A Change Of Scenery - Issue One by Birmingham Rep

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spring 2011 | issue one

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Welcome to the very first edition of our brand new magazine! AY EW

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spring 2011 | Act one

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Welcome to the very first edition of our brand new magazine! The REP has left the building! Yes, the doors to our theatre have now closed to the public until 2013 and our home will be having a makeover as part of the new joint REP/Library of Birmingham development. But of course we’re not disappearing! Our first ever off-site programme is already underway and as we look forward to our two years on the road performing at different venues across the city we’ll be keeping you up to date with all the latest news about The REP in this brand new magazine, which we’ve titled, appropriately A Change of Scenery. So what can you look forward to in A Change of Scenery? Well, you can expect sneak previews of forthcoming shows, interviews with our leading players, insider info on our productions, the latest updates on the Library development and lots of other stuff for you to get involved in. We hope you enjoy this first issue of A Change of Scenery - we’ll have more issues coming out later this year but we’ll be keeping you posted in between with monthly updates through your letterbox! So look out for our monthly postcards but for your first taste of what’s coming up read on...

ACT ONE 4> On The Road The REP’s shows hit the road 5> Ease On Down The Road with The Wiz Choreographer Paul J Medford on how he fell in love with The Wiz 7> Rachel On The Move Artistic Director Rachel Kavanaugh to Say farewell to The REP 8> The People’s Palace is taking shape We bring you up to date with The REP / Library of Birmingham development

We'd love to hear what you think about

Box Office: 0121 236 4455 Box Office Email: tickets@birmingham-rep.co.uk Administration: 0121 245 2000 Administration: Email: stage.door@birmingham-rep.co.uk Administration: Web: birmingham-rep.co.uk

On The Road With The REP...… Behna is Back!

The Snowman in Finland

Our site-specific, Punjabi kitchen drama, Behna, returns to the West Midlands this month. Performed in the kitchen of a family home between West Bromwich and Wednesbury (full address disclosed to ticket bookers only) Behna will run from 22 March-15 April, and is presented in collaboration with The Public, West Bromwich. Tickets can be booked on 0121 533 7161 or online at thepublic.com.

Our stage version of The Snowman continues to spread its joy across the world. Having recently played in theatres across South Korea, Salford, Cardiff and Edinburgh, The Snowman’s next international stop-off will be the Tampere Opera House in Finland. We’ll be flying there for a week in December before returning home to Birmingham in time for our Christmas run at the ICC.

Original cast members Sandeep Garcha, Hema Mangoo and Shaleen Hudda will reprise their roles as Mum, Simi and Dal and are joined by new cast members Gurpreet Singh and Balvinder Sopal as Jag and Masi Ji. Following its West Midlands run Behna will then transfer to a West London kitchen at the end of April for four weeks. Dates are due to be announced soon and tickets will be on sale via The REP’s Box Office, The BOX. If you weren’t able to catch our sell-out run last year, this is your chance to experience the winning combination of family drama and complimentary samosas!

Please send your comments and suggestions to: stage.door@birmingham-rep.co.uk

The REP has recently secured the international rights to The Snowman for the next 10 years which means we can carry on touring the only stage version of Raymond Briggs’ delightful story with music by Howard Blake for the next decade. And because of this the Peacock Theatre in London have also agreed to present the show for the next 10 years too! This is all good news as The REP and The Snowman can continue to fly the flag for Birmingham.

Company Registration Number: 295910 Charity Registration Number: 223660 Company Name: The Birmingham Repertory Theatre Limited Registered Office: Broad Street, Birmingham B1 2EP

spring 2011 | issue one

Ease On Down The Road with The Wiz In June, The REP will be heading on down the road to the New Alexandra Theatre with the fabulous soulful musical, The Wiz. Here, Choreographer Paul J Medford tells how he first fell in love with the show. In 1978 my Mum took me to see a movie at The Odeon Marble Arch in London. It was a first, as I had only ever been to the movies with friends or with my brothers. I was a child actor appearing in many Children’s Film Foundation productions so the cinema held no mystery for me. I knew how the magic was created. But on this particular day my Mum and I had a rare excursion to see a film. That film was The Wiz.

Down The Road and to this day it remains one of my all time favourite songs. I can remember clearly buying the original Broadway album to compare the performances. I played it until it wore out. The fact that the movie originated from a theatre piece only served to deepen my love of this musical. I fell in love with Lena Horne, who played Glinda the good witch and Richard Prior who played The Wiz. And of course, I was awestruck by Michael Jackson’s performance as the Scarecrow.

Many, many years later while living and working in New York, I got a call from The Wiz himself, the actor Andre De Shields who originally played the role on Broadway in 1975. I was so excited that day as I He asked me if I could be in his was a huge Michael Jackson fan and he was one of the stars production of Caligula at the Classical Theatre of Harlem. I of the show. For the first time I was lost in a movie mesmerized agreed without hesitation. He talked with great excitement by the characters, music and and affection about The Wiz, the Land of Oz. I can name the the theatre production that films that have had that effect on me on one hand. But on that paved the way for the movie which made such an impression day back in 1978 I came away on me. As a child my friends singing the famous Ease On 4

The Wiz Casting News had Judy Garland as the iconic Dorothy in search of “Home”. I am proud to say that Diana Ross was my Dorothy. My hope is that everyone who comes to see this production of The Wiz leaves having had an amazing time in the theatre but more so feels a similar sense of pride at our production being set locally and making use of the rich wealth of talent to be found in the UK today. The Wiz is at the New Alexandra Theatre from 10 to 18 June. General tickets are available from 0844 871 3011 or newalexandratheatre. co.uk . If you are member of REP Club, ACT One, ACT Two or Centenary Club you can book your tickets with The REP’s Box Office, The BOX on 0121 236 4455.

With only months to go until our big musical production, The Wiz, our casting department have been busy auditioning. Directed by the vibrant Josette Bushell-Mingo (REP regulars might remember her as Juliet from the 1993 production of Romeo & Juliet), The Wiz will feature Clive Rowe, Melanie La Barrie, Horace Oliver, Allyson Ava-Brown, Wayne Robinson and others alongside a supporting cast from across Birmingham. The first and second rounds of auditions for the supporting cast took place in February and we’re really excited that some of our current and previous members of staff have been selected to take part. Please give a big round of applause to Darren Perry (Duty House Manager), Kayleigh Cottam (Sales Team) and Vicky Roberts (1st Chance Youth Theatre). They will be joining 15 other lucky local people who will soon start rehearsing with the professional cast.

Clive Row e (The Lio n)

We’ve been filming the community cast auditions to make a short documentary behind the production which will be available to view via our website at a later date.

Melanie La Barrie Em) (Addaperle / Aunt

Allyson Ava-Bro wn (Glinda /Evillene ) spring 2011 | issue one

A quick word on funding from our Executive Director Times are tough for everyone at the moment and it’s no different in our sector. Birmingham City Council’s cabinet recently approved reductions in its grants to arts organisations for the next twelve months. Our grant from the Council will be reduced by 18% and that’s on top of the 6.9% reduction in our Arts Council grant for the net year. The next result is that our income will be reduced by £330,000 in the year ahead. Now taking that financial hit won’t be easy of course but we are confident that having already carefully restructured our business in preparation for our period outside the theatre, we will be able to continue with our exciting plans during our Change of Scenery. We’ll be doing our best throughout the next two years to provide you with top quality theatrical experiences at the best possible value and will be continuing with our learning and participation and community engagement activities. And our challenge in the longer term will be to ensure that we have the necessary resources available to us when we return to our building in 2013 so we’ll be making the case both to the Arts Council and Birmingham City Council for a reasonable level of funding to be available to us when we return home and beyond. Stuart Rogers Executive Director

Rachel Ready to Move On Our Artistic Director, Rachel Kavanaugh, will be leaving us later this year to pursue a freelance directing career that will let her devote more time to her growing family. Rachel has been the creative leader of the theatre since 2006 and has played a significant part in the plan to integrate The REP with the new Library of Birmingham. She has directed a broad range of critically acclaimed work during that period; including Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials, The Wizard Of Oz and David Edgar’s Arthur & George to name but a few. This period has also seen a substantial increase in the number and range of audiences attending The REP. Rachel said: “As The REP is entering an exciting phase of development, it feels like the right moment to hand over to a new Artistic Director who can build on our current successes, look to the future with a real sense of optimism and excitement and lead the company into a new era. “After five incredibly fulfilling years I feel it is the right time to return to my freelance career which will also allow me to have a little more of a family life . I have had the opportunity to work with some amazing artists and hugely dedicated staff during my time here and I thank them all for the work they have made for the REP. It is a thrillingly diverse and creative company in which to work.” We wish Rachel all the best and we know that she will be a tough act to follow but we’re confident that we will find a suitable successor who can build on her fantastic achievements. Rachel has just directed Notes To Future Self which opened at mac last month and is now on tour.

spring 2011 | issue one

The "People's Palace" taking shape With the first anniversary of the start of construction work fast approaching, progress on the new Library of Birmingham, described by its architect Francine Houben as a ‘people’s palace’, is well on schedule. The main service cores of the building are now in place and the lower floor structures are beginning to take shape. Construction milestones in the next year will include the topping out of the concrete frame, the installation of glazing, and the application of the distinctive frieze. Work on The REP building has also now started with the demolition of the offices, dressing rooms and production

departments. The new 300seat studio theatre that will be shared with the Library of Birmingham has started to take shape, with the structure and roof in place. Back in February new interior images, which provide a preview of what can be expected when the Library of Birmingham opens its doors in 2013, were released and a new ‘flythrough’ video has also been launched. For the latest news, images and videos of the Library of Birmingham visit birmingham. gov.uk/libraryofbirmingham.

Tread the boards at Centenary Square New hoardings have gone up around our theatre in Centenary Square while the building work on our home takes place but being the creative types that we are we couldn’t help but give our boards a little bit of a makeover. So next time you’re passing Centenary Square have a look at our hoardings. There’s lots of information about what we are up to while we’re out on the road as well as some fascinating and interesting facts about the history of The REP.

Building in progress

The new studio theatre which will be shared with the Library of Birmingham, starts to tak e shape. ingham The Library of Birm The REP starts to rise next

And the roof to the studio theatre is on!

spring 2011 | issue one

The BOX is open for business… OK, so you’re looking for tickets for our shows but not sure where to go now that our building’s closed? No need to worry - our Box Office has relocated to the lobby of the Central Library on Chamberlain Square. And, to go along with the new locations it has a brand new name. It’s called The BOX and our sales team will now sell tickets both for The REP’s off-site programme and for The Old Rep, Adrian Boult Hall, the Library Theatre and a range of other city events and venues. The REP’s Box Office telephone number, 0121 236 4455, and web address, birmingham-rep. co.uk, remain the same and bookings can be made over the phone or at The BOX counter at the Library 10am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday and 10am to 4pm on Saturdays.

In addition to selling tickets for our own shows we’re also now selling for a range of other shows and concerts, including Birmingham Stage Company’s production of The Jungle Book at The Old Rep from 6 – 9 April and Anything Goes, staged by the BMOS Youth Theatre from 18 – 21 May, also at The Old Rep. If you like cool jazz then you can book tickets at The BOX for The Music of Dave Holland performed by the extraordinarily talented Birmingham Conservatoire jazz students at the Adrian Boult Hall Recital Hall on 6 April.

Access all areas

Our Multi-Talented Workshop

We’re working closely with the venues we’re performing in throughout 2011 to ensure that wherever possible access arrangements are similar to what you’d expect at The REP. So we’ve compiled Access Guides for each venue, which contain information about booking tickets, getting to the venue and what access arrangements are in place. There’s a load more information on our website where you can also download the guides but if you’ve any questions you can email access@birmingham-rep.co.uk.

One of the advantages of working in the theatre is that our talented staff can be called upon when a little extra creative help is needed. The REP’s big move out of Centenary Square happened in January and our set construction team donned their hard hats and tools to help the various departments settle into their new spaces. Our new Box Office, The BOX, required a sales counter for their new home in the Central Library. Maggs Rees, The REP’s Workshop Supervisor explains “The BOX needed some structural preparation work to make a safe platform for the sales team to work from, and we enjoyed making a bespoke desk with polycarb panels and a copper and beech finish to bring a little flair to the new zone.” Similarly a new ‘Stage Door’ reception was required for the company’s temporary home in the Jewellery Quarter. The theatre’s construction co-ordinator, Oliver Shapley designed a new reception desk to replicate the curved frontage of the theatre building, which was then built at the theatre’s set construction workshop in Kyott’s Lake. The workshop team have also spent time rescuing old wardrobes and running up racking for the LX Department. Now, however they are back to the day job creating the set for The Wiz.

spring 2011 | issue one