Joe Murphy's Inaugural Season
A Message from Joe Murphy
This season is trying to offer a big, bold and daring programme that galvanises a diverse audience, that is unashamedly popular but is also put together with real integrity and real connection and commitment to our city and the concerns of our city.”
“It is designed to do one thing: give people a really great night out. Whether that’s with the sheer joy and festive magic of Sherlock Holmes and The 12 Days of Christmas, or with the anarchy and wonder of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, or through the heartbreaking, gothic beauty of Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, these live theatre experiences are tailor-made to make our audiences laugh, cry, and feel alive.”
Joe Murphy
Artistic Director
Today we reveal our bold, brand new 2026/ 27 season from our newly appointed Artistic Director, Joe Murphy with the main focus of this stellar and (dare I say) ambitious new season being new takes on classics, adaptations of best-sellers, and a host of new commissions, all made in Birmingham.
Major highlights joining our spectacular 2026/27 season, include:
- The world premiere cut-throat new comedy The Battle
- A new staging of Andrea Levy’s award-winning novel Small Island
- A distinctively Birmingham version of Shakespeare’s ever-popular A Midsummer Night’s Dream
- An epic revival of Stephen Sondheim’s gothic musical thriller Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
- A first-look script-in-hand concert performance of the new musical Sweet Henry V
- A major new revival of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time based on the critically acclaimed, award-winning novel by Mark Haddon
- Festive family fun for 2026 with Christmas titles Peter Pan and The Ugly Duckling
- The return of acclaimed Rep productions A Thousand Splendid Suns and GrimeBoy
- A new production of Chains with funding from Sir Barry Jackson Trust
- Commission for a brand-new stage adaptation of Q+A, by East is East author Ayub Khan Din
The Battle
Wed 11 Feb – Sat 7 Mar
Our previously announced and much anticipated world premiere production The Battle is set to delve into the biggest chart battle in history in this cut-throat comedy written by John Niven, directed by Matthew Dunster and starring Gavin & Stacey’s Mathew Horne.
London. 1995. Two of the country’s biggest bands release singles on the same day, commencing the battle of Britpop. Rivalries flare, friendships fracture and at the centre of it all a mania that would define an era – were you Blur or Oasis?
Small Island
Wed 1 – Sat 18 Apr
Opening the season is a powerful new adaptation of Small Island, a story of hope and belonging set during the Windrush generation, in a co-production with Leeds Playhouse and Nottingham Playhouse, in association with Actors Touring Company coming to The Rep from Wed 1 – Sat 18 Apr.
Journey from the sun-drenched shores of Jamaica to the cold, grey streets of 1940s London in this powerful and intimate portrayal of Andrea Levy’s multi-award-winning novel which has been adapted for the stage by Helen Edmundson and directed by Matthew Xia.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Sat 25 Apr – Sun 24 May
Next up, in his main stage directorial debut since taking the helm at The Rep, Joe Murphy, alongside our very own Deputy Artistic Director Madeleine Kludje, co-directs a vibrant new adaptation of Shakespeare’s beloved comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream, with set and costume design by Carl Davies and sound design by Claire Windsor.
Get ready to enter a neon rave in an enchanted forest where boundaries blur, music pulsates, and love is celebrated in all its glorious forms in this colourful new adaptation of Shakespeare’s most romantic comedy, playing at The Rep from Sat 25 Apr – Sun 24 May.
Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Sat 4 Jul – 9 Aug
Moving into the summer, the season continues with a must-see new production of Stephen Sondheim’s Tony Award-winning masterpiece, Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, directed by Joe Murphy and designed by Elin Steele.
This dark and razor-sharp musical thriller follows Benjamin Barker, aka the mysterious barber Sweeney Todd, hell-bent on revenge after being wrongfully imprisoned for 15 years and so begins a chilling tale of murder, macabre and Mrs Lovett’s pies, in what is considered one of the greatest musicals ever written.
Sweet Henry V
Fri 23 & Sat 24 Jan
But before all that, an electrifying musical comes to The Studio, when The Rep presents Seiriol Davies’ hilarious and heart-rending new musical Sweet Henry V.
Joe Murphy directs this script-in-hand concert performance which unravels an epic romance saga between Henry V and Prince of Wales, Owain Glyndŵr. Featuring a live band and over thirty original numbers, this “bangin’” medieval musical shines a spotlight on the most human of struggles; the quest to find out who we are and where we belong, in this radical reinvention of history that’s pounding with camp Celtic vibes.
Explore Our Full Spring 2026 Programming Here
Priority booking for Rep Gold & Silver Friends, Access Register & 16 – 25 Members:
Opens Tue 23 Sep at 12 noon
Priority booking for Rep Bronze Friends:
Opens Thu 25 Sep at 12 noon
Public booking opens:
Opens Fri 26 Sep at 12 noon
Other 2026 highlights that will be going on sale later on include:
- A new version of Mark Haddon’s best-seller The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time in a co-production with Melting Pot. Coming to The Rep in September 2026 before embarking on a UK tour, it is the first major production since the National Theatre’s Olivier and Tony Award-winning show;
- Our 2026 Christmas extravaganza with a double dose of family fun, with entertainment for all ages with:
- J.M Barrie’s classic Peter Pan directed by Joe Murphy and adapted by internationally renowned writer and former director of The Rep Youth Theatre Phil Porter, with music by West Midlands composer Ruth Chan, it comes to The House stage from Wed 18 Nov 2026 – Sun 17 Jan 2027.
- For younger audiences, in The Door we will be bringing Hans Christian Andersen’s classic fairy tale The Ugly Duckling to life from Thu 3 Dec 2026 – Sun 10 Jan 2027 adapted by Katherine Chandler and directed by Caroline Wilkes.
Looking further ahead, highlights for 2027 include:
- The return of The Rep’s hugely acclaimed adaptation of Khaled Hosseini’s novel A Thousand Splendid Suns, adapted for the stage by Ursula Rani Sarma, following its 2025 sell-out run;
- The re-staging of former Birmingham Poet Laureate Casey Bailey’s unmissable show GrimeBoy which premiered at The Rep in 2022 and will be directed by The Rep’s Deputy Artistic Director, Madeleine Kludje.
- With thanks to funding from Sir Barry Jackson Trust, The Rep will present a new production of Chains, by proud Brummie writer Rem Conway, which sees a father and son relationship examined when the two men are chained together, in a co-production with Legacy Centre of Excellence, Europe’s largest Black Arts, Business and Heritage Centre, based in Birmingham and originally commissioned by Senti.
Commissions
But ‘Made In Birmingham‘ means much more to us than just the shows we produce! We’ve also commissioned a series of new work for the upcoming season, celebrating and championing local writers, Birmingham stories, and that resonate with Birmingham communities and voices.
This includes:
- A brand-new stage adaptation of Vikas Swarup’s novel Q & A, which inspired the Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire, being written by East is East author Ayub Khan Din and directed by our Associate Director Iqbal Khan.
- A brand-new adaptation of Charlotte Brontë’s classic novel Jane Eyre by writer Rachel De-lahay.
- And finally, Brummie author Kit de Waal, together with her brother Dean O’Loughlin, will be adapting her best-selling book My Name is Leon, which is set in 1980s Birmingham and was previously adapted for a BBC film produced by Sir Lenny Henry.
And finally… We have a jam-packed schedule lined-up to provide creative opportunities for local artists, creatives and young people
The Rep’s acclaimed artist development programme, Foundry, returns for 2026 with a reimagined new focus to provide deeper support for writers in the region. Successful applicants will work closely with The Rep’s artistic team, and receive one-to-one dramaturgical support, practical writing workshops and masterclasses, plus dedicated time to explore, develop and write. Applications for Foundry open next month in Oct 2025.
For anyone interested in writing for theatre, The Rep will be launching a 10-week introduction to playwriting course, On The Write Track. Led by an experienced Playwright and Director, participants explore script structure, writing characters, crafting dialogue and more. Applications open in Jan 2026.
There are plenty of opportunities to take part at The Rep with the venue’s extensive Creative Learning calendar. From Young Rep, the celebrated weekly youth theatre sessions for ages 3-18; the newly launched Rep Pathways programme for work with young adults age 18-30; and Young Rep Collective a brand-new weekly musical theatre devising group as well as a number of creative workshops throughout the year.
The Rep will also provide a fantastic opportunity for actors from Birmingham and West Midlands to get involved in a production coming to The House stage, with an open audition call for their exciting upcoming production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream which comes to the venue in Apr 2026.
Full details of the open auditions will be announced… very soon.