Birmingham Repertory Theatre Events

First Stages Spring/Summer 2012

Our First Stages season is a selection of plays especially created for young children… The ideal way to introduce a new generation to the delights of theatre.

Waiting For Godot

"To-morrow, when I wake, or think I do, what shall I say of to-day?" Two homeless men, Vladimir and Estragon, wait on a bare road with a single tree. Over two days they argue, get bored, clown around, repeat themselves, contemplate death and wait. They are waiting for the one who never comes. They are waiting for Godot. Samuel Beckett's *Waiting for Godot* is one of the most significant English language plays of the 20th century. The play gently and intelligently speaks about what it is to be human. Its brilliance lies in its subtlety; it is endlessly elusive and yet universal. Ian Brown directs an all black cast in this new production of Beckett's funny and poetic masterpiece.

Wasted

_I'm making a decision. I'm changing things. This is it._ Three old friends. One remarkable day. For Ted, Danny and Charlotte, it’s time to seize control. Make a difference. Change things. This is it. A day-glo trip through the parks and raves and cafes of South London, where life is what you make it. The rapid fire rhymes of Kate Tempest paint a picture of lives less ordinary in an unforgiving world, sound-tracked by an exhilarating score. Kate Tempest is the UK’s most exciting performance poet, currently serving up a storm in the UK hip-hop scene with her band Sound Of Rum. Wasted is her debut play and features her trademark lyrical ferocity in a dynamic theatrical staging. A play about love, life and losing your mind.

Mustafa

Mustafa is in prison serving 14 years for the death of a teenage boy during an attempted exorcism. Isolated in a world where his beliefs are treated with suspicion, he maintains his claim of innocence and tries to keep his head down. But when inmates who taunt him suffer unexplained injuries and prison officers start to behave strangely, stories of 'Magic Mustafa' spread and even those closest to him begin to doubt his explanations... As events become more mysterious and Mustafa increasingly withdrawn, the edges of reality begin to blur and we are forced to make a judgement: Is Mustafa the evil killer of a teenager, or a spiritual man who risked his life to deliver a boy from a dangerous entity? A compelling and vivid thriller, *Mustafa* will have you on the edge of your seat. Birmingham writer Naylah Ahmed has been writing since the late 1990s for stage, radio and television. She won The Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting with _Butcher Boys_ in 2008, and was one of the writers of _These Four Streets_ which premiered at Birmingham Repertory Theatre in 2009.

Gravity

_If you could only go back and change things. That’s all he wanted, to go back and change things._ The Large Hadron Collider (L.H.C.) - expected to address some of the most fundamental questions of physics, advancing the understanding of the deepest laws of nature and our existence, but sparking fears that the particle collisions might produce a black hole - the end of life as we know it David teaches Science, with a particular passion for physics. Struggling to stay afloat in the stressful, modern world of secondary education and doing his best to keep his life on track, he immerses himself in his subject. He is keen to keep up with the latest data collected at the L.H.C. and desperate for his students to share his enthusiasm. There's just one boy, Kyle, who takes an interest in science and shares David's thirst for knowledge. However, when Kyle is picked on by his troublemaking class mates, all of David’s good work starts to unravel. Their disruptive behaviour is a catalyst for colliding personalities, resulting in an explosive reaction. A contemporary and dynamic new play about provocation.

Hip Hope Hero

The Hip Hope Hero knows the world's biggest secret...that inside everyone lurks a hero, even a super hero! Come and meet the Hip Hope Hero and soon your own unique and powerful inner hero will be released. Moving Hands joined forces with South Africa's got talent winner, deaf hip hop dancer Darren Rajbal and children across the world to create this new and exciting show which combines dance, animation, original music, poetry and some seriously cool puppets. "Read the blog":http://www.birmingham-rep.co.uk/about/audience-ambitions/hip-hope-hero-south-africa/

White

Welcome to the beautifully strange world of White. Full of birdsong and birdhouses, it gleams and dazzles and shines in the night. Two friends look after the birds and make sure the eggs stay safe. We watch, we help. The world is bright, ordered and white. But high up in the trees, all is not white. Colour appears. First red... then yellow... then blue... White is a playful and highly visual new show for very young children and is a perfect first time theatre experience.

Tiddler And Other Terrific Tales

A brand new show from the award-winning Scamp Theatre (_Stick Man_ - Live on Stage!) adapted from the bestselling books by Children’s Laureate, Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler (creators of _The Gruffalo_). This is a magical collection of Julia Donaldson’s most popular titles including _Tiddler, The Smartest Giant in Town_, _A Squash and a Squeeze_ and many more favourites brought to the stage by the team that brought you _Aesop’s Fables_, _Stick Man_ and _Private Peaceful_. Under sea, over land, on the farm and in the jungle, these tales are woven together with live music, songs, puppets and a host of colourful characters who will delight. An absolute treat for ages 3 + and their families.

Great Gran's Great Games

Frankly, Ollie can't see the point of his Great Gran; and now it's even worse. She fell and hurt her hip and had to come to stay. Ollie has had to give up his room. And what can she do? She can't run, jump, skate, anything. She can hardly stand. However she can do something he can't. She can swim. In fact, she can do it rather well. There was a time she did it at the Olympic Games in London. No! Not those Olympic Games. The other ones in 1948... when the athletes had to bring their own towels!

Watch The Birdy

It is almost winter but egg is still egg: "What's wrong with you?" asks Mum, "are you shy, are you worried or are you just lazy?" She can't wait to find out - it's getting late and egg can't stay all by himself in the big forest. There are bears and wolves and eagles! And Percy... no, you can trust Percy, he looks after all the small things and lives in the forest with Jeremy, Sheila and Nancy... can they all help Birdy to hatch? And can they stop him from ending up as an eggy breakfast? After all, spring is not so far away...

Kidnapping Cameron

"If you want to see the prime minister alive again, you'd better do what I say!" If you're a disillusioned teenager and you feel you have no chance of getting a place at University, a job when you leave school or that you will ever be able to afford to buy a house, there's not a lot you can do about it is there? It's ok, because thirteen year old Lucy has a plan. She's going to kidnap the prime minister and make him put everything right again. That should do the trick. Writing to the prime minister pretending to be a sick child who dreams of meeting him, Lucy carries out her unimaginable, dastardly plan. But has she taken it all a bit too far and can her friends help her find a better way to make a difference? *Kidnapping Cameron* is a hilariously funny play that takes a serious look at the role young people can play in democracy and deciding their own future in today’s uncertain times. The play has been commissioned for and developed with members of The Young REP.

The Just Price Of Flowers

A play about the 2008 financial collapse, set in 17th Century Netherlands, looking like a Rembrandt, featuring origami and paying homage to the great theatre maker Bertolt Brecht. Tulips were imported into Europe in the early 17th Century at a time when merchants were generating wealth through trade. Collecting exotic items was a fashion. A passion developed for tulips, their price rose rapidly and created the possibility of making profit through speculative buying. For a brief time certain tulip bulbs were sold for prices equivalent to those of a house, or three years of a craftsman’s wage. In 1637 this financial bubble burst. Using Tulipmania as its inspiration, The Just Price of Flowers finds the Van Leasings buying a tulip from Van Eek, using money borrowed from Van Hire. It follows them as they chase their dream of wealth through the growing complexities of futures trading, credit ratings, sub-primes, credit default swaps, and the horror of short selling. This is a simple, playful production, which explains the complexities of high finance with great humour, in a remarkably straightforward way, whilst steadily setting you up for the inevitable heartbreaking finale. There are also two songs and an origami peacock. Birmingham-based Stan’s Cafe has been devising thoughtful and engaging theatre since 1991. Their consistently fresh and inventive approach has taken them to the forefront of contemporary European theatre and led to them performing worldwide to both popular and critical acclaim.

Forests

The REP joins forces with internationally renowned director Calixto Bieito, Barcelona Internacional Teatre and the RSC to present an original play inspired by Shakespeare's references to forests throughout his work, in a Dante-esque journey through life, paradise, hell, truth and lie. With a cast of English and Catalan actors led by the great Catalan actor Josep Maria Pou, Calixto Bieito will show, through plays such as Timon Of Athens, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, King Lear, Macbeth and As You Like It, a “forest” which represents a place for the getaway, a punishment or sentence, and, sometimes, a place for shelter and redemption. Calixto Bieito is no stranger to Birmingham audiences, having previously directed Hamlet and Celestina at The REP, both of which stimulated controversy and earned critical acclaim. One of the most prominent and sought after directors in Europe, Calixto's re-workings of the classics test boundaries and provoke reaction with their spellbinding and passionate vitality. In addition to the performances in Birmingham as part of the World Shakespeare Festival, Forests will tour to London, Barcelona and other European venues. Performed in Catalan and English with surtitles

The Infernal Comedy

John Malkovich stars in a stage play for baroque orchestra, singers and actor, based on the real-life story of convicted serial killer Jack Unterweger. Malkovich's monologues journey through the life and mind of this notorious Viennese womaniser, writer and murderer, illustrated with music embodying joy, hatred, love, grief, and desire. Sometimes darkly comic, sometimes bleakly brutal, it's a fascinating insight into the twisted mind of, as Malkovich says, "a bad, bad guy". Written by *Michael Sturminger* Based on an idea by *Birgit Hutter* and *Martin Haselbock* Music concept and conductor *Martin Haselbock* Stage director *Michael Sturminger* Costume designer *Birgit Hutter* *Wiener Akademie* *Martin Haselbock* conductor *John Malkovich* actor *Bernarda Bobro* soprano *Marie Arnet* soprano *Music includes:* *Vivaldi* Aria _Sposa son disprezzata_ *Beethoven* Scene and Aria _Ah, perfido_ *Haydn* Scena di Berenice *Weber* Scene and Aria _Ah se Edmundo fosse l’uccisor!_ *Mozart* Recitative, Aria and Cavatina _Ah, lo previdi_

The Snowman 2011

When a young boy's snowman comes to life on Christmas Eve the two set off on a night time quest for adventure. On their travels they meet dancing penguins, reindeer and crowds of the Snowman's friends. Will the Snowman escape the clutches of the evil Jack Frost as he soars through the night sky? And will he get his new friend back home before Christmas morning? Featuring the classic song _Walking In The Air_ by Howard Blake, The REP's production of *The Snowman* has thrilled audiences since its premiere in 1993, and makes a welcome return to Birmingham this December. *See more videos, photographs from the show and lots more on the* "Snowman microsite":http://www.birmingham-rep.co.uk/about/snowman-home/. By Arrangement with Snowman Enterprises Limited and Chester Music Limited

Sleeping Beauty

A fresh and humorous take on an old familiar tale guaranteed not to make you yawn! A fun and refreshingly quirky Christmas treat for everyone to enjoy - Rufus Norris' fantastical take on Sleeping Beauty. As grisly as a Roald Dahl story and as "Grimm" as any of The Brothers' fairytales, this version of Sleeping Beauty is told from the point of view of the mischievous old Fairy Goody, a grubby, smelly old sprite who casts a spell that sends Princess Beauty into a deep, deep sleep. Will Sleeping Beauty awaken from her spell with a kiss from the dashing and handsome Prince? And will they all live happily ever after? However, there's trouble in the form of Sleeping Beauty's new mother-in-law, a fearsome man-eating Ogress, who is after Beauty’s babies, Goody's wings falling off because of her bad deed, and all the fairytale creatures having to put up with some interesting side effects from the force of her magic that result in some rather smelly spells! This weirdly wonderful, musical adaptation of Sleeping Beauty has laughs aplenty and enough grisly and gruesome characters to keep all of the family entertained. Expect fairytale romance, hideous ogres, sinister spells and a magical Christmas show like no other!