Birmingham Rep have announced additional productions for their 2023 season - tickets are on priority sale now and go on general sale at 12pm on Thu 1 Dec.
Artistic Director of The Rep, Sean Foley said; “2023 is going to be a thrilling year for audiences at The Rep. With major new shows to be announced in the New Year for our largest auditoria, The House, we can now announce the first full season in our most intimate theatre, The Door, since reopening in September ’21. Curated by our Associate Director, Madeleine Kludje, the season promises unique theatrical experiences from some of the UK’s most thrilling emerging talents.
“Across all our 3 auditoria, The Rep continues to collaborate with the very best UK and International artists and companies to bring our audiences artistically ambitious popular theatre: comedy, dance, high-quality work for children, and contemporary drama - world class, for everyone."
The Door’s dynamic new season of new work announced today includes Another Lover’s Discourse (28 Feb-1 Mar), a new multimedia performance from one of Palestine’s most exciting contemporary artists, Riham Isaac; Good Grief (2-4 Mar), a paranormal physical performance of loss and the memories left behind; Tales Till Ramadan (18 Mar), Khayaal Theatre’s spiritual quest in preparation for Ramadan; SAP (23-24 Mar), a contemporary thriller fresh from its award-winning Edinburgh run; Yippee Ki Yay (31 Mar), an acclaimed retelling of classic film Die Hard from Richard Marsh; Too Much World at Once (6-8 Apr), an urgent coming-of-age story for our times and Made in India Britain (2-3 Jun), the story of a deaf Punjabi boy from Birmingham.
Speaking of the curation of the season, Madeleine Kludje said; “This upcoming new season in The Door explores A Season of Resilience; celebrating strength, bravery and perseverance in people. In difficult times, we find ways to overcome using humour and shared stories to get us through - I hope this season of excellent work reflects that. With a great lineup of diverse artists from across the West Midlands and beyond, this season of work uses dynamic and compelling ways to explore what it means to be present today.”
The Rep also continues to produce some of the UK’s best new work in drama in The Studio with the stage adaptation of Ken Loach’s award-winning 2016 film I, Daniel Blake (13-23 Jun). This new production is brought to the stage by Dave Johns, who played the title role in the film. A glimpse behind the headlines and the stark reality of what happens when the political system is stacked against you, the production is brought to the stage by The Rep, Northern Stage, ETT, Oldham Coliseum and tiny dragon Productions, in association with Cardboard Citizens.
Returning after a highly successful first year in 2022, The Rep will once again collaborate with Sky Studios for Sky Comedy Rep presents Parklife: a Festival of New Comedy Writing (22-27 May). The festival is the culmination of The Rep’s comedy writing talent development scheme with Sky Studios. Headed by The Rep’s Artistic Director, Sean Foley, and Sky Creative Director of Comedy, Anil Gupta, with script development leadership from Dec Munro, this bursary and mentorship scheme gives early-career comedy writers the opportunity to have their ideas and scripts developed in collaboration with the finest talents in the industry. The theme of this year’s plays: a proposal in a park. Featuring miscommunication, mayhem, midnight trysts, sworn enemies, un-arranged marriage, an eco-protest, vampires, Karl Marx, fishing… and a whole lot of funny.
Revealed today, The Rep are proud to announce this year’s cohort and their scripts: Mahad Ali (Black Men Fishing), Tom Critch (Suckers), Doug Crossley (Tree Shall Not, Tree Shall Not Be Moved), Alice Etches (Patch), Aoife Kennan (Immaculate), Georgie Morrell (The Start of a Beautiful Friendship), Hattie Soykan (Arranged Nikah), and Asia Wray (Bruk Pocket Gyal).
Following a sold-out first visit to The Rep in autumn 2022, Ballet Black (3-4 May) return to the main house with Ballet Black: Pioneers featuring Will Tuckett's Then Or Now, blending classical ballet, music and the poetry of Adrienne Rich, and Mthuthuzeli November’s Nina: By Whatever Means, inspired by the artistry and activism of Nina Simone.
Continuing to showcase leading UK dance, Gary Clarke Company presents Wasteland (18-19 May). In 1994, hundreds of coal miners hung up their pit boots as Grimethorpe Colliery was destroyed, along with the tight-knit working-class community that surrounded it. Created to mark the 25th anniversary since the demolition and 30 years since the rise of UK rave culture, this highly anticipated new dance theatre show is from acclaimed British choreographer Gary Clarke.
The Rep’s dedication to the very best in high-quality theatre for families continues with Dragons and Mythical Beasts roaring on to the main stage (31 May-2 Jun). From the creators of the international smash hit Dinosaur World Live, who bring spectacular puppets to life, this fantastical show invites audiences to come face to face with some of the most magnificent monsters and terrifying beasts ever to walk the earth.
In The Door, What Happened to You? (25 Mar) is a play developed for children and their families, exploring the preconceptions disabled people face in a playful and humorous way. Whilst in The Studio, Mog – The Forgetful Cat (13-15 Apr) brings Judith Kerr’s beloved and iconic stories to the stage and Julia Donaldson and Lydia Monks’ The Singing Mermaid (26-28 May) comes to life featuring beautiful puppets, music and song.
Comedy also takes centre stage in 2023 with the hilarious stand-up comedian Shazia Mirza’s Coconut (11 Mar) followed by Bring the Laughter (29 Apr), bringing together the comedy circuit’s top acts under one roof, including Tommy Sandhu (BBC, Brownload), Raj Poojara (New Comedian of the Year finalist, So You Think You’re Funny semi-finalist), Tej Dhutia (BBC Asian Network) and Kat B (BBC, MTV).
The Rep’s industry-leading Creative Learning team will present a new season of work in the main house titled Order & Chaos (13-22 Jul 23). The series of eight exciting productions will bring together eleven Birmingham-based directors to work with over 200 young people. All of the plays explore the social structures and systems that contain and restrain us. When order fails and chaos erupts, what futures can be reimagined?
Tickets for new shows in The Rep’s spring 2023 season are on priority sale now and go on general sale at 12pm on Thu 8 Dec. To book tickets visit Birmingham-rep.co.uk, call 0121 236 4455 or visit the box office during opening hours.*
