following the collapse of its tour of the show Boeing Boeing. At least £33,000 is owed to the long list of creditors who included the Inland Revenue, Customs and Excise and major theatre suppliers.  Most hold out little hope of any payment.

Ipswich Wolsey Theatre administrator Joy Dawson said: “We are owed over £1000 for the set we made a for Cay Productions for the Boeing Boeing tour and to be honest I don't expect we'll get the money, not when the Inland Revenue and VAT people are among the creditors. I had an idea there was something wrong even before the set was finished when the company tried to change their agreement with us.  It was too late for us to stop work, because the set would just have to have been broken up, but I did insist they paid half before they took it away."

The tour, which starred Rodney Bewes and Katie Rabett, did go ahead, but despite initially good audiences, attendances dropped and the company was finally forced to abandon the tour a week earlier than planned. A spokesman for the Theatre Royal, Hanley, said: "We're still owed over £600 because the show was due to play a week at this theatre, but it was cancelled just a couple of weeks before. It was far too late for us to find a replacement for it, so the theatre was left dark.  We tried to get the money but I'd be very surprised if anything comes our way now, not with that list of creditors."

The production itself was publicised in both national and local press and on TV, but it is believed that, with audiences often as low as 30, the show had soon run into trouble and the cast themselves insisted on being paid in the cash at the end of every week.

The company was launched last year in the hope of establishing itself as a major theatrical production force by former West End producer Marilyn Davis and co-directors Chris Yates, Lana Peters and Charles Brown. At the time Davis said she hoped the tour of Boeing Boeing would be the first of a series of high quality productions aimed at the West End. Despite the collapse of Boeing Boeing the company did try to keep afloat by co-producing Aldershot’s Princes Hall Christmas pantomime, but that also resulted in a series of debts.

Co-producer, Rushmore Borough Council’s Steven Pugh, said: “We are owed money by Cay productions.” TV personalities Sally James and Jeff Stevenson are still awaiting payment. Both Chris Yates and Marilyn Davis are understood to be involved with Logical Productions, which is currently producing the Kit and the Widow late night show at London’s Donmar warehouse.  They were unavailable for comment as we went to press.