The REPort - Issue 13 - Winter 2020-21

Issue 13 Winter 2020/21

Welcome to this winter edition of The REPort Hello, it’s curtain up on another jam packed issue of the REPort. We hope this finds you well and that you enjoy reading our latest updates.

Best wishes, Rachel Cranny Head of Fundraising

In this Issue: – Welcome and update – Nutcracker at The REP – Save a Seat – REPurposed – KPMG and the Young REP – Play-Phone – A lifeline – Providing for schools – Supporting cast

A Director’s Welcome A belated Happy New Year to all – and let’s hope 2021 brings with it a ‘new normal’, whatever that may look like.

We’re continuing to navigate the effects of Covid-19 and ongoing lockdown.

Many people have commented that they’ve found this the hardest one of all, coming as it has over winter and without the warm days and light nights to compensate for the loss of our normal lives.

In that context, it’s pleasing to know that we’ve managed to bring some positivity and joy into the mix with cultural events and activities over the past few months: Nutcracker at The REP, our ongoing work with young people in schools and through our Young REP and Light Post Company.

Blended digital and live models for performance and participation have become the norm and the team have learnt new skills and piloted new ways of working that we will almost certainly take forwards with us.

As many of you may be aware, along with the Library of Birmingham we are currently letting parts of our building to the Ministry of Justice for use as a

Nightingale Court. An exceptional decision for extraordinary times.

We’ve seen a wide spectrum of opinion around the decision – from those who support it as part of a civic role for a public building in a national crisis, to those who are opposed to a court space occupying any part of a theatre.

For us, it was a financially motivated decision and part of a survival strategy that would help us protect the DNA of The REP as a producing theatre.

The contract ends in June and we anticipate a return to staging our own productions from early Autumn, but with performances from touring companies and our own young people’s groups in the meantime from whenever we can re-open safely to audiences.

We are looking forward to being back in the building and reconnecting with all our audiences and participants in person over the coming months.

In the meantime, stay safe and well and thank you as ever for your ongoing support of The REP. Rachael Thomas & Sean Foley Executive Director & Artistic Director

A (Nut)cracking Treat Christmas in Birmingham just wouldn’t be the same without The Nutcracker. But in 2020, with the city in partial lockdown, Peter Wright’s legendary production for Birmingham Royal Ballet nearly didn’t make it to the stage.

Enter The REP, and an exciting new partnership.

Our main stage was the setting for a live-streamed, 80-minute feast of seasonal Nutcracker magic.

All the ingredients were there: Snowflakes, Drosselmeyer, the Christmas Eve party, King Rat’s battle, the Kingdom of Sweets dances from around the world, the Sugar Plum Fairy and The Nutcracker Prince.

Tchaikovsky’s fabulous score was performed live by the Royal Ballet Sinfonia under the baton of Paul Murphy. We streamed the production live on December 18th, then as video-on-demand through the following week, right up to Christmas Eve. Two different casts were filmed, the second giving a fantastic opportunity to young dancers.

There were third years from The Royal Ballet School (performing Trepak, the Russian dance), and students from Birmingham’s own Elmhurst Ballet School, dancing Snowflakes.

Work doesn’t stop with filming. BRB and The REP’s social media pages feature a celebration of The Nutcracker, with exclusive new dance footage, ballet lessons for the very young, and behind-the-scenes insights.

There’s even the premiere of a new, Nutcrackerinspired animated film, created with Birmingham Royal Ballet’s second company, Freefall, whose talented dancers have learning disabilities.

Hailing this new partnership, Director of Birmingham Royal Ballet Carlos Acosta said, ‘By live streaming this new adapted version of our famous and much-loved production we were able to proceed with confidence and focus on making the event as special as possible for our wonderful audiences and now, wherever you are in the world, you can be part of it.’

For Sean Foley, Artistic Director at The REP the project was a chance to ‘bring a flurry of theatrical magic and seasonal warmth into families’ homes this Christmas’ with ‘this very special, one-off adaptation of the classic festive tale.’

It was another REP first: the first time a performance had been streamed ‘Live from The Birmingham REP’.

Save A Seat Theatres have never needed your help more than now. And you continue to step up!

Besides The Nutcracker itself, our partnership with BRB generated a new fundraising campaign.

Save a Seat aimed to fill some of the seats left empty following the forced cancellation of our sociallydistanced performances of Tchaikovsky’s ballet.

We’re delighted to report that more than £15,000 was raised, shared between the two companies.

This is down to the generosity of you, our audience, and to the incredible support of our match-funders, global law firm DLA Piper in Birmingham.

when the curtain can rise once again.”

Rachael Thomas added; “In these very challenging times, we have been overwhelmed by the incredible support of audiences and partners – including the fantastic response from supporters to our Save A Seat campaign and the generous match-funding from DLA Piper.

We very much look forward to a time in the future when we can welcome all of those who have helped us over the course of the year back to The REP.” Since March last year, The REP has lost 80% of its normal income.

Trevor Ivory, Birmingham Managing Partner at DLA Piper said; “Birmingham Repertory Theatre and Birmingham Royal Ballet are two of the city’s cultural crown jewels and we are extremely proud to have supported their Save A Seat campaign during a particularly difficult time for the arts.

Still, as you’ll see elsewhere in this edition of The REPort, we’ve worked hard to find inventive new ways of engaging a diverse spectrum of people and communities and lending our support wherever we can.

We encourage everyone to maintain their support for these ever-important institutions when possible and look forward to a time in the not-too-distant future

If you want to find out more about how you can support The REP, please visit www.birmingham-rep.co.uk/support-us

So, a huge THANK YOU to those who have donated!

Last year was an extremely difficult year for theatres up and down the country, including here at The REP. However, our talented workforce have committed to finding inventive new ways of engaging a diverse spectrum of people and communities. Here are some of the highlights.

Since March 2020 we have….

KPMG And The Young Rep

opportunity to share their experience and concerns, and to take part in a positive activity that helps them explore and process their current circumstances.

“This is where my friends are and where I get to work on what I really love! I feel like it’s unique and that there’s actually nothing like it!”

Is there a better tribute to the work of The Young REP? And could we wish for better sponsors than KPMG, now in their third year of supporting our renowned you theatre?

The Young REP is one of the UK’s oldest youth theatres, and a catalyst for many young people to pursue performing careers.

One of those youngsters was Karl Edge, now Birmingham Office Senior Partner and Midlands Regional Chair at KPMG. Karl commented: “There’s never been a more important time to support our communities, particularly given the impact Covid-19 has had on opportunities for young people. So I’m delighted that KPMG is continuing its support for the Young REP, which continues to play a huge part in our communities by helping young people to develop life skills. I know from personal experience how valuable the programmes and skills they provide are, so as we look towards a year of recovery, we look forward to supporting The REP and its members with our skills and expertise.”

There couldn’t be a more vital time. Our engagement with young people allows them to work creatively with friends and peers.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, our creative learning team have adapted youth theatre sessions to be delivered virtually. Over 100 participants took part in Young REP last year! For many, this is their only

Studies have found that participation in structured arts activities can have many physical, emotional and social benefits, even increasing cognitive abilities and performance in school.

Young people learn how to appraise situations, think outside the box and be more confident in unfamiliar situations. They learn to trust their ideas and abilities, and carry this confidence through to later life.

It doesn’t stop there. As students learn to understand characters, they develop empathy, compassion and tolerance for others. Collaboration, concentration and communication skills improve.

That’s the value of the Young REP: a safe environment where young people can develop, thrive and achieve their potential.

KPMG’s sponsorship will provide support for all Young REP activities. It will fund some places for disadvantaged young people, while KPMG staff will provide training for Young REP participants, helping them develop key skills.

This all makes the relationship between KPMG and The REP a perfect example of how businesses can support the country’s arts organisations in times of dire need.

Rachel Cranny, our Head of Fundraising said; “We are absolutely delighted that KPMG have renewed their support for the Young REP. It remains an extremely challenging time for The REP and theatres across the country and we are so grateful to have such positive news to celebrate.”

Providing For Schools

‘Play-Phone’ In a brand new partnership with Birmingham Settlement, we will soon be launching Play-Phone; a series of play-readings where potentially isolated older people from across Birmingham can dial in to listen, read and explore from the comfort and safety of their own home.

Selected participants aged over 50 from Birmingham Settlement’s Ageing Well scheme will be able to simply pick up their home telephone and dial-in to a live playreading session. They will have the option of playing a part in the reading, or just listening to a show unfold.

Members of The REP’s Lightpost Theatre Company will also be on hand to play a number of roles. Those who sign-up will receive an information pack delivered to their door which will include a phone card to cover the cost of the call plus the script of the play.

Alex Summers, Director of Creative Learning at The REP said; “This exciting new project will connect older people in Birmingham together with a whole new community over the telephone. Bringing theatre to people over a phone line, along with the provided phonecard, breaks down barriers of accessibility to share a moment of escapism with others and we can’t wait to get started.”

Play-Phone is part of The REP’s successful Theatre for Elders project, generously supported by the Wesleyan Foundation.

Jessica Wilkes-Ball from Wesleyan said; “The Wesleyan Foundation likes to find those unique projects that support our community and working with the brilliant Birmingham Repertory Theatre we are delighted to have funded this initiative. Covid-19 has hit our communities hard and many people are feeling alone and we feel that the arts is a fantastic way of connecting those who are feeling isolated and still offering a slice of normality!”

For more on Birmingham Settlement visit birminghamsettlement.org.uk.

Since March 2020, The REP has resolved to deliver drama digitally for young people in schools. So, our creative learning team has produced around 20 hours of digital content for children from Early Years to Key Stage 5. Storytelling, masterclasses and bespoke videos – they all support broader curriculum goals, and the feedback has been amazing.

From Hillstone Primary, Alison Driver praised the design of the videos and the way they encourage inhibition-free engagement and further learning.

And this is her colleague Joe: “The engagement of every child has been amazing! It gives the most confident a vehicle to let out their creativity and has given the quietest a way to express themselves. No one is pushed but everyone performs with a smile on their face.”

Last summer, we also delivered two versions of our popular Spy School. Young people played the role of spies and went on theatrical missions to ‘save the day’: a brilliant chance to experience this learning adventure, either digitally at home or at socially distanced sessions at The REP. Hats off to our education team, who worked long hours planning, filming and editing, and in the process developed skills they didn’t know they had. There’s no substitute for the live experience, but dialogue lives on in the digital world. Having seen our pre-recorded content, our young people send in work that responds creatively to it.

Our Head of Education Bhavik Parmar said; “The most important part of our work is to build a rapport with students and teachers alike to emphasize the benefits of using drama as a learning medium to instil creativity and support curriculum goals. We all look forward to returning to live in-person delivery in schools but are pleased that schools now have a drama-based learning resource which they can use for years to come.”

Supporting Cast We wanted to take this opportunity to say a sincere thank you to all of our generous donors and supporters who have continued to play their part in helping The REP to survive this crisis. We are incredibly grateful and look forward to a time when we can say thank you in person. Our wonderful family of donors includes those who make a one-off donation or monthly gift, our REP Friends, REP Understudies, REP Protagonists, REP Creators and REP Believers. You all deserve a standing ovation. Thank you!

If you would like to find out more about how you can support The REP, please click here.

Birmingham Repertory Theatre 6 Centenary Square, Birmingham B1 2EP To keep in touch with our activities and find out how you can join in, follow us via the following; /birminghamrep

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