Stages Magazine Autumn/Winter 2023

stages Inside this issue:

LIFE OF PI

beyond the stage P8

ROBYN GRANT

the journey of Unfortunate P12

SAMANTHA WOMACK the showtunes that shaped her life P14

MAGAZINE Autumn/Winter 2023

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE P4

contents

Welcome to

stages...

Since our last issue of Stages, we’ve had a roaring summer!

Our 10-week run of Disney’s The Lion King took pride of place in our main auditorium playing to over 150,000 people and our Patrick Studio hosted some incredible productions, including Imaginary, performed by our Hippodrome Musicals Youth Theatre to sell-out audiences.

We celebrated TWO of our free annual festivals in the heart of Birmingham B-SIDE Hip-Hop Festival and Birmingham Weekender - bringing a huge range of incredible artists and performance to the city. We reopened The Circle Lounge in August and we’ve loved welcoming audiences to our stunning new pre-show dining experience. Behind the scenes, we launched our five-year strategic plan and announced our new musical theatre department, which will enable us to grow in new directions. And that only scratches the surface!

Our team have created another great magazine for you, packed with new interviews and the latest Hippodrome news. We’ve got special panto features with Samantha Womack and Alexanda O’Reilly, who are starring in our giant pantomime adventure, Jack and The Beanstalk. This issue also includes exclusive interviews with creatives from Life of Pi and Unfortunate: The Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch, which will get you excited about some of the brilliant shows coming to Birmingham next year.

I can’t wait to share even more productions and plans for 2024 over the coming months - it’s going to be a spectacular year!

I look forward to seeing you at the Hippodrome very soon.

Jon Gilchrist Artistic Director & Chief Executive

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HIPPODROME HEADLINES

8-11

BEYOND THE STAGE Behind the Scenes of Life of Pi

12-13 IN CONVERSATION WITH Robyn Grant

14-17 LIFE IN THE THEATRE My Life in Showtunes Five Things I Have Learnt...

My Journey Into...

In My Dressing Room

18-19 SEASON HIGHLIGHTS Young Advocates Disney’s The Lion King Three Reasons to See...

Photography: Kris Askey, Joe Bailey, Sanj Dass Media, Ben Gregory-Ring, Simon Hadley, Helen Maybanks, Johan Persson.

@brumhippodrome

See all of our latest shows

Birmingham Hippodrome Theatre Trust Ltd, Hurst Street, Southside, Birmingham, B5 4TB Tickets & Information 0844 338 5000* Group Bookings 0844 338 7000* Events 0844 338 6500* birminghamhippodrome.com Registered Charity Number 510842 *Calls cost 4.5p per minute plus your phone company’s access charge

3 Front cover: Life Of Pi p8.

In September, we took our cast of Jack and the Beanstalk to the Birmingham Botanical Gardens to find their green fingers ahead of this year’s panto.

ALL-STAR

CAST prepares

With us from 16 Dec 2023 - 28 Jan 2024, Jack and the Beanstalk stars Birmingham’s own Alison Hammond alongside Hippodrome favourite Matt Slack and EastEnders icon, Samantha Womack. They are joined by Doreen Tipton as Doreen the Cow, panto dame extraordinaire Andrew Ryan, West-End performer Billie-Kay as Princess Jill and Brummie local Alexanda O’Reilly in the title role.

for panto

Join us in

THE CIRCLE LOUNGE

hippodrome headlines

This summer we opened our doors to The Circle Lounge, a brand-new space with an original dining concept headed by renowned West Midlands Chef Angelina Adamo. Whether you’re looking to indulge in a beautiful afternoon tea alongside a matinee performance or enjoy sharing platters and small plates ahead of an evening performance, our new offering has something for everyone.

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LOOKING to the future In July, we welcomed guests from across the city and region to launch our organisational plan for the next five years. Hosted by Satnam Rana in our Patrick Studio, our Artistic Director and Chief Executive Jon Gilchrist was joined by guest speakers Vidar Hjarding, Elizabeth Lawal, Jonathan Church and Glenn Howells to share our strategic ambitions and plans.

Guests enjoyed performances from Hippodrome Musicals Youth Theatre and The Drifters Girl’s Ashford Campbell, who gave a sneak preview of the musical with a performance of Stand By Me.

Find out about our exciting plans…

IMAGINING A BRAND-NEW MUSICAL

I ONLINE BOOKING for everyone

Earlier this year, we partnered with digital agency Substrakt and leading authority on accessible ticketing, Nimbus Disability to transform our online booking experience. Our updated website enables customers with access needs to book tickets online through an access registration scheme.

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Get involved with our Musicals Youth Theatre...

hippodrome headlines

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Young performers from our Hippodrome Musicals Youth Theatre blew audiences away with Timothy Knapman and Stuart Matthew Price’s hilarious new musical, IMAGINARY. Performed in the Patrick Studio by our Senior Group (aged 12-16), IMAGINARY told an inspiring story about the wonder of childhood, the power of imagination and what it means to grow up.

Learn more and sign up...

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Work experience inspires young people

This year we hosted two work experience programmes for young people from SEN and secondary schools within our Hippodrome Education Network.

Our SEN work experience programme gave pupils the chance to explore different careers in the theatre industry. The cohort also worked with Birmingham-based filmmaker Paul Stringer to create a promotional video about their experience. The video wil be shared with more SEN schools to help future applicants know what to expect from our programme. The film was generously funded by The Eveson Trust and The Saintbury Trust.

Charlotte Boyer, Learning Access & Coordinator at Birmingham Hippodrome said: “There’s nothing better than working with young people and seeing their confidence and knowledge grow.”

Secondary school pupils interested in a career in the arts industry also joined us for a packed work experience programme in July. Aged 14 to 17, the young people received hands-on experience from our Visitor Services and Technical teams. Participants also took part in practical workshops focussing on specific careers in the arts industry, including marketing, communications and set design.

Freefall Dance Company has been creating and performing daring, groundbreaking and award-winning dance since 2002. By combining the dancers’ exceptional talents and individual styles, Freefall has repeatedly challenged and amazed audiences locally, nationally and internationally.

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hippodrome headlines 6 8

Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Freefall Dance Company is celebrating its 21st anniversary with an inspiring exhibition at the Hippodrome from 10 Nov 2023 - 11 Feb 2024.

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ON DISPLAY: FREEFALL DANCE COMPANY’S 21ST ANNIVERSARY EXHIBITION

Get to know the dancers, learn about the company’s history and discover how Freefall represents BRB’s values through photos, film and testimony by visiting the free exhibition.

The collection is available to view in the gallery corridors off the Front Circle and Middle Circle foyers (levels 2 and 3) during matinee and evening performances.

From vibrant festivals in the streets and squares of Birmingham to cast photoshoots across the city, see what we’ve been up to...

Taking the principal cast of Disney’s The Lion King to the Library of Birmingham to enjoy roar-some views of the city

hippodrome headlines

Out & About

Kick-starting B-SIDE Hip-Hop Festival with All Styles and Queer-Side Waacking competitions outside the Hippodrome

Exploring Birmingham’s canals with the cast of Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby

Bringing Birmingham Weekender to a close with Weekender Carnival, a colourful extravaganza presented by ACE Dance and Music 7

beyond the stage

Life of Pi

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is currently on its first UK tour following a spectacular run on Broadway and a phenominal West End run where it was seen by over a quarter of a million people. From world-class puppetry to themes of endurance and hope, the acclaimed production is a journey of a lifetime.

Award-winning actor and playwright, Lolita Chakrabarti adapted the novel for the stage.

We spoke with Lolita about her journey of bringing Yann Martel’s story to life and how she feels about the production coming to her home city of Birmingham.

How did you become involved with Life of Pi? I read the book when it first came out and I just loved it. I then saw the film in 2012 with my kids who were young at the time so that was magical. When the option came to adapt it for the stage, I just said yes please! I didn’t know how I would do it, but because I’m an actor by trade I operate on feeling. There are some amazing stories that come up and with this one I felt like I knew what I needed to do.

How did you approach adapting the novel for the stage?

I started to just break down the novel and then put it back together again as a play. I got a highlighter pen of all the bits that I thought were particularly interesting and then I cut and pasted different bits under headlines of ‘God’, ‘Family’, ‘Shipwrecked’, ‘Lost’, ‘Zoo’ and ‘Survival’. Amongst that I had to work out what are the beats that would tell that story of Pi and when things get terrible, what do you do, how do you survive?

At what point did you realise you wanted to use puppets in the production?

I think it was a very early idea because you have to have animals on stage and how are you going to present them?

We joked about an actor in a onesie occasionally! I imagined the characters of the animals, but I didn’t imagine the puppets, that was Finn Caldwell and Nick Barnes alongside Max Webster, our Director. Yann Martel was insistent that the animals were dangerous and that was a really good bar, because it’s

very tempting to go ‘let’s stroke the zebra’, but actually zebras can be pretty viscous, so it’s that danger, the personality of the animal, along with puppetry itself that really makes them live.

Did you ever imagine the production would be such a global phenomenon when it first opened in Sheffield?

I never imagined this, no. We played three weeks in Sheffield and then we stood down for the pandemic. The pandemic really changed the collective response to the play because we’d all been through this thing where we had struggled, we’d been shipwrecked and most of us had survived, and it had been a genuinely frightening thing.

So that relationship to the vulnerability [of life], became very real and so it became a different thing. In its basic form the play is about survival, being challenged and what do you use when you need to overcome a difficult situation. It’s a very universal piece, beautiful to watch and it doesn’t pull any punches.

beyond the stage

FROM PAGE TO STAGE

How does it feel for Life of Pi to be performed in your home city of Birmingham?

I have so many memories of Birmingham, I love it. I haven’t lived there for a really long time, but it still feels like home. Birmingham has changed so much but the people and the feel of it’s so welcoming. I couldn’t be more thrilled that my play is going there and hope that I get the opportunity to catch it whilst in Birmingham.

What feeling do you think audiences will have at the end of the show?

I hope they’ve enjoyed it and it’s effortless. I hope people really travel with us and that they feel when they’ve come out like they’ve had a meal of a play.

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beyond the stage

BRINGING THE ANIMALS TO LIFE

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Finn Caldwell is the Puppetry and Movement Director for Life of Pi and alongside Nick Barnes, designed the puppets for the production. The seven actors who play the Tiger made history in 2022 when they won the Olivier award for Best Supporting Actor,

a landmark moment in puppetry. We spoke with Finn to learn how the iconic puppets were brought to life.

like it can move fast enough to kill somebody and be frightening was the real challenge. We needed to make the audience believe, that Pi is under threat, and had to make a life size Tiger puppet that can flash its teeth, swing its paws and really feel like it’s a danger to the character on stage.

What does the process of creating the puppets look like?

We frame the production with Pi remembering the story from his bed in hospital having survived the incident.

I imagined him sort of picturing himself at sea with all the flotsam and jetsam of the wrecked ship around him and conjuring these animals in his mind, built out of bits of driftwood and rope.

Making a naturalistic tiger that looks

How do you work with the puppeteers to ensure their movements embody the animal they are playing?

When we first start training [the cast], there’s two major tasks. One is to find out how the puppet works and learn how to move the puppet like the animal. The other one is a big study of how animals move and behave. We look at a lot of mannerisms and rhythmic movement of animals, [for example]

beyond the stage

how they might attack something, how they might defend or how they eat.

We look at the moves we’ve got and understand the psychology behind those, so that when we’re teaching Tiger moves to our puppeteers, they not only understand how to do it, but also why the Tiger is behaving in a certain way.

What might you say is the toughest thing for puppeteers when performing?

I think it’s really just the overall act of being together in that puppet. You have to be really tuned into each other and know not just what you’re doing, but what everyone else is doing around you so that you can anticipate and be with them in everything that they do.

The reaction to the puppets has been incredible, did you expect this when the show first opened in Sheffield?

What is it about them that you think has resonated so widely with audiences?

It’s really exciting to make a show that's this popular, you never really know that they’re going to sort of explode like this. I think the first preview we did in Sheffield, we had a standing ovation and it’s never really stopped, which is amazing.

People respond to puppetry so closely because it’s very visual. Having the story held in the physical and the visual, as well as the text is really exciting. We’ve all played with toys as

children and our commitment to those toys and the worlds that we create is so huge. It chimes into that part of an adult’s brain, we sort of go, ‘look we’re playing with something on stage, will you agree to believe that this is real with us?’. Audience feel like they have helped create this creature, that they have taken part in willing it into life; they become emotionally connected to the puppets and hopefully that’s why they enjoy the show so much.

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ROBYN GRANT

From the Edinburgh Fringe to the main stage

in conversation with

Fresh from sell-out runs across the UK, Unfortunate: The Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch is returning to Birmingham with a brand-new production, which puts the legendary character centre stage in a tell-all tale of sorcery and scandal.

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Bear Grylls Photocall 2019

Unfortunate Cast 2022

“If you love The Little Mermaid, you will love this story, but equally it’s great for people who haven't seen the film and want to just come for a party. It feels like a cabaret, a comedy show, a drag musical and a Disney parody, so it’ll be familiar, and really fun.”

“We pastiche original songs like Kiss the Girl and Under the Sea and flip them on their heads, so you’ll recognise the songs, but they will have different meanings, alongside a new soundtrack, which feels a little bit pop, a little bit drag, a little bit Heart Radio from the 80s, meets grand scale musical theatre.”

Robyn shares her journey with Unfortunate, from initial conception to main stage production…

Early Days: Creatives Coming Together “Myself and two of the original cast members, Allie Dart and Jamie Mawson met at drama school. We trained at East 15 Acting School together and then started working as a company. For years we toured the UK with lots of different small-scale comedy musicals - this is where we met our lovely producer, Laura Elmes, and I met my cowriter, Daniel Foxx. We then had this idea of Unfortunate, put out a call-out to find a composer, and met Tim Gilvin and that's how the show started!”

Creating Unfortunate: Telling Ursula’s Story “I love Disney villains as a whole but there’s something special about Ursula - she was inspired by a drag queen, has three scenes and one song and somehow manages to steal the whole movie.

“Poor Unfortunate Souls is one of the most amazing Disney songs, and so much of Ursula’s identity is caught up in this gravelly alto voice and that naughty trumpet and baseline you associate her with.

We wanted to take all of that and expand it, and it was a real joy.

“Ursula also had all of this dialogue [in the movie] that had never been explored; we started looking into it and realised her story lends itself to a lot of themes we wanted to explore such as the

Robyn as Ursula 2019

Shawna Hamic

LGBTQ community, the plus size community and how they are represented in children’s stories. Lending the stage and a main character role to a plus size queer villainous woman and a non-traditional Disney princess is really exciting.”

Edinburgh Fringe Festival: Five Actors, Two Chests and Whale Bones “Unfortunate started as a small-scale production that we took to Edinburgh Fringe back in 2019. It was very handmade - we were in a lecture theatre with a stage that was about two metres deep; the fish were made from old sponges and we had a couple of treasure chests, some whale bones, and five actors to tell this story. We sold out, which was amazing, and from there we were lucky enough to be approached by Chris Sudworth [Creative Director at Birmingham Hippodrome]. The rest is history!”

The Patrick Studio: Brummie Audiences and Extreme Method Acting

in conversation with

As Director Robyn Grant reflects on her journey with Unfortunate, she shares what audiences can expect from the critically acclaimed hit parody musical. She says: “Unfortunate looks at Disney tropes in the 90s specifically the musicals we all grew up with as millennials - and picks them apart to see what messages they left.

“We performed at the Patrick Studio in 2019 and had an absolute blast. We love Birmingham audiences - I think we’re connected with the humour and the fun and that’s what we’re here for. We also went to The Bear Grylls Adventure and got to swim with fish - it felt like I was extreme method acting; it was amazing. I love how extra the Hippodrome is, it feels very aligned with us.”

To the Main Stage: Birmingham and Beyond “After redeveloping the show in London, taking it back to the Fringe and going on a small UK tour, we grew the show into a main stage production.

“I think people who came to our show at the Patrick Studio are in for a real treat, because the new production still has the essence of what the show was - it’s still the same messaging about loving yourself, body positivity and celebrating the queer community - it’s just much bigger. There’s more music, new jokes and a lot of new story. The set is huge. We’re flying. We’re throwing everything at the audience - there’s glitter, there’s bubbles, there’s water, there’s balloons, you name it! The puppets are huge and the costumes are massive. We’re basically trying to put on a Disney parade level production four years after we had cardboard cutouts.

It’s a massive growth and it could be completely mad, but I think it’s going to be a lot of fun.

“We’ve also doubled the cast with some exciting names you might recognise. I played Ursula in the original production but now I’ve stepped back to take on more with my writer and director hat. We’ve found our perfect Ursula in Shawna Hamic, who will be flying over from New York for the show. You might recognise Shawna from Orange Is the New Black, but she’s also had a wonderful career in musical theatre. She played Madame Thénardier in the recent US tour of Les Misérables and was in Sting’s musical, The Last Ship on Broadway - she’s a proper Broadway diva! She’s full of sass, power, and has the pipes to match. She just gets the spirit of Ursula and I’m so excited that she’s agreed to come on this crazy journey with us - you’re in for such a treat!

“We always have high hopes for the audience in Birmingham and they’ve never let us down so far. We know that we’re going to expect an enthusiastic, fun crowd who feel on board with the messages of the show and want to enjoy themselves and get stuck in - we love that. What we all need right now is to come together to celebrate our differences, celebrate being unique and what matters, which is community, love, warmth, joy, silliness, friendship and laughter. I think that's what we bring in abundance, and I can’t wait to sit in that enormous room full of Brummies and just enjoy our silly magical show on such a ginormous scale. It’s going to be a real celebration of the human spirit.”

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PANTO SPEC We asked Samantha Womack, playing Mrs Blunderbore in Jack and the Beanstalk, about the BIG showtune numbers, musicals and artists that have shaped her life.

MY LIFtuEnes

life in the theatre

in Show

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a h t n a m Sa Womack

g in always puts a sprin The showtune that my step is… ory Gym - West Side St The Dance at the …

I fell in love with is The first showtune lahoma Dream Ballet - Ok e!) ten to it all the tim lis to (My Nan used rm is… ould love to perfo The showtune I w Way - NINE In a Very Unusual oves ow all the dance m The showtune I kn to is… ug - Sweet Charity The Rich Man’s Fr es that always surpris The musical I love people is… it as school, but I loved Hello Dolly (It’s old a child) reminds me of my The musical that childhood is…

My Fair Lady ps is… gives me goosebum The musical that im) he nd

by Stephen So NINE (or anything ile on my always puts a sm The musical that face is…

West Side Story l the ember learning al The musicals I rem words to are… know Barnum (I used to Sweet Charity and e out) those shows insid artist is…

My go to karaoke Kate Bush love to duet with…

The artist I would Joan Armatrading dance is… ays gets me up to The artist that alw The Prodigy Fleetwood Mac or

ify Listen to our Spot playlist to enjoy her top tunes…

Five things I have learnt…

Birmingham born and raised Alexanda O’Reilly is taking on the title role in this year’s gigantic pantomime adventure. We sat down with him to talk about five things he has learnt over the years that have helped shape his career.

An opportunity that shaped my career I was first introduced to musical theatre by my drama teacher Amy Radcliffe, at my secondary school. I remember her saying: “If I can get you out of a school lesson once a week, will you learn a dance solo and perform it in the school show?”. I said: “If it’s Science lessons, of course!”.

I learnt the Billy Elliot solo and found a new love of my life, dance!

From the show, a staff member from DanceXchange (now FABRIC), who are based at Birmingham Hippodrome asked me to audition for them. I got in and from there, I was introduced to some top contemporary choreographers including Sir Mathew Bourne and teachers from Birmingham Royal Ballet. That is where everything started.

To ease nerves, I picture the show as a train: you just have to hop on at a different destination when you’re on for your cover.

If you get yourself from A to B and add some pizzazz, everything will be grand.

Meanwhile, the rest of the company are excited for you and will catch you if you’re on the wrong mark.

life in the theatre

CIAL....

The people who make me feel more supported During show runs, your dresser is your lifeline. They dress you and help you prepare for the show. They lead your backstage choreography and make you feel good for what you're about to do on stage. They are your friend, counsellor, and an all-round good person.

An outlook that inspires me Just have the best time doing what you’re doing. I’m a firm believer in living in the moment. Enjoy what you’re doing and embrace the world exactly how you want to be embraced.

The advice from family that encourages me Some wise words from my dad: • Remember you are you, and you know what you have inside • Don’t worry about others • Just go for it! Everything will and has been alright Something that helped the way I work The first time you ever go on as a cover or swing and step in at a moment’s notice when a cast member is unable to perform is scary. Questions such as “do I know it?” or “what was the important note in the cover run that I forgot to do?” loom around you.

a d n a Alex eilly O’R

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My Journey Into...

Ben has been working as the Festivals Producer at Birmingham Hippodrome since 2021. His work includes producing artistic content and programming the Hippodrome’s festivals including Lunar New Year, B-SIDE Hip-Hop Festival and Birmingham Weekender. From organising an event for the Royal Family to producing huge annual festivals in the city centre, Ben shares all about his career in events and festivals...

When I was 10, I set up an after-school disco in the basement at my parents’ house with disco lights, a smoke machine and a graffiti wall (we used chalk instead of spray paint). I also DJ’d the party; I wasn’t very good at DJing but I loved seeing everyone having a good time.

Eventually I got better at DJing and hosted several events in the Midlands. I moved to London and for nearly 10 years I continued putting on events across the city. The events were by no means as complex as the festivals work at the Hippodrome, but it was definitely the inspiration to making events my career.

What might surprise people about working in events and festivals?

The amount of planning it takes to put on a safe and enjoyable event. So much work goes on behind the scenes; people from artistic and production teams and contractors, freelancers and volunteers all have a part to play, which takes up a huge amount of planning time.

What’s the toughest thing about your role as a festival producer?

life in the theatre

Ultimately, events are about people and sometimes life has other plans. Artists might be unwell on the day, or a flight can be cancelled; this can have a knock-on effect to the event schedule, which can make it tough to keep everything running smoothly. Even with good planning you still may have to be reactive and think on your feet.

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How do you approach the planning for Hippodrome festivals?

There isn’t a one size fits all when it comes to planning a festival. We approach Lunar New Year, B-SIDE and Birmingham Weekender all very differently as the partners, artists and audience vary massively. It’s also about personal interactions - you’ll meet artists who will be part of the programme, get to know them, understand how they want to present their work and have exciting creative and collaborative conversations.

Each event is unique - you have a set timeline to work to, but apart from that you almost always start fresh, it’s a process.

I try to look at our festivals from an audience perspective - how will they feel, what will they see, what’s the vibe, and use that to programme and schedule things that will create those goosebumps moments while reaching as many people as possible.

What’s the best thing about your job?

What traits do you think have helped you in your career?

When you see people smiling, laughing and having fun at a festival, that’s when you think: “this is why we do it.”

At the heart of all events are people, so being sociable, friendly and outgoing definitely helps. When speaking to artists, I always take time to learn about their craft and work out the best way to present that.

You’ve also got to be flexible. A lot of the people we’re working with are also doing lots of other projects, so it’s important to be able to move things around when needed.

Is there anything you wish you had known before starting to work on events and festivals?

I know it sounds corny, but the best thing about festivals really is the people. I love being around people, meeting people from all walks of life and creating events that people can have a good time at.

What advice would you give to someone looking to work in this sector?

Push yourself outside of your comfort zone and get involved. There are so many areas to get involved in with festivals whether it’s artistic, production or planning, and there are so many different types of events that you can choose around the things you’re interested in. There’s a great volunteering programme with the Hippodrome, which covers lots of different work too.

I wish I had known that you don’t always get it right. Sometimes events don’t go the way you planned - this could be because of external factors like the weather or train strikes, or a programme choice isn’t as well attended as you’d hoped. When this happens, you should remember that you can always learn something from all events, especially the ones that don’t go to plan.

Tell us the proudest moment from your career?

I’ve had a few during my 20-year career, but one that sticks out is when I organised a private dining experience for a senior member of the Royal Family. I transformed a working office in East London into a restaurant and kitchen and brought in an emerging experimental chef from the local community to create a bespoke dinner menu with cocktails for a small group of people.

How do you balance work with your home life?

I am very fortunate to have a brilliant family who support me - my wife has worked as a producer so knows the ups and downs of event planning and delivery.

I have an 8-year-old and a newborn, so I make sure that at weekends we spend quality time together (that is if I am not working on an event!).

m ha ng i m Bir

23 20 st u ug rA de n e ek We

B-Side Hip-Hop Festival June 2023

What inspired you to work in events and festivals?

G I T T E N S

y M In ssing e r D m o o R Hi Céline! Can you tell us a bit more about your role with Birmingham Royal Ballet?

I joined the company in 2006 and was promoted to Principal dancer by our previous director, Sir David Bintley in 2016.

I am performing the role of Princess Aurora in Sir Peter Wright’s production of The Sleeping Beauty.

How often do you use your dressing rooms?

I have two dressing rooms: my main dressing room for everyday rehearsals and my second dressing room at the Hippodrome during performances.

I use my main dressing room to prepare for ballet class every week and my theatre dressing room to apply makeup and do my hair for rehearsals and performances. This is also where all my costumes can be found.

Talk us through some of your essential items…

In my main dressing room, there’s leotards, tights, ballet skirts, warmup clothes, pointe shoes, a yoga mat, a foot roller, showers, an ice bath and practice tutus for rehearsals.

Essentials in my theatre dressing room are my hair and makeup products, my costumes and headdresses for my performance, pointe shoe shellac, a TV to relay the performance and a comfortable couch!

Have any of your dressing room essentials changed over the years?

Over the years I’ve realised that it helps my dancing partner if I wear a practice tutu that is similar to what my performance costume will be like. It helps solidify partnering technique when we are rehearsing, creating a seamless transition from studio to stage.

I have a pink tutu for rehearsing The Sugarplum Fairy (The Nutcracker), Odile (Swan Lake) and Act 2 and 3 of Princess Aurora (The Sleeping Beauty). It has many layers of sturdy net which makes it a very flat tutu.

My white tutu has softer layers of net and is ideal for rehearsing Odette (Swan Lake), Swanhilda act three pas de deux (Coppélia)

allet yal B o R m ingha Gittens, ing m r i ep ne th B et wi ncer, Céli in The Sle m e W a g ut rmin ipal d t abo Princ ll be perfo to find ou and ls r, wi t yea essentia who x e n ty m Beau ssing roo e . r her d ow rituals h pre-s

life in the theatre

C É L I N E

and Princess Aurora act three pas de deux (The Sleeping Beauty).

I also have a blue tutu and a black tutu that I have used for rehearsing various classical roles and for ballet photoshoots.

How do you start your day to get ready for a show?

I usually start my day with a breakfast of multigrain toast, smashed avocado and cheese, alongside some fruit. I also add boiled or scrambled eggs depending on the intensity of my performance. I then take part in our morning ballet class at 11.00am - 12.15pm. Before class starts, I will stretch, tape my toes and choose my pointe shoes for the upcoming performance. I’ll then go to my theatre dressing room and get ready for the show.

If there is a matinée performance, there will be a ballet class in the afternoon.

What’s the one thing you wish you could have with you in your dressing room that you don’t have?

I was a guest performer with the Australian Ballet in Sir Peter Wright’s The Nutcracker.

The company’s performances were held at the Sydney Opera House and the view of the harbour was so calming. I would love to have a beautiful ocean view for both of my dressing rooms.

What do you listen to or watch in between shows?

I don’t listen to or watch anything in between shows. The change over from matinée to evening performance is usually two hours, so I tend to eat dinner and have a nap to reenergise for the evening show.

Do you have any pre-show rituals?

I like to do a short ballet class onstage in my costume as the material of the costume gets more supple as I warm up. This is

helpful as costumes can sometimes be restrictive.

How do you unwind after a show once you’ve left the theatre?

I have so much adrenaline at the end of a performance that it takes a while to unwind.

Having a nourishing meal and a favourite television series helps me to kick back and relax.

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IT’S NOT GOODBYE, IT’S SEE YOU LATER...

“The Young Advocates ing programme is an amaz tives. experience for young crea ly, love It’s inclusive and led by open people.” Vita

season highlights

As this year’s Young Advocates programme comes to an end, it’s time to look back on everything our brilliant 2023 cohort achieved...

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rning “After months of fun, lea as e it w and friendship I can se Alex exactly what I needed!”

d en such an amazing an “The programme has be part of a wonderful team Being insightful opportunity. y ideas and taught me m d ar rw fo t pu to e m has allowed especially rewarding to en be ’s It r. he rt fu p lo ve skills to de g Community Drop-In un Yo e th at e lif to e m co or see these Weekender festival!” No am gh in irm B e th d an s session

Aged 14-23, the 22 individuals worked with us to curate the Young Community X B-SIDE Takeover Event at BSIDE Hip-Hop Festival in June. Programmed with young people in mind, the event included workshops led by local artists which explored all elements of hip-hop and ended with an informal jam session.

The cohort co-curated the Rotunda Stage programme at Birmingham Weekender in August. Hosted by Rakeem Omar, presenter at BBC Radio WM and BBC Radio 1Xtra, and Kaylee Golding, presenter at BBC Radio 1Xtra, the programme featured music from Girl Grind UK, Sisters in Dub, dance from Eloquent Dance Company and Marshon Dance, theatre performances from British Youth Music Theatre and more.

We’d like to thank all the participants for a year full of new ideas and hard work. We can’t wait to see what the future has in store for you all!

In September we said farewell to Disney’s The Lion King following a spectacular 10-week run. Some highlights from the season include:

Inviting Jacob Davies from Birmingham Live to be transformed into Scar, whilst chatting with actor Brian Gilligan (who took over the role of the iconic villain in September).

Three Reasons to See…

The Drifters Girl

Nominated for Best New Musical at the 2022 Olivier Awards, The Drifters Girl, tells the remarkable story of one of the world’s greatest vocal groups and the woman who made them.

From the highs of hit records to the lows of legal battles, the musical charts the trailblazing efforts of the world’s first African American female music manager, Faye Treadwell and how she fought to turn Atlantic Records’ hottest vocal group into a global phenomenon.

Check out our top three reasons to see this acclaimed musical on our stage next April…

Hosting our Relaxed Performance with volunteers from our Patrons programme and supporters from our corporate partners Gowling WLG, Howells, HSBC and LDC.

season highlights

Disney’s The Lion King takes its final bow

Welcoming media guests to the savannah for our press night and receiving roaring reviews from guests who called the show “a piece of theatrical magic” (Black Country Radio) and “a king among musicals” (What’s On Live).

It’s straight from the West End Following a premiere at The Garrick Theatre in 2021, the new musical extended its run due to popular demand.

The smash-hit show is now heading on its first ever UK and Ireland tour to retell its incredibly moving story.

It’s packed full of iconic hits Boasting an incredible soundtrack of some of the most famous songs in history, the jukebox musical features classic Drifters hits including Saturday Night At The Movies, Save The Last Dance For Me, Stand By Me and more.

The incredible new cast Former star of Six the Musical, Carly Mercedes Dyer is taking on the iconic role of music industry change-maker, Faye Treadwell. Carly will be joined by Ashford Campbell, who is returning to The Drifters Girl having performed as part of the West End Company.

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