Black History Month 2026 - Honouring Our Communities
In honour of Black History Month and this year’s theme of ‘Honouring Our Communities’, we are thrilled to share the brilliant Black-led programming that will gracing our stages over the month. From profound in conversation events as part of the Birmingham Literature Festival to hilarious comedy nights and more – this month we ask you all to join us in celebrating the passion, creativity, and brilliance of the playwrights, performers, creative and Team Rep members behind the scenes who allow us to bring stories that resonate, challenge, and showcase Black heritage.
Margaret Busby: Part of the Story
Thu 8 Oct, 8.30pm
Opening the celebration as part of the Birmingham Literature Festival, Margaret Busby, Britian’s first Black female publisher will be in conversation with Birmingham Literature Festival Director, Shantel Edwards, about her over half a centuries career transforming publishing into a platform championing diverse voices for justice and creativity.
From founding Allison & Busby in the 1960’s to editing Daughters of Africa, writer, editor and publisher Margaret Busby’s lifework is collected together to tell Part of the Story.
Zakia Sewell: Finding Albion
Sat 10 Oct, 2.30pm
Writer, broadcaster and DJ Zakia Sewell will be in conversation with historian and Professor of Colonialism and Heritage at the University of Leicester, Corinne Fowler as she journeys across our mystical map, following the hidden songlines of Britain’s deep past.
In Finding Albion, join Zakia Sewell on an odyssey to sites of spiritual significance, carnivals of communion and along long forgotten trade routes in search of a national identity beyond the divisive stories we often share about ourselves.
Stand Up with the Real McCoy - The Black History Month Special
Sat 17 Oct, 5pm
Celebrate Black History Month with an evening of live stand-up comedy with stars from the ground-breaking BBC comedy series The Real McCoy, the iconic show that changed the face of British comedy.
Join the host and original McCoy member Judith Jacobs, as she brings the charisma and quick fire humour as she introduces a line-up featuring Curtis Walker, a true McCoy favourite known for his feel-good humour; Richard Blackwood, who made his comedy debut on the show, and bringing a fresh and fearless energy to this legendary line-up, Toju.
*Please note, line-up is confirmed at time of booking but may be subject to change
Made You Look
Wed 21 – Thu 22 Oct
Closing out the month’s celebrations will be a visceral and explosive one-man poetry show, Made You Look, from Jamaican-born writer and performer Ty’rone Haughton.
This fiercely honest and lyrically rich piece dives deep into masculinity and what it means to be an immigrant in a Britain growing increasingly hostile towards minorities and women.
Fusing poetry, physical theatre, visual art, and sound to create a deeply emotional, at times unbearable, but profoundly necessary experience.
Made You Look - Workshop
Wed 21 Oct, 2pm – The Door
Thu 29 Oct, 7pm – Creative Learning Hub
Inspired by the making of Made You Look, Ty’rone will lead a ‘Personal is Universal’ workshop on Wed 21 Oct and Thu 29 Oct. This workshop will focus on creating personal and cathartic work while allowing audiences to feel involved and included in the wider narrative. Participants will take away both writing and performance techniques, as well as individual workshopping and mentoring from Ty’rone.
The Personal Is Universal workshop is designed to support poets and theatre makers in understanding their individual voice and rhythms and how those elements can translate onto stage and into something theatrical.
And Into The New Year?
But here at The Rep, celebrating the Black voices of Birmingham and beyond doesn’t stop after October is over! Our upcoming Spring 2027 Season will see the directorial return of our very own Deputy Artistic Director, Madeleine Kludje (A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Rep; Woman.Life.Song, Royal Philharmonic Society; and Swim, Aunty, Swim!, Belgrade Theatre) with the world premiere of Chains written by Rem Conway and the return of Grimeboy – written by former Birmingham Poet Laureate, Casey Bailey.
Chains
Thu 4 – Sat 20 Feb 2027
Co-produced with the Birmingham Legacy Centre of Excellence, Chains follows Junior – a young man on the brink of fatherhood – who wakes up in a vast, empty void, his body bound by rusty, corroded chains. Determined to break free, he soon realises he’s not alone. At the other end of the chain sits his estranged father, Norman – a man who knows this place all too well.
As father and son confront the choices that shackled them, the chain between them takes on new meaning – no longer just metal and rust, but the echo of an umbilical cord that once gave life and now denies freedom. To break it is to face the inevitable truth of growing up: that every son must, in time, cut the cord, and in doing so, learn how to stand as his own man.
Chains will have its World Premiere at The Rep before embarking a community tour, and a run at the Legacy Centre of Excellence.
Grimeboy
Sat 8 to Sat 22 May 2027
And in May, will be the much-anticipated return of Rep favourite, Grimeboy, from the award-winning team of writer Casey Bailey and director Madeleine Kludje .
This unmissable hit play promises an unforgettable night out that asks audiences to listen beyond the beats and bravado to heat the emotions, pressures and dreams that lie behind the music as they prepare for a battle that doesn’t involve the mic and the decks.