The Cheeky Back Kick

It’s been an exciting summer so far, Wimbledon, a mini heatwave, the Lionesses through to the Euros final, the Commonwealth Games kicking off in Birmingham, Prima Facie hitting the cinemas… who doesn’t love Jodie Comer? People often compare the funding of sports and the arts –  which gets most, which is perceived to be more

Admitting we’re only human after all

I’ve just come back from a restorative trip to Greece. Sun, sea, sand… yes and storms, wind and rain. It was too cold for the beach in the first week so I went on walks in the hills and gorges. This period away was intended to allow me time to stop. To get off the

Open Door at The REP

In 2013, BOLDtext Playwrights initiated discussions with Birmingham REP about presenting New Writing nights, and the OPEN DOOR initiative emerged. We pioneered it by presenting eight individual pieces of work-in-progress to a growing regional audience hungry for new work that reflected their lives. Click ‘continue reading’ or scroll down for older posts about the shows.

Power of Invention

Lockdown and the closure of Birmingham museums meant a nine month postponement for this site-specific production about Matthew Boulton’s ground-breaking Lunar Society. We reconfigured the show as an outdoor production in the gardens of Soho House in Birmingham, to make it covid secure.  Click ‘continue reading’ or scroll down for older posts about the show.

Bolder, Better, Brilliant

We’ve come a long way since we started in 2014. Beginning in The DOOR at the Birmingham Rep, we’ve burst out onto the streets of Digbeth, into the garden of a mansion, and even taken over a jail. We figured it’s about time we wrote down what it is we do. Read our manifesto below.

Follow Me

In summer 2019 it was anounced that the Birmingham Weekender would be going ahead. Planned for the beginning of October, it left us with less than three months to devise, pitch, and produce a show for the festival. To find out what we came up with click ‘continue reading’ or scroll down for older posts.

Behind Bars: Ghosts of the Lock-Up

Our first site-specific production, Behind Bars took place within the walls of a 130 year-old Victorian prison. Kicking off with nine performances in October 2018, the show’s notoriety got it sent back to the clink for a further twelve performances the following year. Click ‘continue reading’ or scroll down for older posts about the show.

Life is complicated

Like life, writing is about decisions and dilemmas. Especially when writing about characters from history. What do we know? Who were they really? Do the characters have to speak in ye olde worlde language…? James Watt undoubtedly is remembered for his extraordinary inventions. Mainly his steam engine, which he came to invent after trying to

Engaging new communities

Last week, Vanessa and I held the second of our online conversations about opera. This one was about engaging new communities with opera, and was chaired by the wonderful Krysztina Winkel, formerly embedded community producer at the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry, and currently at the Vienna State Opera where she is trying to set up a

Why opera?

Last month, our own Vanessa Oakes and Sayan Kent held an online conversation exploring why they had decided to create Her Day Opera for the upcoming Coventry City of Culture. In this blog, Vanessa reflects on their experience so far and the many questions raised during the session, particularly on how participants felt about going