Annual Review 2016-17
“It’s a fantastic place where there is always something great on, a musical, ballet. But also local community engagement events like a street dance festival - there’s a wide variety of events.” Audience member
Photo to right: Audiences are transported to the seaside at the Summer in Southside festival 2016
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Cover photo: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Linda Celeste Sims and Glenn Allen Sims in Christopher Wheeldon’s After the Rain Pas de Deux, photo by Paul Kolnik
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“In my opinion Birmingham Hippodrome is THE BEST regional theatre in the UK. It has a wonderful programme every year and the auditorium is just a wonderful welcoming theatre.� Audience member
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From ticket sales to catering, from innovative learning projects and community work to free festivals, we are very proud to have delivered many successes last year at Birmingham Hippodrome. The positive impact has been felt widely, and in the face of continued competition from any number of demands on the public’s time and money. Significant progress has been made with new local partnerships, and with national artistic networks, and further seeds are now sown for ambitious future projects. Our increased presence and influence, both regionally and nationally, continues to place the work of the Hippodrome centre stage, and we saw this year early evidence of our commitment to driving greater engagement with new and more diverse audiences through innovative programming. We believe our strong and secure position, especially as an unsubsidised not-for-profit, gives us a duty to pay back into our wider community ensuring that we deliver nothing but the best and that everyone really is welcome. Working closely alongside our producer partners, there is plenty of evidence of that coming to fruition already; for example, this year saw record numbers of newcomers and box office records smashed for Birmingham Royal Ballet’s varied programme of new works and classics. Our support too for the fifth award-winning International Dance Festival Birmingham (IDFB) ensured that 60% of festival audiences attended a ticketed festival event at the Hippodrome. Away from the spotlight in schools and colleges, in hospices and hospitals across the region, and in our studios and workshops, there is extraordinary work taking place with underprivileged or vulnerable groups, disabled people and those with learning difficulties. Support for gifted and talented young people continues whether providing showcase opportunities such as our Curtain Raiser and Dance: Sampled, or through new initiatives such as B-Side Hip-Hop Festival and our fledgling Southside Producers group. It was also rewarding to play our part across several themed strands this year reflecting some international commemorations. The Shakespeare 400 repertoire from BRB and Welsh National Opera, and our free ‘14-18 Now’ commissioned work, Furious Folly, are excellent examples of our function as an enabling creative partner. Similarly, we have enjoyed being something of a catalyst working again alongside Sadler’s Wells, Wales Millennium Centre and the Dance Consortium (now new tenants in our building) to tour original international work like Vamos Cuba, Cape Town Opera and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Overall, the numbers continue to be the most impressive drivers of the business and we are grateful to the many thousands who once again supported us buying tickets and memberships, making donations or supporting fundraising galas, dining in our restaurant, drinking in our bars, and using our conference facilities. Thanks to all staff and volunteers, and everyone who has supported us in many different capacities. And a final thanks to John Crabtree who has chaired Birmingham Hippodrome since 2004 – occasionally through fairly challenging times - and leaves it in the healthiest of states, ripe and poised to deliver for a new generation.
Fiona Allan (Chief Executive and Artistic Director) Andy Hogarth (Chair appointed June 2017)
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Total ticket sales £21,858,596
Presented
401
Attended by
552,698 patrons
performances
2017 54%
g
g
18%
g g
15% 7%
3% 3%
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Musicals Pantomime Ballet Other Dance Opera Other events
“A place of entertainment that any city would be proud to have! It offers entertainment for all, from the young to the old, from the active to infirm. All in great surroundings!” Audience member
“A great theatre, with high quality, hugely enjoyable productions; a national treasure that the people of Birmingham and the Midlands should be deeply proud of.” Audience member
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Having just stepped down as Chair of Birmingham Hippodrome after 16 years as a Trustee, John Crabtree discusses the successes of the last year and beyond, and looks towards an even more ambitious future for the theatre. How has the last year been for you? It has been another terrific year. It has been good to see CEO Fiona Allan really get her feet under the desk and take forward lots of innovative work. What do you believe have been your main achievements during your time as Chair at the Hippodrome? I have tried to be collegiate, getting everyone involved and making sure I have a good board around me. So any success is really down to the people who work at the Hippodrome every day rather than me. It’s also been about promoting the theatre to the wider community. The Hippodrome makes a massive contribution to the economy, as much as £50 million plus on a good year. And there’s a whole supply chain based on that – it’s not just the people working in the theatre. How do you feel the Hippodrome has changed in that time? The Hippodrome traditionally was always a great Birmingham theatre putting on other people’s shows with a warm welcome. But it has evolved, and I mean really evolved, into a serious cultural operation and a really well-run business. It makes a surplus every year and isn’t reliant on anyone for core funding and that is key. Having got to that independence we’ve looked at
developing the programme to try and reach a wider and younger audience. The theatre has increasingly done more of what you might think of as more challenging work – outdoor performance, access and learning. This change has been wonderful. I’ve seen children being transformed, deafblind people engaging with the theatre and families enjoying Relaxed Performances. Fundraising through businesses, trusts and generous individuals has been so important. Why is the Hippodrome Creative work important? It gives the Hippodrome a reason for being. The Hippodrome is part of the fabric which helps knit together the diverse communities of Birmingham and the West Midlands. You can come and sit in the audience of that theatre and you can be anything and everything. Inevitably, you represent where you are from, and your background and your faith. But by the time the curtain goes down at the end of the show you’re just one of nearly 2,000 people who have watched a great show together. And that’s the point, it really does bring they together and we leave the theatre together, as one. How does the Hippodrome remain relevant to an ever-changing city? It has to always be focused on the bottom line. Then what we’ve always worked to do is attract an audience which truly represents the region. This has improved but it is difficult as, in the main, you’ve got to fill the theatre. Fiona has sorted out more use of the Patrick Centre so we can put on much more creative and smaller scale work, which will bring people into the complex and introduce them to the main theatre as well. That is really exciting. I hope the theatre will continue to take work to the street – if people won’t come to us then we’ll go to them. What are your hopes for the theatre in the future? I’m a great believer that you can never ever stand still and I hope the theatre never sits back on its laurels and carries on reaching out and being ambitious. And I’m confident it will do that.
John Crabtree pictured with daughter Jessie while volunteering at a Relaxed Performance
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aim one
To be renowned for the quality of cultural work we create and present From the best of the West End musicals to internationally acclaimed ballet, opera, and dance, and from free family festivals to one of world’s biggest pantos, there’s something for everyone at Birmingham Hippodrome. We also invest to create new work and bring international companies to Birmingham. Here are some of this year’s highlights: Terrific international programming This has included Cape Town Opera, Alvin Ailey, Carlos Acosta, Ballet BC, Cloudgate and NDT 2. Demonstrating our commitment to bringing the very best in the world to Birmingham and ongoing investment in our programming.
X-Ray: The Unknown quantity It wasn’t all about the stage as we forayed into new territory with this digital/dance film commemorating the 120th anniversary of medical X-Ray in Birmingham, and seen by 30,000 people online and in our foyers, hospitals and schools. The Movement and Dance: Sampled We started The Movement, a dance partnership with Sadler’s Wells. and The Lowry. As part of this collaboration we twice-presented Dance:Sampled, a mixed taster evening of international dance with free foyer activities – plus a specially commissioned piece from Aakash Odedra Company The Patrick Centre We commenced a new year round programme of dance, movement and young people’s performances in our Patrick Centre.
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Birmingham Royal Ballet Record numbers of newcomers helped set new box office records for Birmingham Royal Ballet’s varied programme of new works and classics. The return of BRB’s The Nutcracker saw a remarkable 55% newcomers, with 88% of seats sold as our partnership with BRB gets even stronger.
Vamos Cuba! We co-commissioned Vamos Cuba with Sadler’s wells, a new work from choreographer Nilda Guerra. To celebrate its opening we took the 15–strong cast for a surprise performance at Birmingham New Street station.
Furious Folly In July 2016 Birmingham Hippodrome presented Furious Folly in Sutton Park, a large-scale outdoor production commemorating the Battle of the Somme during World War One. In July 2016 Birmingham Hippodrome presented Furious Folly to over 3,000 people in Sutton Coldfield Park. The large-scale outdoor production commemorated the Battle of the Somme during World War One and had several funding partners like Sutton Coldfield Trust. This free night-time experience set in ‘no-man’s land’ questioned the complexities of war, marking 100 years since one of the bloodiest battles in human history.
“I won’t ever forget Furious Folly and have loved every moment, what an experience!” Furious Folly volunteer
HHHHH “Sumptuously lavish…a real joy” The Stage on The Sound of Music
“Cape Town Opera’s chorus is quite magnificent” Daily Telegraph on Mandela Trilogy
“The message was clear - dance is cool!” The Times on Dance: Sampled
“Hit play Billy Elliot dances into Birmingham on its first ever UK tour” Birmingham Mail on Billy Elliot
“Michael Harrison’s production is such an epic glitterbomb of slapstick, smut and spectacle that it’s futile to do anything other than submit to its gloriously gaudy dazzle.” The Times on Dick Whittington
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Carrie Hope Fletcher played Truly Scrumptious in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang in September 2016 and returned to play Wednesday in The Addams Family in June 2017.
‘Birmingham Hippodrome is a brilliant place to perform because the space is so incredible. It is such a huge theatre with deep wings at the side and room at the back, it just feels so spacious. There are lots of dressing rooms so we not all cramped in together and there’s a large Green Room so you can sit and chat with people - and it does lovely food and the staff are so friendly and helpful.
‘The audiences in Birmingham are also great because they are so responsive. When you look out at the auditorium and know there are nearly 2000 people watching and enjoying the show that’s a great feeling. The Birmingham audiences are also really good on social media. After the first half f i you’ve had a really good response from the audience you get to the interval and you go onto twitter and it’s just full of everyone tweeting about how much they love the shows.
‘I was thrilled to come back with The Addams Family, when the cast who hadn’t toured before were asking us for the best theatres we were all saying Birmingham.’
Carrie’s highlight of the year
“When we did the Chitty tour the Hippodrome was the last venue for Lee Mead, who was playing Caractacus Potts, and it was such an emotional night saying goodbye.” #myhippodrome
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aim two
To be a cultural centre for everyone inclusive and diverse Everyone is welcome at Birmingham Hippodrome as we believe in the value of shared experiences of live performance. We aim to keep ticket prices affordable with many discounts and concession rates. We also encourage current and new audiences to engage with our creative learning opportunities such as workshops, talks, free events and special projects, and regularly produce free festivals. B-SIDE Hip-Hop festival The three-day free festival took place in September featuring a range of outdoor ‘pop-up’ performances, spoken word, talks and graffiti artists alongside street dance crews and breakdance battling for prizes. Access We presented a Relaxed Performance of our pantomime Dick Whittington with over 1,300 people with special needs and complex disabilities attending - oh yes they did! From audio describing to signing, this year 800 people attended our 38 assisted performances, with 212 people attended our touch tours, the tactile exploration of the set before the main performance. We continue to develop our work with 60 young people from Spurgeons young carers groups in Birmingham, Wolverhampton and Dudley, and run weekly drama workshops for young people with learning disabilities through our partnership with Open Theatre Company.
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Youth ambassadors Last year we recruited an enthusiastic, creative and outgoing group of people aged 18-30 to help us promote our theatre to younger audiences. From attending press trips and writing blogs to volunteering and promoting shows on social media – they’ve met every challenge we’ve set them so far!
In 2016/17, we offered 38 accessible performances including audio-described and touch tours, sign language interpreted and captioned performances We welcomed the YouTube blogger Dan TDM, whose Minecraft knowledge attracts global online admiration – it was a sell out!
B-SIDE Hip-Hop festival saw audiences in excess of 5,000 with over 700 local and international participants. Our Summer in Southside free family festival saw 62% visitors aged 44 and under.
“Birmingham Hippodrome has fulfilled our greatest wish for Start Hospices, giving families precious time together and lasting memories. With a willingness, a thoughtfulness, and incredible sensitivity and flexibility they have made sure that the arts are there for us all to enjoy.” Children and the Arts
“They helped improve my confidence - I felt as if all my problems had gone and was part of the Hippodrome family” Shirelands Stage school student
“I don’t think Birmingham was ready for an event like this but now they know what Hip Hop is about and they loved it, nothing but positive vibes and Brum Hippodrome was amazing!” DJ Silence
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Lucy Prince Creative Director at Smethwick’s Shireland Collegiate Academy, a member of the Hippodrome’s Schools Network:
‘Our partnership with the Hippodrome gives the students opportunities to showcase their talent at events and to meet professionals.
‘The students are free to do their own choreography around certain themes. So, for example, they performed at the Billy Elliott gala with a piece themed around boxing.
‘Having people come and see their work and then praise it, when it’s work they’ve done themselves, is a real confidence boost. It has also opened their eyes to the different opportunities the performing arts can offer. I have just been putting the students through their applications for university and one of our students who has performed at the Hippodrome has successfully gained a place to study urban dance practice and a few others are looking at teaching qualifications. ‘Birmingham Hippodrome also runs a weekly theatre school at Shireland and they come and direct a pantomime each year and a big annual show. The Hippodrome asks us to lead and be the face of things and, with our students being so accessible, this has really helped the Hippodrome.
Lucy’s highlight of the year
“The Billy Elliot gala when the boys performed in front of so many corporate businesses and then were given the opportunity to see the show live – they really enjoyed that.” #myhippodrome
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aim three
To provide visitors with a world class experience at every step In 2016/17 our new branding enabled a fresh articulation of our new aims and supporting values to support our vision of a world class Birmingham cultural scene with the Hippodrome centre stage. Since then we’ve been working hard to drive the realisation of these ambitions internally, to ensure proper understanding amongst permanent staff and with casual staff and volunteers. Volunteers Alongside over 200 Birmingham Hippodrome staff, more than 50 volunteers work within the Visitor Services Team. Our Hippodrome CREATIVE volunteers also provide invaluable support across the outdoor arts and heritage programme.
Showpiece Events In our main auditorium we also hosted several private events including a sixth award ceremony and dinner for the Las Iguanas restaurant chain; an Arts Faculty address for nearly 1,600 new first year students at Birmingham City University; and a team briefing from the Leader of the Council for Birmingham City Council staff, which was also live streamed to council offices. Hippodrome Heritage Over 18 months 50 volunteers have delved into our past with the aim of bringing our heritage to life. From show programmes to archive media footage, over 100 archive items are now available to audiences, taking them on a journey from the first performances in 1899 to shows performing on our stage today. A new website BirminghamHippodromeHeritage.com includes over 1,000 other items of our history, and more recently we’ve launched popular behind the scenes tours led by our highly knowledgable heritage tour guides.
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Over 200 staff and 50 volunteers working to deliver a world-class experience 16 Hippodrome Headliners awards given to staff exemplifying our brand values Our Commis Chef, Sam Morris, was awarded a Merit in this year’s Salon Culinaire competition, held at the NEC 90% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that the Hippodrome is trying to be even more welcoming in the way it treats visitors - Brand Review 2017.
“Absolutely wonderful! Very informative, friendly and amazing to see behind the scenes. The heritage volunteers and staff are clearly a credit to the theatre” Heritage tour feedback
“Having made several visits to this lovely theatre I can honestly say it’s a gem. It’s bright, vibrant, welcoming and very comfortable. The staff are very accommodating, friendly and informative and the restaurant is great” Trip Advisor review
“The Mamma Mia Gala was a truly fantastic evening from start to finish. A unique event with a lot of hard work and planning.” Gala supporter
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Jaime Rowe Birmingham Hippodrome Catering and Events Team Leader Jaime Rowe, who this year won a Hippodrome Headliner staff award:
‘I was really surprised when I found out I’d won a Hippodrome Headliner – I was in tears but so happy. It meant a lot to me because I was nominated by my colleagues for doing my job with flair and going the extra mile. It meant that all the hard work I put in was being noticed and appreciated.
‘I was also promoted from Conference Events Assistant to Acting Conference and Events Team Leader which is a really exciting step for me. I really enjoy hospitality and I love the idea that we have given someone a really good experience, that they leave us feeling that they have been treated like someone special.
‘I have worked at the Hippodrome on and off for seven years and on a contract for three years and I’ve really seen the theatre develop in that period. We have got much more diverse and are appealing to a broader demographic of people. For example we’ve given people a chance to be involved in events such as Summer in Southside. That means we’re reaching new audiences with events. Birmingham is such a diverse city and I’m pleased to see the Hippodrome reflecting that.’ Jaime’s highlight of the year
“Achieving my NVQ Level 3 in Supervising Hospitality was a real highlight as I worked really hard for it.” #myhippodrome
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aim four
To be the cultural heart of the city: a creative destination As a high profile and financially independent cultural centre in the heart of Birmingham, we are playing our part in driving the city and region's ambitions. Birmingham has an incredible cultural offer, and we are proud to lie at the heart of efforts to develop and promote the city, working closely with Culture Central. Whether hosting a mayoral debate, Birmingham City Council briefing, Arts Council presentation or UK Theatre conference, contributing to Marketing Birmingham panels or Chamber of Commerce events, or working with Southside BID and the Chinese Festival Committee on the development of our immediate area, Birmingham Hippodrome is helping promote Birmingham as a creative destination. ASTON-ish Our new ASTON-ish programme, launched in February, aims to develop the cultural leaders and creative entrepreneurs of Aston and Newtown. Summer in Southside The sun shone our seaside adventure last June. The weekend saw an amazing 80 performances in and around Birmingham Hippodrome including a cod choir, a giant squid which also glowed in the Arcadian with a special evening performance, deep-sea divers and even some eco-pirates! Inside the building on Sunday visitors took the opportunity to take part in our Hippodrome Heritage day with talks and a special treasure hunt.
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Chinese New Year We produced and stage managed Chinese New Year Festival in January, Hippodrome CREATIVE provided production and stage management support. We also advised on and contributed parts of the free festival programme such as arts and crafts workshops in our Patrick Centre including calligraphy, Minecraft, Chinese Arch lego building, mask and lantern-making.
In 2016/17 we delivered 476 Creative Learning participation sessions across the region for 13,754 participants. We distributed 10,731 discounted tickets to schools across the region with 1,347 free tickets to teachers.
Creative learning across the city We worked with local schools on Summer on Southside, B-Side dance workshops, Heritage Education projects, community projects (such as Ten Not Out alongside Furious Folly) and a large family workshop for Chinese New Year. In 2016/17 we also offered more Community Engagement projects across the city, including several with vulnerable young adults.
“Our event was outstandingly successful, largely because of the calm efficiency and endless helpfulness of you and your colleagues. It’s been a rewarding experience working with you.” Birmingham City University
Summer in Southside festival saw estimated audiences of 11,000 attended the festival. Of those surveyed 43% were from Birmingham, 63% were new to the festival, with 40% traveling specifically to attend as a destination event. Over 15,000 people attended Chinese New year celebrations in Southside with 2,000 dropping into our family activities in the Patrick centre.
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James Wong Managing Director of Chung Ying Restaurant Group, Chair of the Chinese Festival Committee and a Director of Southside BID:
‘Without the Hippodrome, Chinatown would not be here. f I you look at Chinatowns all around the world, they are always together with theatres because very often it’s the people coming to the theatres who also come to the restaurants. Personally I am immensely grateful to the Hippodrome as in 1979, the theatre underwent a major refurbishment and in 1981, my father opened our first restaurant Chung Ying. We’ve been together for over 30 years. ‘The support the Hippodrome gave to this year’s Chinese New Year was so valuable. This was the largest Chinese New Year we have had to date and it was the Hippodrome who suggested we try new things and they brought so much knowledge, skills and expertise.
‘I have worked with three Chief Executives at the Hippodrome and I always find them really inspirational. When I first met with Fiona Allan, I was so impressed by her drive and how much she wants to develop the theatre in Southside. All the team at the Hippodrome have been so supportive, I think of them as friends and I look forward to us continuing to work together. My aim is to have the biggest Chinese New Year celebrations outside of China.’ James’s highlight of the year
“Meeting Fiona and seeing the aspirations she has for the theatre and the local community.” #myhippodrome
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aim five
To ensure our business has a sustainable, independent future Birmingham Hippodrome continues to develop its charitable activity to deliver live arts experiences to as many people as possible. These projects are funded by combining our own financial resources with support and grants from funding bodies and Trusts, plus donations from local businesses and individuals. A huge thank you to all our donors. We are also very proud of our sustainable approach to running a business whilst minimising impact on the environment. Events Our glamorous main-Stage Gala Dinner welcomed over 300 guests in May and raised over £60,000 for our Hippodrome CREATIVE work. Our Greek themed Mamma Mia Gala Dinner was followed in the Spring of 2017 with two fundraising Gala Dinners - a sumptuous occasion at The Red Shoes and a northern night-out at Billy Elliot. We welcomed over 500 guests to these events and raised in excess of £30,000 for our projects. Campaigns and memberships Our Hippodrome Heritage fundraising campaign raised over £130,000 to bring our history to life. A celebratory launch event was held in May, attended by descendants of the theatre’s founders, the Draysey Brothers. At Christmas, generous donors supported our 12 Days of Christmas Campaign to bring more Relaxed Performances to disabled audiences – with over £16,000 donated. Memberships
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continued to grow as we welcomed new members to both our Friends and Patrons Scheme, including our first Hippodrome Circle Members, our highest level support at £3,000 or more per year. Trusts and Grants We received over £200,000 from trusts and grant givers towards Hippodrome CREATIVE projects. Curtain Raiser For the ninth consecutive year our fundraising activity allowed us to create a Curtain Raiser project and this time with a performance of The Red Shoes by Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures company and their education arm Re:Bourne. With a second year of sponsorship from Tilney, 18 dancers aged 16–19 were choreographed by four 18–21 year-old students, supported by two professional dancers over four weekends of preparation and rehearsal.
Our 12 Days of Christmas campaign saw over £16k raised towards Relaxed Performances – helping over 5,000 audience members with special needs to visit the theatre, many for the first time.
During 2016/17 we recycled 79 tonnes of compacted waste, 24 tonnes of cardboard, 260 bins of plastic bottles 436 bins of glass and 144 boxes of leaflets
Our Leading Ladies business network is one of the largest in the city. Over the last 13 years we have halved our gas usage and cut electricity by over 40%
“We’re delighted with the fundraising outcome. The night was a huge success.” Genting Hotel, Gala Dinner 2016 sponsor
“Leading Ladies is one of the best networking events around” Cure Leukemia
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Steve Clarke Lloyds Bank Regional Director (Commercial Banking) West Midlands Region, and Hippodrome Development Trustee:
‘Lloyds Bank has a longstanding relationship with the Hippodrome Theatre and two previous Trustees have also been from the bank. As a British bank, we have a role to play in supporting local business and the Hippodrome has been central to the city of Birmingham for decades. As part of the Hippodrome’s previous fundraising Stage Appeal, Lloyds also sponsors one of the board rooms at the theatre. ‘I have now been on the board for three years and it has been a real education for me into aspects of theatre which I didn’t know much about before and I’ve seen productions I probably wouldn’t have seen otherwise such as ballet and opera.
‘Being part of the Board has also given me the opportunity to get to know some leading figures in the local community who I doubt I would have met otherwise. It has been a great way to introduce myself to the Birmingham community.
‘In the past few years the Hippodrome has made some really strategic decisions about how to move forward. For the future, the challenge for the Hippodrome will be to continue to raise awareness that, as well as being a theatre which produces shows, it also needs to fundraise.’ Steve’s highlight of the year
“Watching the Relaxed Performance of the pantomime and seeing how people responded made me immensely proud.” #myhippodrome
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Thank you Thanks you to everyone that has supported us over the last financial year 2016-17. Without you our Hippodrome charitable work would not be possible; bringing more people together to experience the benefits of unforgettable performance, arts and culture.
CREATIVE
Hippodrome Circle Patrons from £3,000+ Matthew & Jennie Hammond • Mark Hopton • Maureen & Roy Kirby • Chris & Jane Loughran
Headline Act Patrons from £1,400 Teresa A Cook • Joseph Devlin • The Dickens Foundation • Dr & Mrs Harrison • Emma & Peter Neads • Mark & Amanda Smith Janette Rutter • Simon & Kath Winner
Leading Role Patrons from £700 Mark & Liz Abrol • Christine Baylis • Mrs Jayne Cadbury • Jim & Birdie Ceaser • John & Heather Clemson • Sara & Tim Fowler • Averil Green Anthony & Daisy Gt Wyrley • Claire & Mark Hales • Andy & Rebecca Hammond • Steve & Laura Kearney • Debbie & Mark Lilburne Michael & Cerys Luckman • Jeremy & Harjinder Millington • Tony & Julie Phillips • Paul Twose • Stephen & Suzie Whittern David & Janine Young
Supporting Cast Patrons from £250 Christine Bachelor • Sheila Ballantyne-Smith • Simon Bashford • Janice Bennett • Bridget Blow • Simon & Amanda Boardman-Weston Richard Burke • Andrew & Sarah Connors • Adrian Cox • John & Diana Crabtree • June Lynda Cross J.P • Eileen Doyle Patricia Edwards • Patricia & Ronald Etchells • Nicola Fleet-Milne • Mark Forty • Neil & Jackie Frettsome • David & Beryl Glanfield Roger & Jennifer Gould • Jill & Jeremy Griffin • Martin & Roni Guest • Pauline Hancock & Simon Derby • Ivan Heard • Dorothy Hobson Justine & Paul Irish • John Jeremy & Pamela Buckley • Rodney & Alyson Kettel • Martin & Joanne King • Andy Le Marr • Lynne Myers Nathalie Neill • Ralph & Linden Osborn • Isabel Pilgrim • Win Palmer & Lola Ralph • Mrs Jill Parker • John & Jill Queenan Mr & Mrs J Quinn • Claire Ralley • Dr & Mrs Reynolds • Don & Diane Scriven • Mary Shaw • Dr N & Mrs C Speak • Christine Spittle Gwen Stephens • Glynis Troth • Gillian Tune • Richard & Maggie Waller • David & Jane Richardson • Mrs Ann Wailing & Mrs Vanessa Ottley Ray & Marilyn Way • Neil & Polly Wilson • Jane Woolrich
We acknowledge the generous support of Peter Tod, Mrs A Cole, Mrs T Justham, Mrs Jenny Allan and a number of anonymous donors.
Trusts & Foundations Aurelius Charitable Trust • Birmingham Bodenham Trust • Birmingham Common Good Trust • Bishop of Birmingham Charitable Trust The Thousandth Man – Richard Burns Charitable Trust • William A Cadbury Trust • Children and the Arts • George Henry Collins Trust Baron Davenport’s Charity • The Dumbreck Charity • The Eveson Charitable Trust • John Feeney Charitable Trust The George Fentham Trust • Marc Fitch Fund • The Grimmitt Trust • The Joseph Hopkins Charity • Limoges Charitable Trust The Mackintosh Foundation • The Norton Foundation • Oakley Charitable Trust • The Patrick Trust • Penny Trust The Rowlands Trust • Sir Robert Gooch Charitable Trust • Henry James Sayer Charity • The Saintbury Trust Stella Symons Charitable Trust •Sutton Coldfield Charitable Trust • Edwin John Thompson Memorial Fund • Roger and Douglas Turner Charitable Trust • GJW Turner Trust • The WED Charitable Trust • Alan Woodfield Trust • Xoserve Foundation • The Grantham Yorke Trust
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Development Partners
Performance Partners
twentyfirstcenturymediagroup Associate Partners
Good Company Club Benussi & Co • Clarendon Care Limited • The Edgbaston • Lorica Insurance Brokers • Professional Polishing Services Ltd Shaylor Group • Squire Patton Boggs
Hippodrome Leading Ladies Audley Retirement • AVA Events Styling • Vivienne Bailey Photography • Suzanne Barnes Design Partnership Barques PR • Birmingham & Solihull Mental Health Foundation Trust • Bridge Street Global Hospitality Coleridge Law Ltd • Consulting Rooms Birmingham • Cure Leukaemia • Genba Digital Ltd • DWF LLPElaine Elkington & Associates Ltd • FLR Group • Holiday Inn • HSBC • Hygenie Ltd • Joy Global • MailboxMidlands Today Presenter MPW Steakhouse Bar & Grill • Park Regis Birmingham • Style Our Home • Joy Global • DWF LLP • FLR Group Ltd Sponsored by
in association
Hippodrome CREATIVE Partners One of a Kind
Welcome to our World, Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School and St Bernadette’s Primary School
Curtain Raiser
Assisted Performances
Young Carers
Relaxed Performance Pantomime
Print Partner
Project Partners
Commercial Partners Las Iguanas • Artifax Software Ltd. • Christie & Co • CrossCountry Trains • BDO LLP Birmingham • Faithful + Gould • Babcock International SLC Rail • Hoare Lea & Partners Colliers International • United Airlines • CastAlum Ltd. • Rees Bradley Hepburn • Willis Towers Watson PLC University of Birmingham • Aon • Jordans Solicitors
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Artists, companies and creative partners During the year we worked with a huge range of artists, companies, producers, venues and creative partners to deliver outstanding creative work - on our stages, in our public spaces, and at locations offsite and outdoors. These include: 14-18 Now Aakash Odedra Company Acosta Danza Acrojou Adil Ray Althea Efunshile Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Always Drinking Marching Band Ariane Koek Avant Garde Dance Company Ballet BC Bill Kenwright Ltd Birmingham Children’s Hospital. Birmingham City University Birmingham Conservatoire Birmingham Festivals Birmingham Royal Ballet BecauseWeCanCanCan Break Mission Cameron Mackintosh Ltd Cape Town Opera Carlos Acosta Chinese Festivals Committee Birmingham Clare Palethrope Cloud Gate Dance Theatre Company Wayne McGregor Connor Scott Corey Baker Dance Corn Exchange Newbury Culture Central Dan TDM Dance Consortium DanceXchange David Ian Productions David Pugh Ltd Desperate Men Diego Pitarch The Electric Cinema Fairly Famous Family Festivals Birmingham The Flying Music Company Ltd Francesca Martinez German Cornejo & Gisela Galleassi The Grand Theatre of Lemmings Highly Sprung Hope Boykin Hugh Turvey Imagineer Productions International Dance Festival Birmingham Iron Skulls Co Juice Aleem Julia Urruty & Claudio González Jonzi D
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Justin Wiggan Kitsch n Sync Collective Larkin’ About Life Behind The Lines Littlestar Services (Europe) Ltd Les Vernisseurs The Lowry Luke Sheppard Maria Balshaw Mark Anderson Mark Ball Mark Goucher Productions Ltd Mark Rubinstein Ltd Matthew Bourne's New Adventures Metro Boutlot Dodo Michael Harrison Entertainment Ltd Mickael ‘Marso’ Riviere Motionhouse The Movement Music & Lyrics Consortium National Theatre Productions NDT2 Off the Kerb Productions The Old Rep One Dance UK Open Theatre Company Oxford Contemporary Music Oxford Festival Arts Oxford Playhouse Pif-Paf Theatre The Place Pockemon Crew Puppets With Guts Qdos Entertainment Richard Alston Dance Company RoguePlay Theatre Royal Shakespeare Company Sadler’s Wells Theatre Sand In Your Eye Shobana Jeyasingh Dance Shout Festival Soweto Kinch Stockton International Riverside Festival Sutton Coldfield Cricket Club Talking Birds Tell Tales Acrobatics Tombs Creatius Vidya Patel Wales Milennium Centre Welsh National Opera Women and Theatre
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Our People BIRMINGHAM HIPPODROME THEATRE TRUST LTD
BIRMINGHAM HIPPODROME THEATRE DEVELOPMENT TRUST
CHAIR: Andy Hogarth (appt June 2017) DIRECTORS: John Crabtree OBE • Rod Dungate • Sara Fowler Martin Guest • Vidar Hjardeng MBE • Glenn Howells • Immy Kaur Mick Laverty • Harj Millington • Professor David Roberts Gary Rowe • Mark Smith • Ann Tonks • Cllr. Anne Underwood The Rt Revd David Urquhart
CHAIR: Martin Guest TRUSTEES: Steve Clarke • John Crabtree OBE • John Driver Nicola Fleet-Milne • Andrew Hammond • Matthew Hansell Dr Mahnaz Hashmi • Martin King • Amelia Ladbrook • Michael Luckman Joanne Maling • Ruth Pipkin • Claire Ralley
SENIOR MANAGEMENT
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR & CHIEF EXECUTIVE: Fiona Allan DIRECTOR OF FINANCE & RESOURCES: Helen Bates DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND DEVELOPMENT: Rob Macpherson DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS: Mike Bradford DIRECTOR OF CREATIVE PROGRAMMES: Graham Callister DIRECTOR OF ORGANISATIONAL DEVELOPMENT: Helga Henry
HEAD OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT: Judith Greenburgh BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE: Charles Pette BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANT: Hannah Still FUNDRAISING FUNDRAISING MANAGER: Rachael Magson FUNDRAISING OFFICER: Rosie Milsom
CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S DEPARTMENT THEATRE ADMINISTRATOR: Rich Mason EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT TO ARTISTIC DIRECTOR & CHIEF EXECUTIVE: Farzana Noreen EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT TO CEO: Kate Warnaby (until 15/07/16) STRATEGIC PROJECTS MANAGER: Caroline Davis (until 31/10/16) SECURITY/RECEPTION STAGE DOOR CO-ORDINATOR: Tom Phipps STAGE DOOR SUPERVISOR: Brian Taylor THORP STREET RECEPTIONIST: Carol Crathorne STAGE DOOR ASSISTANTS: Julie Carey, Alyce Leivers, Rachel Martin, Kerrie Slevin, Katie Goldhawk (until 15/02/16) FINANCE & RESOURCES HEAD OF FINANCE: Kenny Lock MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTANT: Erica O’Brien, Diana Nickless (until 07/03/16) FINANCE OFFICERS: Mohammed Nadim, Sarah Wilkinson PAYROLL OFFICER: Brian Tonks HEAD OF HR: Glen Ivison ADMINISTRATION ASSISTANT: Grace Morgan (until 15/07/16) ASSISTANT TO SMT: Hayleah Thresher VISITOR SERVICES HEAD OF VISITOR SERVICES: Jonathan Thompson SENIOR VISITOR SERVICES MANAGER: Jenny Wood VISITOR SERVICE MANAGERS: Ryan Mason, Amy Philpott VISITOR EXPERIENCE MANAGER: Andrew Hannon CASH OFFICE SUPERVISOR: David Hartland VISITOR SERVICES TEAM LEADERS: Mark Brooks, Rebecca Challoner, Francesca Charlton SENIOR VISITOR SERVICES ASSISTANT: Alex Thacker TEMPORARY SENIOR VISITOR SERVICES ASSISTANT: Matthew Williams VISITOR SERVICES ASSISTANTS: Adam Dicken, Elizabeth Hope, Aimee Matthews, Ruth White, Charmaine Worth CATERING & EVENTS HEAD OF CATERING & EVENTS: Neil Satchwell (until 18/03/17) STOCK MANAGER: Philip Quinn CONFERENCE AND EVENTS MANAGER: Ros Wilson (until 22/8/16) HEAD CHEF: Stephen Christopher (until 14/03/17 SOUS CHEF: Melissa Menns CHEF DE PARTIE: Scott Hart, Manorath Singh Swali, Marion Wint, William McGuire (until 13/10/16), Sadie James COMMIS CHEF: Sam Morris CATERING SERVICES ASSISTANTS: Sarah Allington, Terrianne Buffong, Jaime Downey, Emily Lloyd, Davaine Lubban-Whyte, Luke Brown (until 04/06/16) EVENTS ASSISTANT: Hannah Still GREEN ROOM ASSISTANTS: Soneni Dube, Emilio Needle, Sarah Theaker (until 20/09/16) RESTAURANT SUPERVISOR: Emma Reddish (until 07/05/16 RESTAURANT MANAGER: Tejal Mistry (until 25/06/16) CATERING & EVENTS MANAGER: Cheryl Thompson (until 22/08/16) GREEN ROOM SUPERVISOR: Laura Still (until 04/11/16) EVENTS SUPERVISOR: Cristina Helbling (until 28/02/17)
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MARKETING HEAD OF MARKETING & SALES: Chilina Madon MARKETING EXECUTIVE (PRODUCTIONS): Jacky Barron MARKETING EXECUTIVE (PROJECTS: Rachel Williams MARKETING OFFICER (PRODUCTIONS): Chris Cooper MARKETING OFFICER (PROJECTS): Hannah Carroll COMMUNICATIONS HEAD OF COMMUNICATIONS: Laura Smith COMMUNICATIONS EXECUTIVE: Kate Evans COMMUNICATIONS INTERN: Amy Stutz PRESS & PR OFFICER: Amy Haycock (until 13/05/16) INFORMATION & SALES INFORMATION & SALES MANAGER: Donna Scott DEPUTY INFORMATION & SALES MANAGER: Robert Taylor INFORMATION & SALES SUPERVISORS: Marina Gilmore, Debbie Sangha, Ryan Allen TEMPORARY SENIOR INFORMATION AND SALES ASSISTANT: Richard Wood INFORMATION & SALES ASSISTANTS: Deborah Bradley, Sandra Daniels, Kirsty McTighe, Amy Wells, Lauren Prosser (until 14/05/16) GROUP SALES ASSISTANT: Audrey Guest CREATIVE LEARNING & CREATIVE PROGRAMMES HEAD OF CREATIVE LEARNING: Andy Reeves CREATIVE LEARNING MANAGER: Liz Leck CREATIVE LEARNING OFFICER: Rachel Smith CREATIVE PROGRAMMES ASSISTANT: Zara Harris TECHNICAL SERVICES HEAD OF TECHNICAL SERVICES: Barry Hope FACILITIES MANAGER: Mike Croke FACILITIES SUPERVISOR: Kevin Bow IT MANAGER: Stephen O’Hare IT ANALYST: Sam Magson BUSINESS SYSTEMS MANAGER: Sarah Stratton TEMPORARY BUSINESS SYSTEMS SUPPORT ANALYST: Ryan Spencer PRODUCTION MANAGER: Thomas Reilly TECHNICAL CO-OODINATOR: Paul Keogh SENIOR TECHNICIANS: Paul Hinde, Martin Pickard DEPUTY SENIOR TECHNICIANS: Marc Keogh, Ian Wallace TECHNICIANS: James Berger, Alex Duggan, James Gratrix, Bryan Moore, Eleanor Morgan, Melissa Peet, Frank Spencer, Jonathan Thornhill MAINTENANCE ASSISTANTS: Kevin Green, William Townend TECHNICAL PRODUCTION ASSISTANT: Faith Whenham DATABASE MANAGER: Scott Whitehouse (until 25/05/16)
With thanks to all our casual staff and volunteers
All staff and board members listed were in post 1 April 2016 – 31 March 2017
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Looking forward
Following the Billy Elliot run in the spring of 2017, the main house continues to welcome a wide variety of popular productions including Funny Girl, with Sheridan Smith, Grease, The Addams Family (from our touring consortium Music & Lyrics), the return of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time from the National Theatre, Matthew Bourne’s The Red Shoes (back for an extra July week following its February sell-out) and the new production of Miss Saigon from Cameron Mackintosh as a summer blockbuster. In the autumn period Hairspray, Crazy For You, Beautiful and Sunset Boulevard deliver some great musical Americana. Pantomime returns with the strongest title, Cinderella, swiftly followed by Matthew Bourne’s own Cinderella. With strong advance subscription sales already, Birmingham Royal Ballet look set to expand on their recent success in 2017/18 with the classics Coppélia, Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty; plus some exciting favourites in Pineapple Poll, Still Life at the Penguin Café and Aladdin. Welsh National Opera’s repertoire includes a summer week rotating around Madam Butterfly; a mixed autumn selection of Eugene Onegin, Janacek and Mussorgsky; and a three-day return in the spring including Tosca. In our Patrick Centre studio, as a major new initiative, we will present a mixed range appealing to fans of comedy and cabaret, small-scale drama, dance and family programming. We are working closely with partners including Gay Pride and the Shout Festival, and with the rest of the region’s dance community, both to attract a new audience and to expand the experience of our existing audience. Part of this exciting new development is a summer run of a Hip-Hop Jungle Book and our first Patrick Centre Christmas show, The Snow Dragon from Tall Stories. B-Side Hip Hop Festival returned in the spring with Summer in Southside hard on its heels in June. The Hippodrome CREATIVE team will also be contributing to Culture Central’s third Weekender across the city in September, with free roaming street acts and a major firework and drumming show near Millennium Point. The learning team will launch the Hippodrome Education Network (HEN) building deeper links in around a dozen community schools across primary, secondary and special needs. The year will see significant increase in our provision of Relaxed Performances (much of which is supported through fundraising) including The Jungle Book and The Snow Dragon in the Patrick Centre, one for the The Curious Incident and two (a matinee and evening) for our Cinderella pantomime.
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Birmingham Hippodrome Theatre Trust Ltd, Hurst Street, Southside, Birmingham, B5 4TB Tickets & Information 0844 338 5000* Administration 0844 338 5010* birminghamhippodrome.com Registered Charity Number 510842 *Calls cost 4.5p per minute plus your phone company’s access charge
Portrait photography by Marta Kochanek