CHILDREN’S THEATRE PARTNERSHIP & BIRMINGHAM REP PRESENT
THE COVID-19 VARIATIONS: A PIANO DRAMA
PROGRAMME
WELCOME TO OUR 50TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON AT THE REP
MEET THE CREATORS Richard Thomas
“I remember calling my pianist friend, Phil, on a beautiful spring day. He was in New York and I was in South London. I felt terrible. He felt terrible. We were two aching, tired, moaning musicians worried about whether we’d ever get out s*** together after this hideous illness.
This season, running Autumn ‘21 to Autumn ‘22, we’re marking 50 years in this iconic theatre. Graham Winteringham’s RIBA Award-winning ’new’ Rep on Centenary Square was built in 1971 and replaced the Old Rep on Station Street - which had been the theatre’s home from 1913. This building heralded a new era for The Rep, with its uniquely epic and democratic auditorium – where every seat is the best seat - and saw the theatre cement its role as one of the great producing theatres in the country. This 50th Season is the first season under my Artistic Directorship. Despite arriving with new Executive Director, Rachael Thomas, in 2019, early plans were upturned by Covid and it’s taken over two years to bring a season of work to the stage. We’re both excited by the incredible array of creative talent that’s at The Rep this season. The productions celebrate our remarkable pioneering history and our future: major revivals of classics rub shoulders with world premieres of new shows, and new talent mingles with established stars. Our 50th Anniversary Season opened with East Is East – a play that enjoyed its own 25th anniversary this year after premiering at The Rep in 1996. This modern classic became a hot ticket again in Rep Associate Director Iqbal Khan’s celebrated new production, and went on to re-open the Lyttleton Theatre at the National Theatre. It was followed by world premiere new musical, What’s New Pussycat?, which used every inch of The Rep’s epic stage to tell the story of Henry Fielding’s Tom Jones, to the music of Sir Tom Jones… It was rapturously received by audiences and critics alike, and nominated for two Whatsonstage Awards. Grenfell Value Engineering followed: a critical hit that was a sober and necessary piece of devastating political theatre, this documentary play about the Grenfell Inquiry was supported by the Grenfell families and support groups, and has had an impact on everyone who saw it. The 20th Anniversary production of the Olivier Award-winning The Play What I Wrote - the first show I’ve directed at The Rep - brought Morecambe and Wise’s comic sunshine to audiences over Christmas. With Guest Stars including Tom Hiddleston, the show became a hit all over again, and has recently been filmed for the BBC… a first for The Rep.
We were then delighted to see the return of The Snowman – another show that was created at The Rep and has now become the longest running Christmas show in the West End, and a hit with audiences all over the world. Animal Farm - George Orwell’s classic political parable brought to stunning life - was another world premiere for us, and has just left The Rep to tour nationally, delighting and challenging audiences with it’s amazing puppetry and stagecraft. Most of the productions above were created and made here at The Rep: the sets are built and painted here, costumes and props are made here, actors rehearse here, and the lighting, sound and staging all developed here. We are the city’s only ‘producing theatre’: we develop and celebrate the craft of theatre-making right here in Birmingham. This includes The Covid-19 Variations. Though a smaller physical production, it packs a big punch, and once again sees a world-class creative team working with our inhouse production teams. Off stage, we’re in the finishing stages of our capital project, Open House, which will transform our front of house and finally give The Rep its own front door… we look forward to welcoming you regularly into the new bars and foyers - which, just like the theatre itself, promise to be both magnificent and joyously democratic. We’re immensely proud of the whole Rep team for the vital role they’ve all played in getting the theatre through the pandemic, and just as proud of all the incredible creative talent we are working with in this very special season. We’re grateful too to all those who’ve supported The Rep during this time, ensuring the theatre survives for now and future generations. Most of all we look forward to continuing to share with you the unforgettable experience of live theatre at the new ’new’ Rep… Sean Foley Artistic Director
Rachael Thomas Executive Director
Our 50th Season is sponsored by DLA Piper in Birmingham
“After the moaning we started laughing. I said i’m sure there’s gold in here somewhere. A few days later the idea popped into my head. The Covid-19 Variations; 19 short pieces charting the course of some poor soul starting out with the best of intentions and ending up with the worst of infections. It was irresistible.”
Alison Jackson
“Covid has been a terrible time for all of us! I have been imagining what it was like for all the celebrities to be locked in, no red carpet, no camera flashes, no going out and about - Richard Thomas’s music has been incredibly inspiring to make film about what celebrities could be doing in private during this time.”
Philip Edward Fisher
“My mind drifts back to April of 2020. Suffering a truly unpleasant Covid infection, I was isolating alone in my apartment in New York. I remember vividly my astonishment as my friend Richard Thomas - suffering from Covid in London - began sending me the first drafts of a new musical work inspired by the pandemic… “I could scarcely believe how evocatively they captured so many aspects of life in Covid times - from the universal and sometimes comical experiences of lockdown that we all understand to the sobering world of dis-ease that is experiencing the virus itself. The Covid 19 Variations is a work that is in equal measure funny, insightful, and deeply moving; a ‘piano drama’ in the truest sense.”
Sean Foley
“This is a unique show: an opportunity for fans of film, live concert music, comedy, and anyone who’s ever gawped at the lives of celebrities, to come together and be entertained by this special take on our Covid influenced times. “After the past 18 months we are all in need of a laugh, and Richard Thomas’s witty musical exploration of a world turned upside down is wonderfully accompanied by Alison Jackson’s ever-topical filmic exploration of celebrity. Played live in concert by Birmingham bred world class pianist Philip Edward Fisher, I can’t wait to bring this oneoff event to The Rep.”
CAST & CREATIVES Richard Thomas Composer Richard Thomas is the Olivier Award-winning creator/ composer of Jerry Springer – The Opera (National Theatre/ Cambridge Theatre/Carnegie Hall/BBC2/Sydney Opera House/Off-Broadway). He wrote book and lyrics for hit opera, Anna Nicole (Royal Opera House/BAM, New York/BBC 2/Nuremberg/ Dortmund). West End credits also include lyrics for Made In Dagenham (Adelphi Theatre) and music and lyrics for the dance show, Shoes (Sadlers Wells). Television credits include Kombat Opera Presents… and five award-winning half hour comic musicals produced for BBC2, which won two Rose D’OR Internationals TV Awards.
Recently he has co-written all songs for two seasons of the twice-Emmy nominated The Tracey Ullmann Show (BBC1 /HBO), adapted lyrics for Lehar’s The Merry Widow (ENO Coliseum) and was the composer and lyricist for National Theatre of Scotland and BOP’s multi award-winning My left Right Foot – The Musical (Edinburgh Festival/ Shizuoka World Theatre Festival), The Divine Ms Jayde (Soho Theatre) and Jonny Woo’s All-Start Brexit Cabaret (Edinburgh/ENO Coliseum/Soho Theatre). Richard started out in comedy in a double act touring nationally and internationally and working as the composer and music director for Harry Hill (National Tour), Stewart Lee and Richard Herring (BBC2 series/National Tour), Frank Skinner (BBC1/ITV), Simon Munnery (BBC2 Series) and Robert Newman (National Tour).
Philip Edward Fisher is recognised widely as a unique performer of refined style and exceptional versatility. International tours as a prolific soloist and ensemble musician have taken Philip across Europe, Asia, Africa and North and South America. 2002 marked his New York debut at Alice Tully Hall, performing Rachmaninov’s Third Piano Concerto under the baton of Maestro Larry Rachleff. His debut CD with the Naxos label, Handel Keyboard Suites Vol. 1, was released in early 2010 to great critical acclaim and hit the US Classical Billboard Chart within the first week of its release. Volume 2 of the set was released in 2015 to further acclaim. His release on the Chandos label, Piano Works by The Mighty Handful, was featured on Classic FM as John Suchet’s Album of the Week, as Classical Album of the Week in The Telegraph, and has been nominated in the Best Solo Instrumental Album category of the International Classical Music Awards. Philip has appeared in-concert at Merkin Hall and Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center, and his United Kingdom credits include performances at the Purcell Room; Wigmore Hall; Barbican Centre; Royal Festival Hall; Usher Hall in Edinburgh; Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, and Birmingham’s Symphony Hall. He has performed concertos with, amongst others; the Royal Scottish National Orchestra; Copenhagen Philharmonic; Tampere Philharmonic; San Antonio Symphony; Albany Symphony; Toledo Symphony; Juilliard Symphony, and the Cabrillo Festival Orchestra, working with conductors such as Hannu Lintu; John Axelrod; Cristian Macelaru; David Alan Miller; Sebastian Lang-Lessing;
Alison Jackson is a contemporary BAFTA and multi award-winning artist who explores the cult of celebrity – an extraordinary phenomenon created by the media, publicity industries and the public figures themselves. Her work raises questions about current fake news and alternative facts, and makes convincingly realistic work about celebrities doing things in private using cleverly styled lookalikes. Likeness becomes real, and fantasy touches on the believable. She creates scenarios we have all imagined but never seen before.
In lockdown Richard wrote a piano piece for the Guggenheim NYC, The Covid-19 Variations and is currently composing a series of solo musicals; Singing Heads for New Group in New York; a new musical about art with one of UK’s most famous artists and Rock Bottom- the AA Musical an addiction musical for the Young Vic and Birmingham Rep.
Dedicated to the performance of new music, Philip has given premieres of numerous contemporary pieces and has worked in close collaboration with many prominent composers. He recently completed a project to record the Piano Concerto and complete solo piano works of John Corigliano for the Naxos label in collaboration with the Albany Symphony and conductor David Alan Miller. Additionally known for his unique chamber music abilities, he has become a highly sought-after ensemble performer, collaborating with such renowned performers and ensembles as The Brodsky Quartet; tenor Robert White; violinists Joshua Bell, Elmar Oliviera, Philippe Graffin, and Augustin Hadelich; clarinetist Anthony McGill, and Principal Trombonist of the New York Philharmonic, Joseph Alessi. He has appeared at Music@Menlo, the Beethoven Chamber Music Festival, and the Kyoto International Music Festival. Radio broadcasts have included on New York’s WQXR and Boston’s WGBH; BBC’s Radio 3; Classic FM, and he has appeared on Ukrainian Television, the BBC, and MTV. Philip Edward Fisher began his musical training at the age of nine, and made his first public appearance only a year later. His concerto debut followed aged 12, performing Shostakovich’s Second Concerto at Birmingham’s Symphony Hall. He went on to attend the Purcell School in London and holds degrees from the Royal Academy of Music and the Juilliard School. In 2001, he received the Julius Isserlis Scholarship by the Royal Philharmonic Society of London, one of the largest and most prestigious award of its kind available to a British musician. In 2016, Philip was elected an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music as part of their honours roll.
In 2019 Jackson founded and launched a photography competition called A Day in Your Life, aimed at discovering young talent and budding photographers from disadvantaged backgrounds, all minority groups, people with disabilities, and anyone who hasn’t had a chance to showcase their talent yet. Jackson mentors young people and is a member of the Alumni Council for The Royal College of Art, Trustee of Chelsea Art Theatre, and Ambassador for the Spinal Injuries Association. Jackson supports a number of charities, including MacMillan Cancer Support, MarieCurie, Jeans for Genes Day and Cancer Research UK amongst others. www.alisonjackson.com | www.dayinyourlife.co.uk
Richard is an Associate Artist of The Rep, and was born and bred in Birmingham. Larry Rachleff; James Lowe, and Giordano Bellincampi. He appeared at the International Classical Music Awards in Tampere, Finland, as the representative artist for the Chandos label.
Philip Edward Fisher Pianist
Alison Jackson Filmmaker
Jackson explores the media construction of celebrity and whether we can believe what we see when we live in a mediated world of screens, imagery and internet. She comments on our voyeurism, on the power and seductive nature of imagery, and on our need to believe, and challenges those preconceptions.
Sean Foley Director Sean Foley is an actor, writer and director, and a double Olivier Award-winner and Tony nominee. He has also, uniquely, been personally nominated in the acting, writing and directing categories of the 14 West End productions he has been a lead creative on - as co-writer/star, writer/ director, or director - 8 have been Olivier nominated. Theatre credits include: Olivier Award nominated The Upstart Crow, starring David Mitchell (director, Gielgud); The Man In The White Suit (writer/director, Wyndhams); Olivier Award-winning Jeeves And Wooster In Perfect Nonsense (Duke Of Yorks); Olivier Award nominated The Miser (co-writer/director, Garrick Theatre); The Painkiller, starring Kenneth Branagh and Rob Brydon, in Kenneth Branagh’s West End season (adaptor/ director, Garrick Theatre); 5 times Olivier nominated The Ladykillers, starring Peter Capaldi (including Best Director and Whatsonstage Award for Best New Comedy, Gielgud); Olivier nominated Arturo Brachetti: Change (writer/director, Garrick); Olivier Award-winning Do You Come Here Often? (co-writer/actor, Vaudeville); Olivier Award-winning The Play What I Wrote (co-writer/actor, Wyndham’s) and Olivier Award nominated Ducktastic (cowriter/actor, Albery). Further directing work includes: The Dresser (Duke of York’s); Joan Rivers: A Work In Progress (Leicester Square); The Walworth Farce, with Brendan, Domhnall
Mikolaj Kakprzak Video Editor Mikolaj was born in Poland and raised in Birmingham, graduating from BCU with a Film and Animation degree. Mikolaj has worked as a video editor for 9 years in advertising and theatre, and recently completed a local indie feature film, FIXED.
and Briain Gleeson (Olympia Theatre, Dublin); his RSC debut, adapting and directing Thomas Middleton’s A Mad World My Masters (Swan Theatre, Stratford/Barbican); Harry Hill and Steve Brown’s, I Can’t Sing! starring Cynthia Erivo (The London Palladium); Present Laughter, The Critic, The Real Inspector Hound (Chichester Festival Theatre); Joe Orton’s What The Butler Saw (Vaudeville); Ben Hur (Watermill) and Pinter’s People (Theatre Royal, Haymarket). As writer only, his new adaptation of Eugene Ionesco’s Amedee, or How to Get Rid of It, debuted at Birmingham Rep. As co-artistic director of The Right Size, he created, co-wrote and starred in ten original stage comedies 1990 to 2000. The company played in over 25 countries around the world, winning many international awards. As an actor, Sean’s credits include: Hamlet, starring Tom Hiddleston and directed by Sir Kenneth Branagh (RADA); Mister Puntila And His Man Matti (Traverse/Almeida/Albery); I Am Shakespeare (Chichester) and Hysteria (Birmingham Rep). For film and television, his credits include: Wild West, The Fitz (BBC); Brass Eye, People Like Us (C4); The Harry Hill Film (Lucky features/Jonescompany Productions); All Is True (Sony); and as the lead in the C4/RTE produced Samuel Beckett short, Act Without Words 1. His feature film directing debut, Mindhorn, written by and starring Julian Barratt & Simon Farnaby, debuted at the London Film Festival and won the London Film Comedy Award for Best First Feature. TV directing includes episodes of Sky Studio’s anthology series, Urban Myths: Marilyn and Billy, starring Gemma Arterton and, Diana and Freddy, starring Sophie Rundle. Sean was appointed as the new Artistic Director of The Rep in early 2020.
BIRMINGHAM REP The Board Atif Ali BEM Andrew Chiduku Councillor Peter Fowler Councillor Jayne Francis Michael Hibbs John Hornby Liz James Ayub Khan MBE Adrian Lester CBE Lucy Marcus Victoria Marsom David Meecham Sir Howard Panter (chair) Brandon Relph Professor David Roberts Rachel Roussel-Tyson Jan Teo Executive Director Rachael Thomas Artistic Director Sean Foley Associate Directors Madeleine Kludje Iqbal Khan Executive Producer Chloe Naldrett Producers Joshua Beaumont Jonathan Brindley Assistant Producer Lucy Thompson Director of People & Operations Julia Layland Theatre Administration Manager Tracey Wainwright Senior Administration Officer Molly Taylor Theatre Administration Assistant Phoebe Cooke Kickstart HR & Recruitment Assistant Jay Sharpe Finance Director Anne Russell Finance Manager Elizabeth Pearson-Hadley
Finance Officers Jeanette Davey Claire Monk Athina Tzani Kickstart Finance Assistant Remel Ferguson Director of Creative Learning Alexander Summers Head of Education Bhavik Parmar Young REP Director (Interim) Rebecca Deeks Creative Learning Administrator Hilan Gully Project Producer –Shifting the Dial Samina Beckford Lightpost Directors Mathias André Carguil Webley Drama Practitioners Robert Beck Natalie Hart Rebecca Reidy Kickstart Creative Learning Assistant Ashleigh Kerr Technical Director Tomas Wright Technical Manager Adrian Bradley Head of Production Suzy Somerville Company Manager Elizah Jackson Head of Scenic Workshops Margaret Rees Lead Scenic Constructor Janine Forster Head of Sound & AV Jonathan Pearce Senior Sound & AV Technician James Woodcock Sound Technician Dee Smith
Head of Lighting Alex Bosworth Senior Lighting Technician Joanne Marshall Lighting Technician Corben Jones Oliver Colley
Marketing Assistants Aarushi Rana Susannah Shepherd Agent For Change Bethany Steventon-Crinks Head of Fundraising Rachel Cranny
Senior Stage Technician Oliver Hodge
Trust and Foundations Manager Ruth Harvey
Stage Technicians Chris Moss
Fundraising Officer Katy McKeever
Building MaintenanceTechnician Andrew Leon Gatenby
Head of Theatre & Sales Gerard Swift
Technician Jeanette Maggs
Theatre & Sales Manager Hannah Kelly
Head of Costume Kay Wilton
Assistant Theatre Managers Reme McAlister-Willie Imaani Phillips Jade Senior
Head of Technical Design Simon Fox Production Coordinator Emily Hewlett Theatre Operations Manager Nigel Cairns Stage Door Receptionists Michael Peters Brandon Hinds Anastasija Koneva Theatre Housekeeper Jane Browning Theatre Cleaning Assistants Steven Choma Fay Gayle Tracy O’Dell Beverley Shale Sandra Young Head of Marketing Richard Leigh Head of Strategic Comms Ben Wooldridge Senior Marketing Officer Becky Oldham Marketing Officer Faith Dias Neto
Theatre & Sales Assistants Ilana Gelbart Somayya Sheikh Rosalie Smith
FOR THE PRODUCTION Stage Manager Jenny Northam
Theatre Assistants Taykara Clarke-Harris Jenny Coombs George Holmes Gurpreet Kaur Kanas Wong Alice Cheer Catering Director Julian Raikes Café and Bar Manager David Eden-Sangwell Café Bar Supervisors Mervi Raja, Samantha Richardson, Emile Thompson Café Bar Team Femi Cooper Clarke, Ana Patrycja Sarzyniak, Arrahnne Allen, Iulia Bularca, Samuel Fisher, Florian Bichler, Martin Collins, Charlotte Osborne, Stephanie Carter, Gyuner Mzrek, Kishan Patel, Bethany Henshaw UVB Commercial Director Suzanna Reid Barreiro da Silva Sales Manager Sarah Millington
Events Operations Manager Samuel Bishop Senior Events Manager Natalja Bulgakova Events Managers Michael Exall Karl Robins Sales and Events Executive Kirstie Warren Sales and Events Coordinator Amrit Ubhi Business Development Executive Tanita Narwal Events and Sales Finance Administrator Emma Bradley-Friel With thanks to all our Casual Staff and Volunteers.
OPEN HOUSE Helping to secure our future and open the door for the next generation of audiences and theatre makers.
COMING SOON THU 31 MAR – SAT 16 APR
As we celebrate 50 years on Centenary Square, OPEN HOUSE will transform the frontage and public areas of the building, creating an inclusive and welcoming entrance and foyer with enhanced cafe and restaurant facilities. Crucially, OPEN HOUSE will enable us to generate vital income, which will be invested in making world class theatre, delivering impactful community and learning programmes and nurturing the artists of tomorrow. To find out more, visit www.birmingham-rep.co.uk/open-house/
Click here to make a donation
Floella Benjamin’s inspirational story brought to life in this moving musical journey
WED 27 JUL – SUN 14 AUG
“I am very proud to be a Trustee of this amazing theatre. The Rep’s impact on the industry and my home city cannot be underestimated and that is why this project is so important. Open House will safeguard The Rep’s legacy and future, ensuring it can continue to inspire the next generation.” Adrian Lester CBE, Trustee of the Board
The first ever professional UK touring production of Alan Parker’s classic musical BOOK NOW: 0121 236 4455 birmingham-rep.co.uk
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