Mission And Artistic Policy

Our Mission

It is the purpose and continuing ambition of the Birmingham Repertory Theatre to develop, produce and present a range of theatrical experience of international quality that reflects the diversity of Birmingham and the surrounding region and will entertain, enlighten and engage with the maximum number of its people.

Our Policy

Over the last five years we have successfully introduced to The REP a policy of largely contemporary work in our Main House, complemented by a programme of new writing in our studio theatre, The Door. Both of these have been delivered through a wide-ranging combination of REP-produced, co-produced and visiting work. Within the eclectic programme resulting from this policy, we have aimed to specialise in three particular areas – Cultural Diversity, New Writing and Work for Young People. This artistic policy will continue to form the cornerstone of our journey over the next three years, as we aim to build upon the very real achievements in our three “specialist” areas, to find ways of integrating them better and to thus find a deeper cohesion within the inclusive nature of our programming

We aim, wherever possible, to secure a life beyond Birmingham for as many of our productions as possible, thus enriching our own programme, raising The REP’s profile and reputation, and supporting the city’s aim to promote Birmingham as a world-class cultural centre. Thus, co-productions and touring will continue to be of great importance to the theatre, and our work beyond Birmingham will be delivered on many different fronts:

  • Regionally through an annual community tour of relevant commissioned work aimed primarily at young people (Door on Tour)
  • Regionally and nationally through small-to-middle scale co-productions of the new writing we produce
  • Regionally and nationally through co-productions and tours of work developed through the Culturally Diverse Theatre Initiative
  • Nationally through annual large-scale tours of classics and contemporary classics with a curriculum emphasis, funded by our Arts Council Touring Contract
  • Nationally through large-scale tours of new writing and revivals with commercial co-producers
  • Nationally through tours of new work for children and families
  • Internationally through our relationships with appropriate partners

Cultural Diversity

The writers and artists from BME communities with whom we have been working in recent years, particularly through our Arts Council funded Culturally Diverse Theatre Initiative, will form an increasingly significant part of our programming in both spaces. New areas of work such as Spoken Word and Performance Poetry will broaden the programme in The Door, complementing our culturally diverse work in the Main House. This will continue to be delivered through a mixture of our own commissions and productions, our partnerships with leading Black and Asian touring companies and our membership of the Eclipse Theatre Project. The REP is also committed to a fully integrated casting policy in both spaces.

New Writing

New Writing is placed firmly at the heart of the whole of The REP’s programme, not just in The Door. The number of development opportunities and commissions offered both to established writers and to their newer counterparts will be gradually increased. We also aim to increase the number of productions of new work that we are able to programme in the Main House, both through our own productions and through visiting work.

Young People

Provision of work for children and young people will continue to be a high priority in both spaces. The work begun through our REP’s Children project in creating theatre for the very young will be consolidated over the next three years and we aim to establish the theatre as a centre of excellence for Early Years theatre provision. A regular programme of work by visiting companies, enhanced by our own commissions, will be offered to children and families in The Door, and we aim to produce at least one large-scale family-friendly work, either in the Main House or as a site-specific project, outside of the Christmas period. We will continue to programme at least one play per year in the Main House that is of particular interest to secondary school students.