Birmingham Hippodrome Annual Review 2022-23

ANNUAL REVIEW 2022–23

When I joined the Hippodrome in April 2022, it was clear that I’d joined a wonderful organisation, in an extraordinary city, at a special time.

In a year like no other, the spotlight shone on Birmingham for the Commonwealth Games, and it certainly put on a show. The rich and diverse cultural landscape of the city was at the heart of the celebrations, and the Hippodrome proudly played its part in one the region’s biggest ever celebrations of creativity.

Parks across the West Midlands played host to our co-production with China Plate of the joyous new musical To The Streets! and The Patrick Studio was transformed with the groundbreaking immersive experience Waswasa: Whispers in Prayer with Soul City Arts On our main stage we opened our collaboration of Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby – a landmark creative partnership between Steven Knight and Rambert. Tens of thousands flocked to these world premieres, and the latter was seen by over a billion people around the world as part of the closing ceremony of the Commonwealth Games.

For the Hippodrome, like all theatres across the country, it was also a year of rebuilding. It was our first year post-pandemic restrictions, and whilst the theatre had weathered the storm, the impact had been felt.

However, a fantastic and varied programme saw audiences return in their numbers. We had a record-breaking on sale, witnessed sell-out runs of Mamma Mia!, Les Misérables and SIX the Musical, and over 100,000 people came for another sensational panto. Our co-production with Curve of The Color Purple toured across England and Wales to critical acclaim. Our Learning and Participation programme continued to grow, now working with 44 schools, 80% of which are in the 10% of areas of lowest cultural engagement nationally. And it was the first full year of our Creatives Card membership, with over 400 West Midlands artists making the Hippodrome their home.

The last 12 months have been amongst the most creatively fulfilling and exciting of my life, and I feel incredibly lucky to live and work in Birmingham. But (to quote one of the region’s better known writers) “what is the city but the people”?

Firstly, I would like to thank our staff, volunteers and Trustees who all play a vital role in the work we do, with endless positivity and dedication. Then, as importantly, thank you to you; our audiences and supporters. I hope you enjoy looking back at some of the highlights from the last year and I look forward to you joining us on the next part of our journey.

Next year, we celebrate 125 years of this wonderful theatre, which will mark a new chapter for Birmingham Hippodrome. With our rich history, bold vision and incredible teams, we believe this could be our most exciting era yet.

Jon Gilchrist Artistic Director & CEO

Since becoming Chair in 2018, the Hippodrome has been on a real journey and looking back over the last twelve months, it’s been fantastic to see so many spectacular shows return with huge energy and incredible audiences.

Off stage, we have been taking more events out to the streets of Birmingham and we were delighted to partner again with Chinese Festival Committee Birmingham to bring Lunar New Year celebrations back to Southside for the first time in three years, seeing record-breaking attendance over the festival weekend.

Our Learning & Participation work over the last year has seen thousands of young people attend a show through our programmes, the return of work experience opportunities and we have welcomed a new cohort of Young Advocates, a truly inspiring group who are working with us to shape the work we do with and for young people.

The Hippodrome mission is to provide “that ‘goosebumps’ feeling through memorable and extraordinary experiences” and I can’t imagine a better placed team to deliver this. The Board and I are extremely proud of the endless dedication and commitment the team has to ensure we deliver unforgettable experiences for our region.

I would like to extend huge thanks to all our employees, volunteers, partners and supporters who work so hard to bring joy to the region. I hope you are as excited as we are for the future.

Glenn Howells Chair, Birmingham Hippodrome Theatre Trust

Thank you… to our teams, volunteers, Associates, co-producers, artists, Young Advocates, funders, donors, members, freelancers, supporters, audiences, participants and all those who helped make 2022-23 a huge success!

Next year, we celebrate 125 years of this wonderful theatre, which will mark a new chapter for Birmingham Hippodrome”

Jon Gilchrist

From 1 April 2022 –31 March 2023 we…

Hosted...

367 performances on our main stage

139 performances in the Patrick Studio

54 of these were assisted performances

Welcomed...

525,000 people to a production

505,000 of those watched a show on our main stage

53,000 of those were new bookers

20,000

of those watched a show in our Patrick Studio

On Stage

2022–23 marked our first full year of programming post Covid and what a year it turned out to be! As audience confidence returned so too did our wide array of fantastic productions in both our main house and Patrick Studio. We started the year with the Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice classic Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and ended with the sublime performance of The Sacrifice from South African choreographer, Dada Masilo. Throughout the year audiences were treated to the best in opera, touring musicals, ballet, contemporary dance, spoken word and comedy.

Productions rescheduled during our Covid closures, including Mamma Mia!, Les Misérables, We Will Rock You and Sister Act, finally graced our stage to appreciative audiences who had in some cases waited two years to see their chosen show.

Over the festive season we played to over 145,000 delighted visitors with the return of Sir Peter Wright’s lavish Nutcracker from Birmingham Royal Ballet (following a £1M refurbishment), our Christmas panto Dick Whittington and Tales from Acorn Wood in our Patrick Studio.

Amongst other stunning productions, our year ended with five star reviews for the Lincoln Center’s award-winning production of My Fair Lady, and sold out performances from Matthew Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty, SIX – The Musical and How Not To Drown by award-winning theatre company, ThickSkin.

To The Streets!

Co-produced with China Plate, To The Streets! was performed as a musical concert in parks in Birmingham, Coventry and Wolverhampton as part of the Birmingham 2022 Festival. The uplifting brand-new musical, inspired by the 1963 Bristol Bus Boycott, was made in Birmingham, and written by Roy Williams with music and lyrics by Tim Sutton. Each site enjoyed pre-show performances from local poets, choirs, music and dance groups. The performing company comprised of 15 professionals and 18 community performers, working with a top-class creative team, including five Midlands-based global majority Associate Artists.

12,000 people were engaged through projects co-created with communities during the development process for the show: On Our Way, We Still Here and Soho Settlers.

As part of the Birmingham 2022 Festival, BBC Arts commissioned a short new musical film inspired by To The Streets!, featuring the song Longing to Belong which has been seen by 13,000 people.

The Color Purple

In autumn 2022, we joined forces again with Curve to remount our award-winning co-production of The Color Purple for its first tour in England and Wales thanks to support from Arts Council England National Lottery Funding.

Based on the Pulitzer prize-winning novel by Alice Walker and adapted for the stage by Pulitzer Prize and Tony award-winner Marsha Norman, The Color Purple tells the story of courageous heroine Celie, as she journeys through joy, despair, anguish and hope in her own personal awakening to discover her unique voice in the world.

As well as being made and rehearsed at the Hippodrome, our Learning & Participation team developed and delivered the national education programme for the tour, including freely available resources written by the team and bespoke training opportunities for teachers and creatives across England and Wales.

To The Streets! was presented by Birmingham 2022 Festival. A China Plate & Birmingham Hippodrome production in association with Warwick Arts Centre, City of Wolverhampton Council and DRPG Creative. Generously supported by Arts Council England and The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England, Birmingham City Council and Blueprint: Without Walls R&D Investment Fund.

4,402 Seen by 4,402 people

48% Up to 48% new attendees at each site

Audience member

33% new bookers to Birmingham Hippodrome

39,100 Seen by 39,100 people on tour

5,000

A further 5,000 people engaged online

WASWASA –Whispers In Prayer

Our Patrick Studio was transformed into an immersive theatrical experience by Birmingham artist Mohammed Ali of Soul City Arts, which explored the act of Islamic prayer and what it means in a modern, secular society. The audience were invited to walk through a combination of art installation and live performance and had an opportunity to view a reproduction of Birmingham’s world-famous Qur’an.

1,300

Seen by over 1,300 people

Audience member

Waswasa – Whispers in Prayer was presented by the Birmingham 2022 Festival, in association with Birmingham Hippodrome, University of Birmingham, University of Warwick and Guildhall Live Events, part of the Guildhall School of Music & Drama.

I loved how it included people from the area and sent a real positive message”

One of the best things I’ve seen on stage in a long time.”

Rambert Dance in Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby

Following a hugely successful national media launch, we were delighted to produce the world premiere of our dance theatre production in association with Rambert of Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby.

Written and adapted by Peaky Blinders’ creator Steven Knight and choreographed and directed by Rambert’s Artistic Director Benoit Swan Pouffer, the epic production featured live musicians performing a score written by Roman GianArthur, led by Musical Director Yaron Engler.

Following the world premiere in Birmingham, the production toured to Troubador Wembley Park Theatre, Norwich Theatre Royal, Alhambra Theatre Bradford, Hull New Theatre, Mayflower Theatre Southampton, Royal and Derngate Northampton, Festival Theatre Edinburgh, The Lowry Salford, Wales Millennium Centre and Theatre Royal Plymouth before returning to the Hippodrome by popular demand in May 2023.

We ran three spectacular themed events during the premiere week, including a sold-out gala evening which raised £10,000 to support our work with young people.

100 ,000

Seen on tour by over 100,000 people

Rambert Dance in Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby, is a Rambert production in association with Birmingham Hippodrome, co-produced with The Lowry, inspired by the television series Peaky Blinders created by Steven Knight, and owned and produced by Caryn Mandabach productions. Peaky Blinders TM © Caryn Mandabach Productions 2022. licensed by Caryn Mandabach Productions.

B-SIDE Hip-Hop Festival

SATURDAY 11 – SUNDAY 19 JUNE

In partnership with Bullring & Grand Central and presented as part of the Birmingham 2022 Festival, B-SIDE launched with a Rap Cypher event in Digbeth and workshops with leading Waacking dancer Princess Lockerooo and Menno van Gorp, one of the most accomplished B-Boys on the Breaking Scene.

The Hippodrome was taken over with workshops and performances, DJs, live graffiti and music. Dancers competed in Breakin’, Waacking, and all styles Hip-Hop on the Hippodrome main stage, followed by the grand finals at Bullring & Grand Central. Alongside the dance battles and competitions, festival highlights included live graffiti and street artists, outdoor performances and exhibitions.

22,900

Attended by 22,900 people

It’s Carnival Birmingham Weekender

SATURDAY 6 AUGUST

We partnered with Bullring & Grand Central and ACE Dance & Music to bring a colourful large-scale dance and music extravaganza to the heart of the city during the Birmingham Commonwealth Games. Featuring over 400 performers, It’s Carnival was a joyous and lively summer celebration.

29,000

Attended by 29,000 people

SATURDAY 27 – SUNDAY 28 AUGUST

After huge success bringing Birmingham Weekender back to the city in 2021, we were determined to make a big splash!

Over the August bank holiday, visitors to the city enjoyed over 100 free events. The eclectic programme was packed with dance, film, music, installations and performances, featuring artists from the West Midlands alongside international performers. The centrepiece of the festival was Brum’s Big Splash – a 60-metre slip and slide.

Our Young Advocates played a leading role in Birmingham Weekender, curating a new music stage with Girl Grind featuring twenty artists across all music genres.

63,500

Attended by 63,500 people

B-SIDE Hip-Hop Festival was presented as part of the Birmingham 2022 Festival, in partnership with Bullring & Grand Central, co-produced with Break Mission, Afroflux and High Vis Festival.

Our partnership with Birmingham Hippodrome is really important to us; together we deliver creative, impactful events which speak to the people of our city and create a real buzz. When we work with the Hippodrome we know it will be special.”

Danielle Bozward –Marketing Manager Bullring & Grand Central

Sharing the Light –Welcome Diwali

FRIDAY 21 – SATURDAY 22 OCTOBER

We welcomed Diwali with free local South Asian-led and international arts, performances, installations and workshops. A large-scale participatory performance event featuring Dhol drummers, dance performances and Dundu’s breath-taking light puppets saw visitors join in a dance routine created by Sonia Sabri Company.

18,500

Attended by 18,500 people

Lunar New Year

SATURDAY 21 – SUNDAY 22 JANUARY 2023

The city’s Lunar New Year festival returned to Southside for the first time since 2020 for a weekend packed with free performances and activities produced by Birmingham Chinese Festival Committee and the Hippodrome. The festival kicked off with the much-loved lion procession for an afternoon of performances alongside calligraphy and painting workshops. The festivities continued at Hippodrome Square to mark the official New Year’s Day. Visitors to Southside enjoyed performances including classical fan dances, lion dances, and face changer performances.

45,800

A record-breaking 45,800 people attended the celebrations across

The Nutcracker

SATURDAY 12 NOVEMBER

Working with Birmingham Royal Ballet, the free family event featured a colourful interactive workshop, a rare chance to try on costumes and a performance from BRB’s world-class dancers.

12,200

Attended by 12,200 people

Sharing the Light – Welcome Diwali was produced in partnership with Bullring & Grand Central, co-produced by Sonia Sabri Company and German Puppeteers Dundu – The Giants of Light. Supported by Arts Council England and Global Streets.

Lunar New Year was produced by Birmingham Chinese Festival Committee and Birmingham Hippodrome. The Saturday programme was produced in partnership with Bullring & Grand Central Birmingham. The Sunday programme was sponsored by Uber Eats, in association with Southside District and supported by The Arcadian. The fireworks finale was sponsored by Ming Moon and the signage sponsor was Hollywood Monster.

Learning & Participation

Connecting young people with theatre

Our Hippodrome Education Network (HEN) delivers creative activities in 44 partner schools every week – 80% of which are in the UK’s 10% most deprived communities – with over 40,000 young people taking part over 120,000 times each year. Working with a dedicated L&P Artist, we bring creativity to the curriculum and provide young people with the chance to connect with and experience theatre.

5,500

Over the last year 5,500 young people have attended 19 shows at the Hippodrome

44 HEN grew to 44 schools–including three new primaries, four new secondary schools and one new college

4,120 We delivered 4,120 sessions and created 86,565 participant moments

Young Advocates

Launched in 2021, our Young Advocates programme brings together young people from the West Midlands to shape our work with and for young people.

Aged 14–23, our new group of 22 Young Advocates are working closely with the Hippodrome team to programme and produce events for young people over the coming year including our popular Young Community Drop-In Sessions. They also receive training, mentoring and access to a range of different opportunities within the arts industry.

140

Over 140 young people attended our Young Community Drop-In Sessions this year

Young Advocate on the first Young Community Drop-In Session

Having all of these wonderful opportunities from HEN for the students is really making a difference to our courses. We are so happy to have the opportunity to be part of this fantastic network.”

Gemma Sherratt, Halesowen College

The launch for the drop-in sessions was a great success. It felt like a really welcoming and exciting atmosphere and there was such a buzz about the building. It was lovely to see such a mix of young people, most of which had never met each other before, bond during the sessions.”

Work experience

We piloted our first onsite SEN work experience week in April, working with seven pupils from Selly Oak Trust and The Pines School. The work experience was made possible thanks to the generous funding by The Eveson Trust.

Additional highlights from the last year…

HEN Work Experience was also offered to all pupils in the network. We hosted 16 young people from across the West Midlands in July, running workshops from different departments across the organisation.

Our Young Choreographers and Curtain Raiser programmes gave young people the chance to perform and work with companies including Akram Khan Company, Autin Dance Theatre, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures, Motionhouse, and StopGAP.

Our HEN showcases returned, giving young people the opportunity to watch a production on our main stage followed by participating in workshops and masterclasses with cast members to develop their own performances. The schools performed their pieces inspired by SIX the Musical and Strictly Ballroom in our Patrick Studio.

Our Learning & Participation Artists devised a new project called A Beginners Guide to Dragonology, based around reading to lost and lonely dragons. Every school that participated reported an upswing in reading for fun with their students.

The participants really benefitted from seeing other young people in the theatre environment and discovered abilities that they didn’t know they had.”

Claire Bowry –Chief Executive, The Eveson Trust

Fundraising Making A Difference

Our relaxed performance programme made a very welcome return after our closure period thanks to the generous support of HSBC UK. As part of this programme, we also recruited and trained over 50 corporate partner and patron volunteers to welcome our audiences.

We participated once again in the nationwide Big Give Christmas Challenge in support of our Hippodrome Education Network (HEN), raising over £30,000 which gave 5,000 young people access to transformative experiences with the Hippodrome.

A substantial grant from the Arts Council England Capital Investment Programme has enabled us to further develop our website and improve the online booking journey for our customers with access needs.

The return of our fundraising galas helped us to put young dancers centre stage. Money raised has supported our youth dance development programme, which includes giving young people the opportunity to create a Curtain Raiser performance inspired by a visiting production which is performed on our main stage.

Outside of our dance development programme, other projects which have benefitted from fundraising this year include our Young Advocates programme and Young Community Drop In Sessions.

A huge thank you to everyone who has donated this year.

£467,000

Over £467,000 raised to support our youth programme

17

17 seats and one box were named in our auditorium

11

We welcomed 11 new Patrons

£50,000

Our audiences generously donated over £50,000 to support our Arts Matter! campaign

Our Supporters

Thank you to our supporters who share our belief in the value of arts and culture for all communities in Birmingham and the West Midlands region. Our major donors, patrons, sponsors, corporate partners, and Trusts & Foundations are helping us bring our charitable ambitions to life because Arts Matter!

Major Gifts

Mrs A Cole • Kirsty Davies-Chinnock • Racheal & Adrian Jessop • The late Thelma Justham •

Pritpal Sagoo • Mark & Amanda Smith • Peter Tod

The late Mr J Weston • Anonymous Donors

Gifts in Wills

Paul Callas • Terry & Yvonne Gateley • Lara

Ratnaraja • Janette Rutter • The late Mr J Weston

Special thanks to our other anonymous Legacy pledgers who have left a gift to the theatre in their will

Hippodrome Circle Patrons

Mark Hopton • Maureen & Roy Kirby •

Graham & Heidi Mosedale • Mark & Amanda Smith • Paul Twose

Headline Act Patrons

Teresa & Sarah Cook • The Dickens Foundation •

Dr & Mrs George Harrison • Mark & Kathryn

Jones • Steve & Erin Kearney • Marc & Michelle

Messer • Stuart Poyner • Mr & Mrs J Quinn •

Janette Rutter • Helen Thompson

Leading Role Patrons

John & Heather Clemson • Nicola Fleet-Milne •

Sara & Tim Fowler • Andy & Rebecca Hammond •

Rachel & Graham Hill • Alison & Jamie Justham •

Debbie & Mark Lilburne • Michael & Cerys

Luckman • Jeremy & Harjinder Millington • John & Sandra Phenix • Tony & Julie Phillips • Paul

Puttergill • David Renton & Mark Lattimore •

Nigel & Margaret Plumley • Steve & Suzie

Whittern • Neil & Polly Wilson • Phillip Wright •

Anonymous Patrons

Supporting Cast Patrons

Mark, Liz & Holly Abrol • Fiona Allan •

Christine Bachelor • Simon Bashford • Bridget

Blow • Simon & Amanda Boardman-Weston •

Colleen & Kevin Budge

• Richard Burke

•

Victoria J T Jenkins & Jan Inglis • Craig & Kerry

Jennings • John Jeremy & Pamela Buckley • Jan

Johnson • Rodney & Alyson Kettel • Martin & Joanne King

• Andy Le Marr

Alsop • Maureen Levermore

Emma & Peter Neads

• Anne McKee & Pat

• Lynne Myers

• Katie Newbon

Parker • Tony & Judy Pickard

•

• Mrs Jill

• John & Jill

Queenan • Dr Christopher and Mrs Maureen

Reynolds • David & Jane Richardson • Emma

Rowley • Mary Shaw • Sukhvinder Singh

Smith & Family

• Christine Spittle • Gwen

Stephens • The Tindall Family

• Wendy

• Glynis Troth

• Mrs

Ann Wailing & Mrs Vanessa Ottley • Doug Wright

MBE DL & Kate Wright • Anonymous Patrons

1899 Club Founder Members

Maureen Booth • James Clews • Kirsty

Davies-Chinnock • Mr & Mrs P Davies • Alaine

Fendek • Rob Macpherson

• Rachael Magson

Rosie Milsom • John & Teresa Purser • Roger

Maureen & Roy Kirby • Malaika Mateen •

Stephen Mosley • Roger Osborn • Sophie Price •

Margaret Pulling • Jean Ross • Emma Rowley •

Dr Emma Smart • The late John Weston • Kimberley Wilson

Trusts & Foundation

The Backstage Trust • Baron Davenport •

Birmingham Bodenham Trust • The Bishop of Birmingham Charitable Trust • Derek Hill

Foundation • The D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust •

Edward & Dorothy Cadbury Trust • The Eveson

Charitable Trust • The Grimmitt Trust • IMI

Charitable Trust • The Oakley Charitable Trust •

The Owen Family Trust • Property for Kids •

The Reed Foundation • The Richardson

Brothers Foundation • The Rowan Trust •

The Saintbury Trust • The Sir Barry Jackson

•

Rivett • Ann Tonks • Margaret Plumley • The late

Mr J Weston • Our other generous donors

Name a Seat

Jean Al-Khamiri

Andrea Collier

• Sian Averill

• Maria Cuisine

Development Partners

• Rebecca Carter

• Roy Hadley

•

•

Trust • The Squire Patton Boggs Trust

The W A Cadbury Charitable Trust

Good Company Club

Professional Polishing Services Ltd •

Squire Patton Boggs • SX Media

Associate Partners

Performance Partners

Sponsors and Project Partners

Andrew & Sarah Connors

• Adrian Cox

• Marcus & Linda Daly

• Ros & Trevor Davies

Edwards & Jane Mitchell

Mark Forty • Katie Fraser

• Gareth

• Patricia Etchells

•

• Mick & Sue Gower •

Martin & Roni Guest • Pauline Hancock & Simon

Derby • Joseph Hassett

• David & Wendy Jackson

Our People & Culture

This year we…

Developed a new People Strategy

Delivered Inclusion & Anti-Racism training for all employees

Held our first full staff away day

Refreshed our Mission, Vision and Values, developed with our teams at our staff away day

Welcomed six apprentices to create different pathways into the organisation

Opened a Multi Faith Prayer and Reflection Room for our employees

Our working & support groups

Our teams at Birmingham Hippodrome are supported by working and support groups that help to represent staff at all levels; ensuring a breadth of voices are represented with differing perspectives and lived experience that help inform our strategy and support the wellbeing of our teams.

Inclusion & Anti-Racism

Wellbeing

Green Team

Access Forum

Employee Reps

Mental Health

First Aiders

Our Hippodrome Headliners

Nominated by Hippodrome employees:

Eddie Atkins

Charlotte Boyer

Matt Evans

Jo Griffin

Lisette Hickman

Rachel Martin

Joe Parker

Lucy Slevin

Operations & Going Green

This year we…

Reopened our back stage Green Room to staff, resident and visiting companies

Installed new doors on Inge Street

Completed a major upgrade of our ticketing system to the cloud

Installed new cloud-based HR software

Improved our family-friendly facilities, including adding family cubicles in all our toilets and we are now accredited a Breastfeeding Friendly venue

Going green…

We received a grant award to install solar panels on the Hippodrome roof. The panels span 430 square metres and will generate enough energy to cover our core energy needs to run the building This year we reduced our print for marketing purposes to improve wastage

Over 1,200 paper cups have been saved each month by providing all employees and visiting companies with reusable travel mugs

Members of our Green Team supported the Canal and River Trust, in partnership with Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, to help clean three areas of canal in Birmingham, including lock painting and maintenance, litter collection, and clearing of vegetation and paths

Our programmes are printed on FSC certified paper and can be recycled

140

We saved over 140 trees this year through paper and card recycling

0% Sent 0% of our waste to landfill...

12,000

Used over 12,000 energy saving light bulbs

Events, press moments and social media engagement

7,000 people attended an event this year

1,582,442 engagements on all social channels... up 44% from the previous year

165,827 combined followers on social media

brumhippodrome

Birmingham Hippodrome

@brumhippodrome

Birmingham Hippodrome

BrumHippodrome

Vision, Mission & Values

OUR MISSION OUR VISION

People Focused

We care deeply for our staff, audiences, volunteers, partners, participants and artists and are dedicated to ensuring that any Hippodrome experience is a positive one. Our people are the beating heart of Birmingham Hippodrome.

Inclusive

We provide a safe and inclusive space for expression and creativity, priding ourselves on being collaborative and reflective of our city region. Inclusion is integral to everything that we do and is central to our decision-making.

Inspiring

We bring individuals, groups and communities together to share those wonderful ‘goosebumps’ moments: emotive, world-class, cultural experiences that ignite imaginations and inspire future generations.

Progressive

We are ambitious for ourselves, our partners and our city and region. We aim to be the best at what we do, always looking for new ways to advance, improve and evolve whilst being mindful of our rich and vibrant history.

Sustainable

We take care with our actions, safeguarding the long-term sustainability of Birmingham Hippodrome through our work, environmental responsibilities and business practices.

“Providing that ‘goosebumps’ feeling through memorable and extraordinary experiences.”

“A distinctive, world-class Birmingham cultural scene with the Hippodrome at its heart.”

Our mission and vision state our purpose and who we want to be in the future. Our values are all about who we are, what we believe in and what sits at the very heart of a Hippodrome experience.

Our People

Jonathon Jenkinson

Dale Johnson

Birmingham Hippodrome Theatre Trust Ltd.

Trustees

Andrew Connors

Martin Guest

Andrew Hammond

Vidar Hjardeng

Glenn Howells (Chair)

Immy Kaur

Elizabeth Lawal,

Catherine Mallyon

Harj Millington

Suzie Norton

Tru Powell

Ann Tonks

Special advisers

John Crabtree OBE

Hippodrome staff

Ryan Allen-Rose

Amit Amliwala

Olivia Amos

Alex Bacciochi Paton

Christopher Ball

Charlotte Bannocks

Jacqueline Barron

James Berger

Phoebe Blackburn

Stuart Boland

Kevin Bow

Charlotte Boyer

Mark Brooks

James Browning

Jen Burrows

Julie Carey

Declan Carroll

Hannah Carroll

Stephen Carter

Holly Chadley

Tracy Chan

Claire Chandler

Rebecca Clark

Annabel Cook

Simon Cutler

Laura Davenport

Jack Davies

Amrit Dhugga

Nicola Entwistle

Jyoti Evans

Matthew Evans

Imogen Fancourt

Claire Farnell

Lucy Fellows

Paul Fisher Bazan

Laura Gallimore

Jon Gilchrist

Marina Gilmore

Donald Graham

James Gratrix

Judith Greenburgh

Sophia Griffin

Alice Grove

Audrey Guest

Rav Hans

Connor Hassall

Lisette Hickman

Andrew Hogarth

Glen Ivison

Erika Jarvis

Holly Jones

Kerrie Kemble

Marc Keogh

Beth Kiddie

Victoria Lane

Alyce Leivers

Yimi Liu

Matthew Lloyd

Chilina Madon

Rachel Martin

Timothy Maycock

Sarah Miller

Maria-Magdalena Mineva

Cheryl Mok

Lauren Morton

Fazle Munna

Matthew Neuenhaus

Diana Nickless

Bethany Nightingale

Rares Nistor

John Norlinds

Erica O’Brien

Tom O’Connell

Stephen O’Hare

Jordan Oliver

Joe Parker

Francesca Payne

Mathilde Petford

Charles Pette

Amy Philpott

Ben Pickering

Ellie Pickering

Jake Plester Coyne

Ruth Power

Joseph Price

Ethan Pritchard

Joseph Proctor

Craig Randle

David Reeve

Sherelle Robbins

Ashlee Roberts

Hannah Roe

Emma Ryan

Debbie Sangha

Parminderjit Sanghera

Donna Scott

Denise Seddon

Lucy Slevin

Sam Strachan

Amy Stutz

Chris Sudworth

Nathan Sunderland

Brian Taylor

Alexander Thacker

Ben Tindall

Lucky Uddin

Nicholas Valente

Eleanor Walker

Ian Wallace

Fabia White

Megan White

Scott Whitehouse

Elizabeth Wildman

Jhanee Wilkins

Rachel Williams

Zaylie Wilson

Jennifer Wood

Zoe Wood

Jo Wright

Jack Wylie

Lynn Zabiela

Our casual employees

Eddie Adkins • James Allen • Eve Allsop • James Ansell

Reza Arabpour • Michelle Astbury • Alex Bacciochi •

Kimberley Bailey • Alastair Barnsley • Abeda Begum •

Alexandra Belfort • Ashley Bird • Natalie Blanchard •

Gemma Blower • Marni Bond • Oliver Boot • Thomas

Booth • Kate Bradley • Jamie Braniff • Robert Brew •

Natasha Brown • Pamela Brown • Rebecca Brown •

Marie Buffong • Terrianne Buffong • Lynsey Burford •

Christopher Burrow • John Burrows • Vanessa Burrows

Kewina Byfield • James Calver • Amelia

Cameron-Padmore • Ronald Campbell • Mary Clarke •

Mia Clive • Lisa Closs • Sarah Cook • Stephen Cowdrill •

Ryan Darby • Eleanor Dare • Ayods David • Jack Davies

Stefan Davis • Isobelle Day • Sophie Devane • Charlotte

Dipple • Paula Douglas • Peter Doyle • Lewy-Jake

Draper • Rhiann Edwards • Paul Emery • Helen

England • Molly Evans • Stephen Fabian-Edwards •

Oliver Farrelly • Gail Felton • Tiffany Fereday • Paul

Fisher • Gail Fletcher • Alexander Frost • Million

Gebrehiewete • Amber Gollay • Tony Graham • Stephen

Grant • Jagdish Greenfield • Paula Greku • Joanne

Griffin • Michael Hadley • Dan Hagley • Joseph

Hamilton • Elaine Hann • Ann Harrison • Chloe Hartley

Neil Hateley • Shauna Havord • Julie Christina-Ann

Hayes • Michael Healing • Teresa Herbert • Hannah

Hibbert • Katherine Hill • Joy Holder • Kenny Holmes •

Elizabeth Hope • Linda Houghton • Kieron Hoult •

Joshua Howes • Sadie Hughes • Daniel Hunt • Rachel

Hunter • Martin Jarvis • Elyse Jinks • Myles Johnson •

Alexander Johnson • Mishelle Keany • Karen Kelly •

Jessica Kendall • Paul Keogh • Ashleigh Kerr • Armaan

Khaliq • Amani Khan • Sasha Kite • Rohan Lal • Terry

Lamb • William Latus • Liam Layland • Brent Leman •

Kevin Lent • Naomi Lewis • Darren Lewis • Sophie

Lewis • Rachel Little • Jozef Loboda • Samantha Logan

Rory Longcake • Darren Lucas • Mollie Macpherson •

Evans Madison • Peter Mallett • Charlotte Manning •

Anne Marklew • Dean Marshall • Perminder Marwaha

Natalie Mason • Jasper Mattel • Eden Maye • Hayley

Mcallister • Ian McKnight • Sophie Meredith • Glenis

Merritt • Benjamin Mitchell • Safiyo Mohamed • Bryan

Moore • Jessica Morgan • Shania Morgan • Angela

Morton • Joel Nelson • Paul Oakley • Julian O’Brien •

Darcy O’Grady • Jordan Oliver • Joshua Ollerton • Nick

Owen • Katie Payne • Charlotte Perry • Tom Phipps •

Matthew Pitt • Toni Poulsom • Imara Powell • Donna

Rafter • Callum Ray • Elisha Raymond • Xinqi Ren •

Michael Roberston • Robert Roberts • Karl Robins •

Maria Rodriguez • Hannah Roe • Leon Rowe • Samuel

Russell • Barbara Rutter • Zakary Saleh • Rhianna

Shaw • Gareth Shippen • Bethan Siddaway • Thomas

Silverton • Nicholas Skinner • Poppy Small • Patricia

Smith • Katherine Stanley • Adam Starr • Imani-Rae

Steele • Andrea Stephenson • Darren Stokes • Laura

Swales • Sheriton Swan • Timothy Swinhoe-Standen •

Brenda Taylor • Peter Terry-Short • Katherine Thomas •

Natalie Thompson • Liam Thompson • Amanda

Thornton • Liam Tipper • Jaiden Tsang • Kate Van •

Julien Vincensini • Tang Wai • Rachel Wainwright •

Alicia Wakeling • Sharon Walker • Laura Walsh • Jack

Walsh • Chloe Wassell • Jacob Watts • Alexander

Webster • Amy Wells • Ruth White • Shaun Whitehouse

Emma Whitehouse-bird • Laura Whitehouse-Bird •

Courtney Williams • Craig Wilson • Amelia Wilton •

Carys Wood-Jones • Tommie Wynne • Amelia York •

Ryker Young • Nasreen Zaidi

Hippodrome Associates

Aakash Odedra Company • Break Mission •

Burnt Lemon Theatre • Fat Rascal Theatre •

Motionhouse • Open Theatre • Sonia Sabri Company •

The Good Enough Mums Club • ZooNation: The Kate Prince Company

500

Over 500 performances

50 Over 50 assisted access performances

53,000 new bookers

1,582,442 engagements on social media

44

44 schools in our Hippodrome Education Network

500,000 Over 500,000 audiences every year

192,000 people attend our festivals

22 22 Young Advocates shaping our work with young people

432 Creative Card Members

OUR IMPACT

60 Productions

4,000 Over 4,000 sessions delivered for young people

35 Volunteers

40,000

Over 40,000 young people participating in our Hippodrome Education Network creative activities

IMPACT

Home to Birmingham Royal Ballet, FABRIC, Dance Consortium, OneDanceUK and The Space

9 Associate Artists

No regular revenue funding from public sources

721 Patrons & Friends

72 Artists and freelancers engaged

12,482 donations from our audiences

165,827 followers on social media

Birmingham Hippodrome Theatre Trust Ltd

Hurst Street, Southside, Birmingham B5 4TB

birminghamhippodrome.com

Registered Charity No. 510842