LEEDS — Cliff Keen and Sandi Nicholson aren’t shy about the recent success of the Leeds Theater.

“I started directing with ‘Grease,’” Keen said. “Which was a huge success. And then we directed ‘Sound of Music,’ which was a huge success. And then we directed ‘Beauty and the Beast,’ which was a huge success.”

It was “Beauty and the Beast” that earned the most for the theater, both in terms of money and recognition. The LAC was honored as the best theater in the Birmingham area as a result.

“It (“Beauty and the Beast”) could’ve gone on forever,” Nicholson said. “We had people calling for reservations weeks after it had closed.”

Keen, Nicholson and a number of familiar faces are now working on a new project for the theater: “My Fair Lady,” which opens Friday, April 9, at the theater on Parkway Drive. The cast is currently in its second week of rehearsals.

“It’s exciting to get everybody together, see everybody in the room,” Keen said of rehearsal. “Everyone’s real nice to each other right now. So this is the best time. You can see the excitement, the enthusiasm.”

Keen deflected any praise for the success of the theater to Nicholson, who has served as play chairman for the LAC for four years and has been associated with the theater in some capacity since 2000.

“Sandi has a passion for theater,” Keen said. “She is the reason the theater company exists here. I am so lucky that she picked me to direct these shows, and I’m so grateful for that.

“But she’s the backbone of this. … She really fights for it, and she’s here at every rehearsal, every performance; she cries after every show. She’s crying now. … That’s the good thing, when you get to do it and she lets me do it.”

And both of them say the recognition for the theater is a big feather in the cap of the community.

“I think that’s the important thing with Leeds and the reputation we’ve started to develop,” Keen said. “We bring in people from all over – not just from Leeds, but it’s nice to have a group.

“It gives a good reputation to our theater, because people in Birmingham are like, ‘What are they doing over there?’ And we’ve built that up over the last few years with great shows and a great cast.”

The Leeds Theater is actually playing host to two musicals this year – auditions for “Oliver,” which opens in July, will take place at the end of April. For more on this show, “My Fair Lady” and everything else taking place at the Leeds Theater and Arts Center, call 205-699-1892.