Issue 1 Summer 2017
A Golden Commemoration Of Perfection & Professionalism
Welcome Welcome to this first edition of The REPort! Timed to coincide with the launch of our one million pound REP FIRST fundraising campaign, we hope it will illustrate our breadth of work, which goes way beyond just plays on a stage. I would like to say a huge thank you to all of our supporters. I hope you enjoy reading about our activities and achievements and look forward to welcoming you back to The REP again soon! Rachel Cranny, Head of Fundraising
Colleagues past and present recently gathered to celebrate Sue Nightingale’s 50 years of continual service. Sue, known affectionately as Totty to her colleagues, started working for the wardrobe department in 1967 when the company was based at the Old REP on Station Street. Since then she has moved location twice, worked with 11 artistic directors, unsurprisingly progressed from role of assistant to head of department, and created over 10,000 costumes for more than 800 shows. In 2015 Sue was awarded The Stage Unsung Hero Award in recognition for her many years of hard work. Award-winning theatre director and former Artistic Director at The REP, Bill
Alexander said: “Whenever I think back to my time at The REP Totty's face is one of the first images that comes into my mind, quickly followed by the memory of the warmth of her personality, the kindness and generosity of her spirit, the wonder of her creativity, the calmness of her demeanour and the brilliance and high professionalism of her work. She is a true theatre artist of outstanding quality.” Former Executive Director, John Stalker said: “This is a towering achievement unparalleled in British theatre. The REP has been so fortunate to have Sue at the helm (or is that the hem?) of its wonderful wardrobe department.”
Stars Of The Future
Inside this issue: New and Nurtured
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Political Thumbs Up
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Open For All
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Dinner And Drama 3 At Fundraising Gala At The Heart Of Brum
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REP FIRST Ambassadors
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Over 350 children have taken part in 15 Young REP groups this year. They have worked with professional theatre makers to create and produce a broad range of high quality theatrical experiences. In 2017 Young REP shows included Born Offenders, Molly of the Midfield, and a special commission Remember Remember by Young REP
alumna, Grace Barrington. One grateful parent thanked The REP for giving her son the opportunity to take part in affordable drama sessions, build his confidence and learn more about the world around him.
Young actors were also involved in the main house show, To Sir With Love,
giving them a unique opportunity to participate in a professional production. Young REP bursaries are kindly supported by a number of individual benefactors who recognise that financial means should be no barrier to developing talent. The REP thanks them all.
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New Businesses Climb Onboard Alongside the launch of our REP FIRST campaign, we are delighted to have raised the curtain on two new corporate partnerships. Barclays and Birmingham Airport have both joined our existing group of business supporters which includes JLT, Mitchells and Butlers and Pinsent Masons. Head of Communications at the Airport, Justine Howl said: “Just like Birmingham Airport, The REP Theatre serves people across the globe and the Airport is very proud to be a supporter of the theatre”. For more details about our corporate partnerships please contact Head of Fundraising, Rachel Cranny on development@birmingham-rep.co.uk or 0121 245 2163.
New & Nurtured The upcoming Autumn & Winter 2017/18 Season will see several new plays come to the stage. Amongst them will be the large scale production Nativity! The Musical which is being adapted for the stage by Debbie Isitt, the creator of the much-loved films. At the heart of the show are 27 children who have been carefully cast over the last six months. The next big challenge for our Arts team is to ensure each one is given the care, education and professional development provision that each deserves,
as the production debuts at The REP and then embarks on a nationwide tour. Other new works include a series of plays presented in The DOOR by our Foundry graduates. REP Foundry is an internationally-acclaimed artist development programme that is now in its fifth year, and made possible by generous funding grants from the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and The Leverhulme Trust. What makes REP Foundry unique from other
programmes - both in the region and on a national scale - is the way it brings together three strands of theatre disciplines (directing, writing and making) within a high profile, producing theatre. Audience members wishing to support emerging talent can purchase an incentive pass called New & Nurtured for £30, which includes all three REP Foundry graduate shows as well as three new pieces by local artists.
Political Thumbs Up The REP’s Up My Street youth theatre project was invited to perform at Westminster’s Portcullis House on Wednesday 5th July. Over the last two years, this community engagement project funded by mental health charity, Mind, has helped improve the resilience of young African Caribbean men in Birmingham – an outcome that has been endorsed by The Centre for Mental Health in its report Against the Odds. Mally, a group participant commented: “It was such a pleasure to be invited by RT Hon Norman Lamb MP to perform a piece from the sold out show Zulu Blue. The experience was magical. Our company aim is to raise awareness of mental health wellbeing not just for young African Caribbean men but for all communities and genders, and the visit to Westminster is proof we are achieving this goal to a very high standard.”
Open For All At the heart of The REP’s ambition is a desire to make theatre accessible for everyone, which has led to the development of a number of new initiatives:
Last season saw the latest Ramps on the Moon production: The Who’s Tommy musical with a cast of 22 performers and musicians, including deaf and disabled artists.
In June, we Our Learning and launched a 10 Participation team week Introduction have been awarded to Directing Course partnership in partnership with investment funding the RTYDS for from Arts Connect emerging D/Deaf to develop their and disabled work in special directors from the education schools West Midlands across Birmingham. region.
Over the last 30 weeks 15 staff including our Executive Director Stuart Rogers, and Children from Mayfield representatives School at a recent relaxed from our admin and performance. Sensory box office teams equipment was provided have studied for by Jaguar Land Rover, their British Sign and Grantham Language Level 1 Yorke Trust. qualification.
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Dinner & Drama At Fundraising Gala Theatre-goers and local businesses raised over £17,500 at the fundraising gala on Saturday 1 July. The evening was a celebration of the city's leading producing theatre and also contributed significant funds towards The REP's major new £1m fundraising campaign. At the gala, guests were taken on a journey through Alice In Wonderland, enjoying a themed dinner on The REP's vast stage and pop-up surprise theatrical performances by characters such as the White Rabbit, Queen of Hearts and the Cheshire Cat. The
event was designed by recent graduates from Birmingham City University (BCU), Paige Curtis and Jennifer Shinton, who worked alongside The REP's production team to bring their ideas to life. The evening also featured a showstopping auction of exclusive items including a portrait of famous actor and REP Patron, David Suchet, an exquisite piece of Alice In Wonderland inspired jewellery designed by BCU graduate, Katy Tromans, and a special opportunity to join the Stage
At The Heart Of Brum While many associate The REP with its iconic building in the centre of Birmingham, today its work reaches deep into the heart of local communities across the West Midlands region. It has a been key priority for the current artistic director, Roxana Silbert, who strongly advocates that the region’s foremost producing theatre should bring local stories to the stage. This was clearly illustrated in the recent production – Stadium - which engaged with football fans from Birmingham City FC, Aston Villa, and West Bromwich Albion. Under the direction of Mohammed El Khatib, this devised piece encouraged a hugely diverse cast of individuals to share their own stories on the main stage. It received widespread critical praise, including What’s On review “Letting Brum’s communities take charge de-
serves our praise for offering something new”. Stadium was part of a wider artistic engagement project, Furnace, largely funded by Arts Council England. Another aspect has involved five emerging artists developing their work in situ over the last 9 months. Nyasha Gudo worked with the Birmingham Institute for Deaf; Susie Sillet with pupils at Nansen Primary School; Selina Thompson with the Polish Community in Erdington; Hannah Graham with Black Country folk in West Bromwich; and Amerah Saleh with the inhabitants of Sparkbrook. More details on Furnace on birmingham-rep.co.uk/furnace. Stadium was captured by The Space and will be available to watch on BBC iPlayer from 7 Aug
Management team at The REP for the day. Angela Maxwell, Chair of Birmingham Repertory Theatre said: “The fundraising gala celebrated The REP as an ambitious and thriving theatre at the heart of Birmingham. We are incredibly grateful for the support given by our guests on the night, and the money raised is a positive step towards achieving our £1million target over the next three years.”
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REP FIRST In the first four months of REP FIRST, we have raised £125,000. In addition, our recent telephone fundraising campaign secured pledges and actual income totalling £40,000. We would like to thank all those who have supported us.
REP FIRST Ambassadors The REP is delighted to welcome four well-known personalities to champion its 3 year one million pound fundraising campaign: REP FIRST. Lenny Henry, Ian McDiarmid, Meera Syal and Jason Donovan all have long-established personal connections with the theatre. Over the next three years, they will work closely with Rachel Cranny, Head of Fundraising to increase support and help The REP achieve this ambitious financial target. All funds raised will be used to support three core areas of work: nurturing young performers, creating new works and reaching out to new audiences and communities.
REP On Tour
REP Volunteers REP Donors Events Book online birmingham-rep.co.uk Box Office 0121 236 4455 Birmingham Repertory Theatre Centenary Square Broad Street Birmingham B1 2EP Follow us online /birminghamrep @birminghamrep @therepbirmingham
Registered in England 295910 Charity No.223660
The following events are planned for the upcoming season: Firsts At The REP Exhibition & Season Launch Reception: Thu 7 Sep REP Friends The Hundred And One Puppetry Workshop: mid-Nov (exact date tbc) REP Festive Cheer: Tue 12 Dec Please contact Emma Jackson on 0121 245 2162.
Over 150 individuals give in-kind time to help support The REP – a fact that was celebrated and thanked during national #VolunteersWeek in early June. From backstage tours to archive talks, from community casts to administrative assistance, this army of helpers are invaluable in enabling The REP, a registered charity, to run even better. For further details on Volunteering at The REP, contact our Stage Door by emailing stage.door@birmingham-rep.co.uk or calling 0121 245 2000.
REP productions can be seen in venues the length and breadth of the UK this Summer & Autumn. From Glasgow to Brighton, audiences will be treated to new works such as The Whip Hand, revised pieces such as What Shadows & Looking for John, and the longrunning family favourite The Snowman. Looking For John 3-27 Aug - Edinburgh The Whip Hand 3-27 Aug - Edinburgh What Shadows 7-23 Sep - Edinburgh 27 Sep - 28 Oct - London The Snowman in Manchester, Brighton, Glasgow, Milton Keynes, Southampton and London I Knew You: community tour around the West Midlands from 9-29 Oct