Belmont Rep was formed in 2017 by Wednesbury Poet Laureate Brendan Hawthorne as a vehicle for performing original work in radio play style.
The first play to tread the boards was Two Mothers of Distant Sons, the story of Brendan’s great-uncle who was killed at Ypres in 1915. It follows Billy Bolt and his friend, Tommy, as they join up and examines the impact of the First World War and its’ aftermath from the points of view of ordinary people. Incredibly moving and poignant, it has been performed as part of WW1 commemorations in a church, in libraries and at Lightwoods House, Bearwood, which was a contemporary military hospital.
The latest outing has been Ways of the Bard, a tribute to the Bard of Avon for Shakespeare Day 2019. Romeo and Juliet, Much Ado about Nothing and Richard III were visited in both original text and Black Country dialect, aiming to place Shakespeare in a Midlands context, and to have fun along the way. The third act examines the Bard’s legacy as inspiration for storytelling, song and poetry in the modern day.
Brendan is now looking to adapt his 2013 play Hard Graft: All for 23 Bob, the story of the 1913 Wednesbury Tube Strike, affectionately dubbed ‘The Les Mis of Wednesbury’, for a small cast.
The Belmont Rep is available for performances, commissions and collaborations by contacting Brendan:
Email: mooncrow@blueyonder.co.uk
Tel: 07970 441110
