Theatre’s holding up a mirror to city

THE BIRMINGHAM REP IS AIMING TO CONNECT WITH EVERY PART OF THE CITY. DIANE PARKES LOOKS AT WHAT WE CAN EXPECT

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THE new season of shows at Birmingham Rep is “proudly Birmingham, distinctively Rep and world-class’, promises the theatre’s artistic director, Joe Murphy.

Joe, who joined the theatre in the spring after a successful period as artistic director of Cardiff's Sherman Theatre, is keen for his first Birmingham season to represent and reflect the different communities in the city through fresh takes on classics, adaptations of bestsellers and new commissions.

“This season is trying to offer a big, bold and daring programme that galvanises a diverse audience, that is unashamedly popular but is also put together with real integrity and real connection and commitment to our city and the concerns of our city,” he says.

One highlight is Andrea Levy's award-winning novel Small Island, telling the story of the Windrush generation through the lens of two couples: one Jamaican and one English. Using the Helen Edmundson script created for the 2019 National Theatre staging, director Matthew Xia is creating a new production.

“Small Island is first and foremost an amazing play adapted from an amazing novel,’ says Joe. “And it is a great opportunity to put on the main stage a story that is deeply resonant with a lot of people in this city.”

In April and May, Joe and The Rep’s deputy artistic director, Madeleine Kludje, direct a new production of Shakespeare's ever-popular A Midsummer Night's Dream.