Production.Ltd was founded in 2025 after years of collaboration between Tom Johnson, Steve Payne and Oliver Thomas. At the time, each of them was running their own business, while Tom Johnson and Steve Payne also ran a successful rental company.
As their work increasingly began to overlap, it became clear that bringing everything together under one roof would allow them to offer a much more integrated service to their clients, and so Production.Ltd was created.
The company now operates two other specialist divisions: Production.Rentals, which supplies dry hire rental equipment, and the soon-to-launch Production.Shop, designed to give productions streamlined access to a wide range of products they may require. The overall aim is simple: to provide productions with everything they need, all in one place.
From here, Oliver Thomas delves into his professional career, the influences that have shaped his journey and the way Production.Ltd works. He also discusses the role of atmospheric effects in his productions and his experience with MDG haze and fog solutions.
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What route have you taken to get here?
My passion for the technical side of theatre and live events began at school. I then studied Technical Theatre before attending Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, where I completed my degree.
During my time at Mountview, I had the opportunity to work alongside several industry professionals who collaborated with the students. One of them was Rob Halliday, who was responsible for the lighting of their production of Titanic. I worked as Production Electrician on the show and, as a result of that experience, Rob recommended me for a role on the original touring production of Mary Poppins.
I left university early to join the tour as an Assistant Electrician, and it confirmed just how much I loved life on the road. Touring allowed me to constantly work in new venues, with different crews and equipment, while developing my technical and problem-solving skills in fast-paced environments.
Over the following ten years, I progressed from Assistant Electrician to Deputy and, eventually, Chief Electrician, working on major productions including The Lion King, Wicked, Cats and Matilda. After a decade of touring, I decided it was the right time to move into freelance production electrics. Since then, I have worked on numerous large-scale productions, including Starlight Express, The Great Gatsby and & Juliet, as well as immersive projects such as The Hunger Games and Secret Cinema.
What I enjoy most about the industry is that every production brings its own unique challenges. No two shows are ever the same, and every project is an opportunity to keep learning, adapting and building on the skills and experience gained throughout my career.
Who has influenced you along the way?
I’ve been incredibly lucky to work with some amazing people over the years. During my early touring days, I worked for Simon Sherriff, who was the Chief LX on the first shows I worked on. Simon has an extraordinary attention to detail, something I have tried to carry through into my own work to this day.
I also learned a huge amount from the Production Electricians on the shows I toured with, including Pete Lambert, Fraser Hall and Ian Moulds. They all brought a wealth of experience, and it was fascinating to work alongside professionals who each approached the job slightly differently. Over time, you naturally identify the things you admire in each person and incorporate them into your own way of working when you eventually become responsible for setting up shows yourself.
Tell us more about Production.Ltd and talk us through some of its processes
What defines Production.Ltd is our approach. We pride ourselves on being a genuinely “can do” company, often taking on aspects of a project that would traditionally fall outside the usual remit of production electrics. These can include special effects, plant machinery, gas supply, bespoke fabrications and technical consultancy.
We have a core team of six full-time staff, supported by a highly experienced freelance network that works with us across different productions throughout the year. Many of our projects are touring productions, so consistency and efficiency are absolutely fundamental to the way we work.
A key part of our design process and workflow is standardisation. Every production is set up using a consistent framework so that any member of our team, whether full-time or freelance, can move easily between shows and immediately understand how the systems have been implemented.
These processes allow us to maintain high technical standards while also creating more efficient installations, smoother troubleshooting and better communication across departments. Ultimately, our goal is to remove friction from the production process so that creative teams can focus on delivering the very best experience to the audience.
What would you say are the hallmarks of your production work?
I think the main hallmark of our work is adaptability. Every production and every client has different requirements, so a major part of what we do is responding quickly to changes, finding cost-effective solutions and supporting the designer in every way we can.
We are often brought into productions at quite an early stage, which allows us to work closely with the Lighting Designer and Production Manager from the outset. This collaboration helps ensure that the creative vision is achievable both technically and financially and, ultimately, helps the entire process run smoothly.
You use a lot of haze and fog in your designs. What do you look for in this aspect?
Atmospheric effects have been a fundamental part of almost every production I have worked on over the years. I could probably count on one hand the shows that have not used some form of haze or fog. They add depth, texture and atmosphere in a way that lighting alone often cannot achieve.
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We are frequently asked to develop new solutions and creative applications for these effects, ranging from subtle details such as smoke drifting from a log burner to highly technical integrations such as adding low fog to a revolving lift on Starlight Express.
When designing or selecting atmospheric effects, we consider several key factors. First, how closely we can achieve the intended creative concept and visual look. Then we consider the practical aspects: what equipment can physically fit within the available space, how reliable the systems are under show conditions and, finally, as with any production decision, the balance between performance and cost.
How does MDG fit into all this, and why do you like working with MDG?
I think MDG can really be considered the benchmark when it comes to haze. I have been using MDG hazers since my very first tour and, to this day, I still haven’t found anything that matches the look. The ultra-fine particles create a beautiful, even haze that never feels cloudy or heavy.
It has also been great to see MDG’s innovation over the years, from the ATMe hazer through to theONE™. We are seeing more and more productions using theONE; in fact, Production.Rentals invested in two units last year, and they have been working extensively on The Hunger Games production in London. We have also used the Ice Fog Q on Starlight Express and MDG Floor Pockets on several shows to deliver low fog directly to the stage in a seamlessly integrated way.
Which tours and shows have you used MDG equipment on?
The question should really be which tours and shows haven’t we used MDG on! We always use MDG haze where we can, and many of the West End productions we have worked on have used its equipment, including The Hunger Games, Starlight Express, Just for One Day, The Great Gatsby, Clueless, & Juliet worldwide and All My Sons.
Which have been your favourite shows to work on and why?
Mary Poppins will always have a special place in my heart because it was the first professional commercial show I worked on. It felt like a major milestone and definitely confirmed that this was the industry I wanted to be part of. Another favourite would be Starlight Express. It was a technically demanding production and certainly presented many challenges, but that was precisely what made it so rewarding. Sitting in the audience on press night and watching everything come together was hugely satisfying and one of the moments I am most proud of.
What does the future hold for you?
I love being on-site and supporting new productions. Being at the heart of the show while it is being created is very important to me, so I have no intention of ending up working exclusively from an office. I would love to see Production.Ltd continue to grow, particularly its rental and sales divisions, and become a genuine home base for designers and productions, not simply a business.
Photo credits:
Starlight Express: © Pamela Raith
The Hunger Games: © Johan Persson
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