Birmingham Rep pay tribute to Graham Winteringham

Birmingham Rep have paid tribute to the late Graham Winteringham, architect behind The Rep’s Royal Institute of British Architects Award-winning home on Broad Street, Birmingham, after he passed away this weekend aged 99, just shy of his 100th birthday on 2 March.

After an initial agreement with Graham Winteringham to build a new venue for Birmingham Rep in 1961, then housed at what is now The Old Rep on Station Street, work finally began in 1969. The Rep opened its doors on Broad Street in 1971 and was a triumph of theatrical design, featuring one of the largest stages in Europe and a single democratic sweep of seats in its auditorium – which still remains today.

Monochrome photo of The Rep Theatre during construction in 1971. There are several cars and a billboard in front of the building, and a block of flats behind.

Graham’s relationship with The Rep remained throughout his life, attending almost every opening night across 52 years accompanied by his late wife Lesley, and making many generous gifts to support the theatre. During this time he would have seen 140 World Premiere productions and nine Artistic Directors at The Rep. He was also a Trustee of the Sir Barry Jackson Trust, the theatre charity created in the name of the founder of Birmingham Rep, which has supported many Rep projects over the years, particularly the annual Community Tour. Beginning in 1987, the Tour takes Rep shows to audiences throughout the city.

Monochrome photo of Graham Winteringham with the model design of The Rep theatre building. The number 402 is shown in the top left hand side of the photo in black.

In an interview just before the reopening of The Rep after a refurbishment period in 2013, Graham said;

It’s become a very happy relationship. I’ve been there so many times. I mean it’s the shows I look at and hear and the building I’m in is sort of part of my life.”

Paying tribute to Graham Winteringham’s design, The Rep’s Artistic Director, Sean Foley said;

In building The Rep’s new home, Graham drew on the contemporary to create a timeless building – with its amazing use of glass, The Rep is open, accessible and generous. His award-winning theatre has a unique amphitheatrical ‘democratic’ auditorium – no boxes, no stalls/circle division, every seat getting the same amazing view of the huge stage – and is both intimate and epic at the same time. It has hosted countless world premieres, been the starting place for many careers, and is itself an emblem of the great ambition and style of mid Century Birmingham.

It was a privilege to be able to introduce him to the sold-out audience at the 50th Anniversary of the theatre’s opening in October 2021. A remarkable achievement by him to be there at all, a remarkable achievement by The Rep building to be open at all after the pandemic. He rightly received a warm and sustained ovation.

For over 50 years Graham had been at almost every show opening: whether in our main house, large or small studio, and whether with star actors or the youth theatre, he was there – always with a generous and kind appreciation of everyone’s effort and talent, always marveling anew at what the world of The Rep was giving him… on his passing, we should marvel anew at what he gave The Rep – the place to create those worlds.

He built this place. He loved this place. And it loved him.”

Highlighting Graham’s impact, playwright David Edgar said:

I first met Graham when he was checking me out as a possible new member of the Sir Barry Jackson Trust, in the mid-1980s. I passed the audition, and, under Graham’s benign leadership, was delighted to participate in its work, supporting community-based theatre throughout the west midlands, and – especially – the pioneering annual Rep community tour. Graham was of course the architect of the majestic new Rep, and defended its confident and uncompromising modernism as architectural fashions changed around it. He leaves a magnificent legacy to his city”.

A wooden model design of The Rep Theatre is shown on a green sheet. The building is surrounded by green foliage and is made up of multiple building shapes.

A photo of The Rep theatre is shown in black and white. The image is taken looking down at the building is and taken from the side. The photo was taken in 1971 and is visibly aged.

In 2022, The Rep unveiled a £2.87m redevelopment to their historic home on Birmingham’s Centenary Square, 50 years on from the theatre first opening its doors. The project aimed to secure the future of Graham’s iconic building. Brand-new elements of the design included a fully accessible front entrance and terrace, new cafe, bar and restaurant spaces which complement the original RiBA award-winning building design and brand-new 10 foot signage that welcomes visitors from across Centenary Square. Graham Winteringham was present at the official reopening to cut the ribbon, marking another new era for his historic building design.