2024 at The Rep

Before we leap into all our exciting plans for the year ahead, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on all that has happened here at The Rep, on and off our stages in 2024.

From ground-breaking performances that dazzled and delighted our audiences, to new initiatives that have enriched the lives of our communities.

Here’s a look back on a great year…

• Our audience were treated to the finest productions available to humanity, with a whopping 436 performances across 43 productions in 3 of our performance spaces.
• 10 of these productions were either produced or co-produced by us at The Rep.
• In January, we broke Rep Box Office records with The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe which became The Rep’s best selling show – EVER!
• Our charming re-telling of the classic fairy-tale,  Little Red Riding Hood went on tour to 26 community venues and libraries across Birmingham and the West Midlands during January and February. Owing to the generous support of the Sir Barry Jackson Trust and Arts Council England, we were able to ensure all tickets were either free or at low cost!
• In February, we launched the UK premiere production of Bhangra Nation – A New Musical with a b(h)ang! We invited industry leaders, influencers, and theatre enthusiasts into the building for a sneak peak performance during our launch party, all hosted by journalist and presenter Satnam Rana and catered by our friends at Dishoom.
• We announced that a brand new adaptation of Bruce Robinson’s 1987 British tragi-comedy film, Withnail and I would be taking a holiday (and not by mistake) to The House stage!
• In July, with the help of our directors, creatives and talented casts, we were able to showcase 3 weeks of the very best of Brum’s young talent as part of Young Rep’s Love + Rebellion Festival. Over these weeks, we held  20 performances, with 4 different headline shows and over 350 performers.
• In Autumn, our brand-new musical Becoming Nancy became a 5-star fan favourite, with some audience members returning to see the show up to 7 times!
• And with smash-hits songs by George Stiles, Anthony Drewe, Elliot Davis and Terry Ronald, we had to share as many songs as we could with our audiences! So for the first time we released a six-track cast recording EP (a mixtape, if you will 🖭) on all popular streaming platforms!
• In November, our production of The Snowman celebrated its 30th anniversary as well as its 27th consecutive season at London’s Peacock Theatre. 
• Mark Gatiss’ spooky stage adaptation of the Dickens’ classic – A Christmas Carol – A Ghost Story left audiences feeling suitably festive whilst our adaption of Benji Davies‘ The Snowflake delighted younger audiences aged 3 to 6.
• Before the year ended, we held a two-week Young Rep Winter Festival in The Door, where over 530 performers from 12 local school and community groups performed.

This year, The Rep has seen huge success with the Theatre Green Book – the theatre sector’s model for working towards sustainability and achieving net zero carbon emissions. Some of these successes include:

• With Withnail and I alone, our Props and Furniture department achieved 94% of Green Book Standard and 69% of the materials used in the show had a previous life and/or will continue to have a life elsewhere!
• In The Door, we’ve made even greater strides! Our Christmas production The Snowflake was created as a Theatre Green Book production with a focus on upcycled materials where possible, and is currently on track to surpass the Intermediate level target!
• We’ve hit over 90% of the Theatre Green Book Standard on all our green book shows (and a couple of others too!). Where possible, we try to use as much pre-loved and recycled clothing and props as possible for our productions.
• Rep Staff have been regularly donating household items to be used in our productions, such as old duvets being used to make the clouds in The Snowflake!
• Items from our productions have been rehomed to Kings Edward’s VI Camp Hill School for Girls, Stratford Youth Theatre, The Sunnybank Trust and various other local theatre makers.
• Since our first Green Book production in The House, The Trials, we’ve now had two more Green Productions hit the main stage: Withnail and I – which reached the Baseline status; and Love and Rebellion where we managed to achieve the Intermediate target!
• We have used rechargeable batteries for all radio mics, saving 1000s of single use batteries.
• All stationery, paper, cleaning products and consumables are now eco-friendly.
• With the support of a generous grant awarded to The Rep by the Theatres Trust Theatre Improvement Scheme in association with the Wolfson Foundation, we have been able to make improvements to the air system in our largest auditoria The House, reducing the energy needed for heating and being a key part of our commitment to sustainability.

None of this would have been possible without our brilliant audiences, supporters, funders, participants and communities. We look forward to welcoming you and working with you again this year.

Coming up in 2025…