Issue 12 Autumn 2020
Welcome to this autumn edition of The REPort What a year this is turning out to be. It wasn’t the first year in post that either of us expected when we joined The REP back in 2019. Plans have been made and un-made, not just once but twice and three times over. As we near the end of 2020, still navigating the effects of COVID-19, our priority remains as it has been throughout – to ensure the survival and future sustainability of this wonderful theatre. We’ve undergone some changes over the summer months and we’re now a smaller organisation than we were, but we have retained the DNA of The REP as a producing theatre. As the only producing theatre in the UK’s Second City, we are immensely proud of the theatre’s long and distinguished tradition of making theatre with, by and for Birmingham audiences. When the time comes we will rebuild The REP so that it can do so again. Our vision has always been to see The REP become a producing powerhouse with local, national and international reach and influence. It’s just going to take slightly longer than we originally envisaged back in 2019 when we began this journey. We have been busy making plans for the future and expect to return to producing theatre in early summer next year. We’re also planning for our 50th Anniversary Season in autumn 2021 and the Commonwealth Games Cultural Festival in 2022. Meanwhile, we’re thrilled that our creative learning work in schools and communities and with young people has continued over the past few months. Much of the work has moved online and the team has imaginatively embraced the challenge of providing arts education in the virtual world. Thank you as ever for your support for The REP and we look forward to welcoming you back to the theatre at some point in the future. Rachael and Sean
In this Issue: -
Culture Recovery Fund Curtain Up Park Bench Plays Re-Constructed Peer Mentors More Than A Moment Save A Seat A Helping Hand Heartfelt Thanks
A Huge Step Towards Recovery We are delighted that The REP has been awarded a grant of £1.38 million from the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund. Our Artistic Director, Sean Foley and Executive Director, Rachael Thomas said; “COVID-19 continues to have a devastating effect on our communities, city, and industry. Without this essential grant there is no doubt that the future of our historic theatre would have been greatly compromised. Thanks to the support from DCMS and Arts Council England, we can now channel our efforts into securing the future of The REP, protecting jobs, and employing freelancers.” “We have continued with our wider civic mission during these unprecedented times - our vital education, creative learning, and outreach work that engages with young people and communities across the city have all been ongoing - but we can now look forward to investing in work on our stages and welcoming audiences safely back to The REP with plans for a season of work to be announced in the coming months. “This news brings hope, but there is no denying that these continue to be very difficult times for the cultural and events industries. We recognise that many artists and organisations in our industry still face an uncertain future, and we will do everything we can to support our industry and ensure that some of the benefits of our funding reach the wider
workforce.” Adrian Lester, Trustee of the Board of The REP added; “The REP was one of the main reasons I applied to drama school and the first theatre I visited as a child and the first theatre I ever performed in. Without it, my life may have taken a completely different course. The REP’s impact goes far beyond the economic contribution it makes to my home city - it is an essential and vital pathway for aspiring talent and creating truly world class productions - and for welcoming back that talent when it has flowered. This wonderful news ensures that this historic, pioneering theatre will be there to inspire and entertain again when it is possible to return to full production.” Peter Knott, Area Director, Arts Council England said: “We’re delighted that The REP, has been successful through the Culture Recovery Fund. The theatre is a cornerstone of Birmingham’s cultural offer and this grant will offer them some short-term security and the opportunity to plan for the future. As the UK’s oldest buildingbased theatre company and Birmingham’s only producing theatre, The REP plays a crucial role in bringing inspiring and diverse theatre to the region.”
Curtain Up! On the 22nd October, The REP became the first major venue in the city to host a live performance in front of a socially distanced audience as Birmingham Royal Ballet returned to the stage for the first time since March with the world premiere of Lazuli Sky. Each of the five performances, sold out within 24 hours of being on sale. Performances of Lazuli Sky are the first in a brand-new partnership between Birmingham Royal Ballet and The REP, which will see the two established companies combine creative ingenuity to stage new dance works in the heart of Birmingham city centre. Sean Foley said; “It was a real thrill to welcome audiences back to The REP for live performances. We have been working behind the scenes for this moment for over seven months now, and we were honoured to be the first major venue in Birmingham to welcome back live theatre. Whilst still far from being back to normal, with strict social distancing and health and safety measures in place, with these World Premiere performances, we demonstrated that we can welcome audiences safely. “It was also a great pleasure that these performances featured one of our city’s other great companies, Birmingham Royal Ballet - the first in a series of new commissions as part of a new ongoing partnership between The REP and BRB. “A huge thank you goes to all of our audiences who bought tickets for these performances and further upcoming shows here at The REP, as well as those individuals who have supported our theatre during these unprecedented and challenging times.” Director of Birmingham Royal Ballet, Carlos Acosta added: “The entire Birmingham Royal Ballet company, on and off stage, is thrilled to finally be performing live for audiences in our home city with a brand new commissioned work inspired by our experiences during the pandemic. What better way to begin our partnership with The REP than with these five sold out shows marking this major moment in history. We look
forward to future collaboration, bringing more exciting new ballets to The REP and entertaining audiences. It’s going to be a fantastic experience for all of us.” Lazuli Sky is the first one-act ballet to be commissioned and presented by Carlos Acosta as Director of Birmingham Royal Ballet, a role that he started in January 2020 shortly before the COVID-19 crisis hit. At the beginning of lockdown, Carlos turned to British choreographer Will Tuckett and asked him to create a new work for Birmingham Royal Ballet that is inspired by, and utilises, ‘social distancing’. In response to the evolving way in which dance and live performance can once again be staged, Tuckett and his fully collaborative team, including designer Samuel Wyer and projection designer Nina Dunn, have created a unique piece set to Shaker Loops composed by John Adams, which was performed live by the Royal Ballet Sinfonia conducted by Paul Murphy. The ballet was performed within a projected environment and used architectural forms as part of the costuming that will help ‘socially distance’ the 12 dancers. In addition, an augmented reality experience is being created in collaboration with James Simpson to provide an alternate to the ‘live’ experience, using elements of volumetric capture and a digitally altered version of sections of the choreography. As well as Lazuli Sky, the programme included Our Waltzes, choreographed by Vicente Nebrada, and Liebestod, choreographed by Valery Panov. In line with current Government regulations, The REP has taken a number of carefully managed steps and precautions to help audiences feel safe and enjoy their chosen performance. The theatre has introduced a series of new safety measures such as socially distanced seating within household bubbles only, hand sanitising stations, temperature checks and additional cleaning. More information can be found at www.birmingham-rep.co.uk.
Coming To A Bench Near You You’ve heard of pop-up orchestras and dance flash-mobs. Well, here is The REP’s answer: a set of twelve short plays specially commissioned for pop-up locations around Birmingham. Bus stations, community centres, parks, public squares, foyers and train stations – wherever there’s a bench, you might see us there, surprising and delighting commuters, shoppers, residents and anyone else going about their daily business. Yes, it’s The REP’s very own Park Bench Plays. Brainchild of Artistic Director Sean Foley, these new commissions will bring together the work of some of UK theatre’s biggest writing talents and comedians alongside emerging playwrights. We aim to illuminate, interrogate and even celebrate today’s socially distanced world. New voices share the billing with REP legends. Names like David Edgar, Tanika Gupta, Liam Steel, Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti, Frank Skinner and Bryony Lavery line up with (among others) Lettie Precious, Amerah Saleh and Sabiha Mank, our REP Discovery Artist. Directing duties fall to the REP’s Artistic Director, double Olivier Award-winning Sean Foley, Deputy Artistic Director, Amit Sharma and Associate Director, Madeleine Kludje. Here’s what Sean says: “From comic to serious, tragic to hysterical, this collection of two-hander plays take ordinary and everyday conversations and make them extraordinary and timeless – they all have a sense of fun and provide a living snapshot of our socially distanced, somewhat disturbed world.” Frank Skinner says he’s “really properly excited to be part of this project with The REP. I’ve had some life-changing experiences on park benches in the West Midlands but I’m hoping this one will be a bit easier on the elbows.” The REP Discovery Artist, Sabiha Mank said; “Coming out of lockdown, this project has been a dream to be a part of and a brilliant way of trying to make sense of the world.” Park Bench Plays were to have had their first outing during October, but restrictions have made that impossible. It is hoped that The Park Bench Plays will be put into production sometime in the new year as soon it is safe to do so. The project has been made possible by the generosity of the Sir Barry Jackson Trust.
Reconstructing Theatre Constructed explores the culture of working-class black men in Britain. On a failing construction site, a group of labourers seek to get ahead. When a rare opportunity for promotion arises, the brotherhood of co-workers begins to splinter. This new play digs deep behind the banter of a construction site, exploring the challenges facing manual workers at work and home. Writer CJ Lloyd Webley says his inspiration came from looking at great buildings and wondering about the human stories behind them. We hear often enough about great architects, but what about all the skilled tradespeople wo brought their visions into being? He adds, “In the middle of writing the play, George Floyd was murdered, and the Black Lives Matter movement began. I started to think where do we go from here and how can this inform some of the narrative.” Lightpost Theatre Company is a company of young black men aged 18-26 from across Birmingham and the West Midlands. The company are part of the Shifting the Dial project– a programme that aims to improve the mental well-being of young black men, in partnership with First Class Legacy, Centre for Mental Health and Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, and funded by the National Lottery Community Fund. Due to the latest lockdown due to COVID-19, we have sadly had to postpone the planned world premiere performances of Constructed this December, however, we are pleased to announce that the production will premiere in The HOUSE from 18-20 February 2021. Find out more and book tickets here.
Working, Mentoring, Filming In collaboration with the alliance of charities working together to tackle homelessness , Birmingham Changing Futures Together , our creative learning team have helped make an animated film to showcase the services available to people experiencing mental health issues arising from homelessness, addiction and/or repeat offending. The project highlights the work of Lead Worker/Peer Mentor scheme (LWPM), which ran between 2015 and 2019, matching the skills of Lead Workers with the life experiences of Peer Mentors. A year of regular sessions and creative input from The REP drew on one of our greatest shows of recent times: The Wizard of Oz. To recover, you need find answers within yourself. From genesis to script to performance, participants took the lead under the expert guidance of The REP’s Director of Creative Learning, Alex Summers, who says, “It has been a great pleasure to work on this valuable and pioneering project during the months of lockdown. Once we had formed the creative vision with the teams at Birmingham Changing Futures Together, thanks to workshops and creative discussions, The REP enlisted the expert help of Ergo Films and animator Gareth Wright to bring the story to life. We are so pleased with the final result and hope that the film demonstrates the important and life changing work of the Lead Worker/Peer Mentor service.” Vicky Hines, hub manager for Shelter Birmingham, said; “By using lived experience as an engagement and trust building tool, our peer mentor service works to provide flexible and creative support packages for people with complex needs, addressing all the issues they are facing in tandem.
“This new animated film, created with the support of The REP, shows how this model of working can absolutely turn people’s lives around. It is a shining example of how the right support and guidance can make all the difference.” Birmingham Changing Futures Together Learning and Evaluation Coordinator, Jan Pusiak added; “The Lead Worker/Peer Mentor service was a huge success in not only providing open, honest, fulfilling advice and stability for over 300 individuals but an estimated saving of over £3million for the government and local council by providing the right help for those in need. It is hoped that this new short film will demonstrate the importance and the relevance of the scheme and encourage others to adopt its model.” Birmingham Changing Futures Together is a collaboration between Shelter, Birmingham Volunteer Service Council, MIND Birmingham and SIFA Fireside. The Lead Worker/Peer Mentor service was funded by the National Lottery Community Fund. To view the video, visit www.changingfuturesbham.co.uk.
More Than A Moment In our last issue, we introduced you to More Than A Moment. Last week, the working group that our Deputy Artistic Director Amit Sharma and Executive Director Rachael Thomas sit on, launched an important pledge – for the West Midlands arts sector to take radical, bold, and immediate action, to dismantle the systems that have for too long kept Black artists and creatives from achieving their potential in the arts and cultural industries. The pledge was co-created with the Black Creative Workforce and The REP have signed up to the pledge in principle. Amit explains that “This will commit us ensuring equity, investment in, and opportunities with and for Black artists and creatives within their organisation’s culture and work, and in doing so, becoming the change we all need to see. This change will impact on governance and leadership, recruitment and workforce development, programming and audiences, and the overall culture in The REP striving to be an anti-racist organisation.” Over the next few months there will be an accountability model developed which will run parallel to the principles and actions of the pledge. The REP will also attend regular meetings for the organisations that have shown commitment with an annual conference planned in order to celebrate the progress made. Amit added; “We are extremely proud of everyone’s efforts and are wholeheartedly committed to making real change happen”.
Save A Seat
A Helping Hand
Alongside their brand new re-working of The Nutcracker, which will be staged at The REP from 14 – 22 December, The REP and Birmingham Royal Ballet are asking audiences to support their Save A Seat appeal. Social distancing means that only up to 50% of the theatre’s seats for each performance can be occupied. This means that it is very difficult to make performances financially viable and as a result, both charities are asking customers to make a donation to help cover the cost of one of the auditorium’s empty seats. The REP has also secured match funding from a very generous supporter, meaning that the first 500 donations will be doubled! The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on the arts and entertainment industry, with many organisations unable to generate any income for over 7 months. The REP earns 80% of its income from ticket and refreshment sales. Therefore being forced to remain closed from March until October and now re-entering a 2nd period of lockdown, has presented a severe challenge and sadly resulted in many difficult decisions including job losses. The ongoing public health restrictions have also meant that a number of the theatre’s outreach projects with the most vulnerable groups have had to be postponed indefinitely, such as work with elders living with dementia and work experience for young people at risk of homelessness. However, throughout the crisis The REP has striven to fulfil its civic role in the city and to help in any way it can. This has included providing free hot meals to those most in need, making scrubs for NHS staff and sustaining engagement with young people through its youth theatre and support for schools. Matt Freeman, Director of Development at BRB said: “The impact of Covid-19 has had a huge impact on Birmingham Royal Ballet. With so much uncertainty, it has been very difficult for the company to confirm plans and performances or to deliver its outstanding and truly life changing education work to the thousands of young people across Birmingham who would ordinarily benefit from this. However, thanks to the generous and ongoing support of our individual supporters, trusts and sponsors we have continued to focus on what is possible. We were thrilled to deliver our first show back at The REP on the 22 October and that this partnership continues with a reimaged version of our classic, The Nutcracker, this Christmas. We are also delighted to partner with them on the Save A Seat campaign. All donations received will enable both organisations to stage other live performances during this uncertain time, and to plan confidently into the future.” Arts organisations do not exist in isolation and are part of an industry wide ecosystem. That is why this new production of The Nutcracker and partnership between two of Birmingham’s most renowned cultural institutions, is so special. By supporting the Save A Seat initiative, you can help to enable both organisations to recover and rebuild. Your support will have a direct impact on both organisation’s ability to stage and produce performances during and after the pandemic, and to offer opportunities to a huge range of freelance staff, artists and participants. To donate click here.
During the pandemic, we have been incredibly moved by the response of our audiences and donors. Rachel Cranny, Head of Fundraising said “Their additional and continued support has been vital and in such difficult times for everyone, we do not underestimate this contribution. We have also loved the many messages we have received explaining how much The REP means to people and passing on best wishes to our team. Our heartfelt thanks go to all who have played their part so far.” In addition to Save A Seat, if you would like to find out more about ways to support The REP including becoming a REP Friend, then please click here.
Heartfelt Thanks COVID-19 has brought with it many challenges but the most difficult by far has been the painful process of having to let some of our wonderful and talented staff team go. Although we have benefited from the Government’s Job Retention Scheme since March and have received emergency funding for losses over the course of this year, our ongoing inability to re-open and trade at full capacity has meant that we have had to reduce our staff numbers in order to survive. At the time of writing, we still do not know when we will be able to stage large-scale productions again, which are the engine of our business. As The REP earns 80% of its income from ticket sales, catering, events and other sources, and just 20% is from grants, closure of the theatre has been catastrophic. Over the summer we made the heartbreaking decision to downsize our staff team, as a result of which more than fifty staff across our producing and operational departments and trading subsidiaries have faced redundancy. This month, we say goodbye to those colleagues and friends – some of whom have worked for The REP for many many years. We offer them our heartfelt thanks for their years of loyal and dedicated service and for the part they have played in making The REP the theatre it is today.
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