Following the celebratory reopening of Birmingham Rep this autumn with critically acclaimed productions of East is East, the brand new musical What’s New Pussycat? and the presentation of Grenfell: Value Engineering, Artistic Director Sean Foley announces a new collection of work to follow his own production of the classic comedy The Play What I Wrote.
Featuring six world premieres, the season continues Foley’s aim of bringing artistically ambitious popular theatre to the Rep and Birmingham: the programme includes brand new musicals, new writing that explores issues of class and race, reinventions of classics, and combines work from established and new talent alike. Representing the diversity of people and artistic form in UK theatre, the season also marks a clear determination to put artists and talent development at the heart of the Rep’s work.
The Rep’s first ever digital/film project – filmed versions of The Park Bench plays, co-produced with Sky Arts – will be screened on Sky Arts on 2 December.
Robert Icke’s world premiere touring production of Animal Farm premieres at Birmingham Rep from 22 January.
The Covid-19 Variations – a world premiere one off film and concert: artist Alison Jackson’s collaboration with Rep artistic associate, composer Richard Thomas, arrives at the Rep in rescheduled performances from 8 February, directed by artistic director Sean Foley.
Baroness Floella Benjamin and The Rep announce the creative team for the world premiere of Coming To England from 19 February.
Birmingham Poet Laureate Casey Bailey’s debut play Grimeboy receives its world premiere from 14 April, directed by Rep associate director Madeleine Kludje.
Directed by Natalie Ibu and written by Claudia Rankine, The White Card receives its UK premiere in a co-production between The Rep, Northern Stage, Leeds Playhouse, and Soho Theatre in association with Home Manchester from 7 June.
The world premiere new musical version of Mustapha Matura’s classic reworking of Playboy of the Western World – Playboy of the West Indies – launches at the Rep from 10 June in a co-production with Nick of Time Productions.
Sky Comedy Rep – the inaugural short plays from the writers on the Rep and Sky Studios’ new comedy writer development scheme premiere in a short festival, directed by artistic director Sean Foley, and associate directors Madeleine Kludje and Iqbal Khan from 3 March.
Birmingham Rep, Theatre Royal Bath Productions and Kenny Wax present The Lyric Hammersmith Theatre production of Alan Parker’s Bugsy Malone to open on 27 July.
The Rep’s Talent Development Programme Foundry returns with a project for developing artists to work in community settings.
New Artistic Associate Caroline Wilkes, A Graeae Beyond Artist, is announced to join Mohammed Ali, Lolita Chakrabarti, Paul Hunter, Tyrone Huggins, Debbie Isitt, Lorna Laidlaw, Drew McOnie, Meera Syal and Richard Thomas.
Foley said: “Re-opening The Rep after such a long close-down has been an exhilarating, somewhat hair-raising, and occasionally genuinely electrifying experience. Welcoming audiences back, and re-starting work with great artists, has had an extraordinary rejuvenating effect: it is the life-blood of any theatre, and everyone working at The Rep has been thrilled by the response to our productions.
We are so grateful that our 25th Anniversary production of East is East went on to re-open the NT’s Lyttleton, and that What’s New Pussycat? has been such a huge hit with audiences. Now, we continue to toast The Rep’s 50th Anniversary in its Centenary Square home with new shows that innovate, investigate and celebrate. I am particularly thrilled that Birmingham artists are well represented throughout the season, and that Madeleine Kludje will be directing her first show as Associate Director for The Rep.
For over 100 years The Rep has been the home of the new in UK theatre, and we are as excited as ever to invite audiences to the original ‘you had to be there’ experience of live theatre.”
