"I feel passionately about the power of shared stories and experiences" - We catch up with Furnace Artist Rachael Mainwaring
Community is at the heart of what we do and we are especially proud of our Furnace community engagement programme, that sees theatre makers from The REP working in five different Furnace Hubs around Birmingham to engage and create theatre together.
In a series of blogs, we will be following the journey of our Furnace Artists as they work within the local community, starting with Rachel Mainwaring's work in Ward End and Perry Barr…
Hello! My name is Rachael Mainwaring and I am delighted to be part of The REP's Furnace programme to present Our Feast. I am working in North Birmingham alongside two women's community groups; The Dolphin Centre in Ward End and The Birchfield Big Local in Perry Barr.
I love working with women and I feel passionately about the power of shared stories and experiences, especially from people whose voices have perhaps been previously unheard. I am working with an incredibly diverse mix of women, with different backgrounds and interests and I'm excited to see how this will influence our final piece.
I have been visiting these groups since January, meeting and connecting with women in Ward End, Alum Rock and Perry Barr and I continue to be blown away by the amazing way in which these groups work tirelessly to support local women. Our initial group sessions were spent exchanging stories and discussing issues that these women felt passionately about and we discovered that even within such a diverse group of women, we had a lot more in common than we initially thought…
The title of the project is Our Feast - I want it to be a celebration. A feast of stories, a feast of experiences and importantly a feast in the literal sense - yummy food! As a group, we have discussed the theme of food and the way in which cooking for others is often an act of friendship and love used to welcome, socialise and connect with each other. We discussed our favourite meals and used improvisation to create a 'feast'. The women were amazing, using their fantastic imaginations to bring our feast to life by describing what we might eat, drink and even the music we could dance to!
At The Dolphin Centre, we were joined by Sahra who I had seen perform at a community event for International Women's Day where she had shared a beautiful story about her childhood in Jordan. I invited her to join us and retell the story for our group as well as discuss her experience of performing within the local community. The group were very moved by her story and admired her bravery. Meeting Sahra undeniably inspired many of the women within the group and I'm looking forward to hearing more of these amazing stories throughout this project.
Keep an eye out on our blog for regular updates from our Furnace artists, and find out more about all the Furnace projects here.
More In Blog
"It's Not Just A Theatre Company - It's A Movement" - Lightpost Appoints New Artistic Leaders
Mathias Andre and CJ Webley, two previous members of Lightpost Theatre Company, have now successfully been employed in leadership roles. In 2015, Birmingham Repertory Theatre took part in an...
The REP Launches REP RELOADED To Provide Pioneering Digital Engagement For Young People Across The West Midlands
Birmingham Repertory Theatre has built a trailblazing national reputation for its innovative engagement projects, including city-wide Youth Theatre groups and creative learning in schools across...
"Shakespeare Has A Unique Way Of Connecting The Universal To The Individual" - Romeo & Juliet Rehearsal Blog
In fair Verona Birmingham, we continue to rehearse many scenes... Since joining us as part of Adult Drama Company and featuring in Scenes From A Brummie Iliad, Corinna Haycox talks to...
#YourLifeMatters – Theatre Helps Young People Explore Harsh Realities of Youth Violence
Over the summer The REP and our Lightpost Theatre group have been working with First Class Legacy to deliver a summer programme for young people. The programme culminates next week with a performance...
"Creating an emotional reaction in an audience, through your work, is fairly addictive" - In Conversation with Rachael Mainwaring
In advance of our REP Foundry Night on 14 June, we caught up with our brilliant 2019 Foundry Artists. Next up is Rachael Mainwaring... What made you first want to create...
"Being able to perform a piece of original work at a place that means a lot to me is something very special" - In Conversation with Sam Cole
In advance of REP Foundry Nights on 7 & 14 June, we caught up with our brilliant 2019 Foundry Artists. Next up is Sam Cole... What made you first want to create theatre? I have always...
"The most exciting thing about REP Foundry is that anything is possible" - In Conversation with Ashlee Elizabeth Lolo
In advance of REP Foundry Nights on 7 & 14 June, we caught up with our brilliant 2019 Foundry Artists. First up is Ashlee Elizabeth Lolo... What made you first want to create theatre?...
“It’s a love letter to theatre” - Designer Robert Innes Hopkins Chats About The Set Of Edmond de Bergerac
Edmond de Bergerac is the triumphant hit comedy that has taken France by storm, and now as the play gets its first outing in the UK, we had a chat to Designer Robert Innes Hopkins about the show...
Artistic Director, Roxana Silbert, Announces Birmingham Repertory Theatre's Exciting 2019 Spring and Summer Season
Roxana Silbert has today announced plans for the theatre's Spring and Summer 2019 season. Speaking of the forthcoming programme, Roxana said: “Revolution is something Birmingham was...
Lottery Boost Set To Strengthen The Mental Health, Wellbeing and Skills of Birmingham's Young African Caribbean Men
Young African Caribbean men across Birmingham will benefit from National Lottery funding totalling almost £750,000, thanks to a life-changing scheme initiated by Birmingham Repertory Theatre...
"I have always been making theatre in some form or another": Meet REP Foundry Artist, Bethany Kapila
Meet our final REP Foundry artist, Bethany Kapila as she considers who inspires her and what drove her to want to create theatre. What made you first want to create theatre? I have always...
"The stage is set, the performers are ready; the only thing needed is an audience" - The Making of Woyzeck
As the opening night of The REP's production of Woyzeck draws closer, the atmosphere backstage has become an electric combination of nervous anticipation and excitement. For one final time, before...
"We've drunk lots of tea, eaten lots of samosas and shared lots of stories" - Furnace Artist Manjeet updates us on how her project is taking shape
In the latest in our series of blogs, we catch up with Manjeet Mann about her project with Ashiana Community Project, Run The World, and how the performance is taking shape. Today marked the end...
"Expect a completely unique experience!" - Introducing our next Furnace Artist, Sarah Hamilton Baker
We'd like to introduce our next Furnace artist, Sarah Hamilton Baker, who is working with the community at Focus, a visual impairment charity in Birmingham. I first started working with The...
"I’m hoping Run The World will chart empowerment, strength and solidarity" Furnace Artist Manjeet Mann tells us more about her project
We're continuing our series of blogs highlighting the work of our Furnace Artists, who are working in communities around Birmingham to create theatre with, for and about that community. Next...
"I love the power that theatre has to tell stories" - The latest from Furnace Artist Jay Crutchley
Community is at the heart of what we do and we are especially proud of our Furnace community engagement programme, that sees theatre makers from The REP working in five different Furnace...
"Fantastic. Caring. Enthusiastic." In Conversation With Defending MonologueSlam Champion, Ruby Richards
MonologueSlam, the industry showcase for actors, returns to The REP Friday 18 May for an action-packed evening of live entertainment. We caught up with returning and defending champion, Ruby...
"It talks about things we don't talk about much" - Cathy Tyson tells us more about The String Quartet's Guide To Sex And Anxiety
Ahead of the opening night of The String Quartet's Guide To Sex And Anxiety, we caught up with Cathy Tyson to talk about the show. Can you tell us about the inspiration behind the show?...
“When someone sits and watches the performance, it is about what is happening to them in their head" Hofesh Shechter on Grand Finale
“Many times people want to know what I meant in a particular dance piece,” says Hofesh Shechter, “And I think it doesn't really matter. What matters is what happens on stage...
"It’s a really exciting time to be in Birmingham and The REP is a big part of that": Meet REP Foundry Artist Will Jackson
What made you first want to create theatre? I was really lucky when I was little and my mum took me to see Cats in London. There was a bit when Old Deuteronomy (who's this really old, mangy...
Artistic Director, Roxana Silbert, Announces Birmingham Repertory Theatre’s Exciting 2018 Autumn and Winter Season
Roxana Silbert has today announced plans for the theatre's 2018 Autumn and Winter season. Speaking of the forthcoming programme, Roxana said: “It is with enormous pleasure that we...
"I first encountered the book whilst recovering in hospital having broken my foot dancing naked with some bananas"
Paul Hunter, Artistic Director of Told by an Idiot on the story behind their latest show, Napoleon Disrobed. Napoleon Disrobed is based on the novel The Death of Napoleon by Simon Leys. I first...
"I’ve been surrounded by inspiring women throughout my life": Happy International Women's Day
In celebration of International Women's Day and the inspiring women who are integral to The REP, two of our 2018 Furnace artists, Rachael Mainwaring and Manjeet Mann share what it means to be a...
‘Theatre is a real team effort – using skills to achieve a common goal. I relish that.’: Meet REP Foundry artist Michael Southan
Michael Southan on becoming a REP Foundry artist What made you first want to create theatre? When I think back to my school days of studying drama, it was theatre's ability to...
'I realised the great power theatre can have to connect people': Meet REP Foundry artist Lorna Nickson Brown
Lorna Nickson Brown on becoming a REP Foundry artist What made you first want to create theatre? When I was a teenager, I performed in a play called The Laramie Project. It was a verbatim...
“If you’re going to play Medea, then you really have to go for it” - Neil Bartlett on Medea: Written in Rage
This month a reimagining of the Greek myth, Medea: Written in Rage, comes to The REP. Neil Bartlett, translator and director, tells us more about the production. Tell us about the story of Medea...
Disabled Access Day At Birmingham Repertory Theatre - A Blog By Billy Coughlin, Agent For Change
We caught up with our Agent For Change, Billy Coughlin, who chatted to us about Disabled Access Day and Ramps on the Moon. In a nutshell, I am responsible for working with all departments at The...
