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Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...
is an important centre for
theatre in the United Kingdom Theatre of United Kingdom plays an important part in British culture, and the countries that constitute the UK have had a vibrant tradition of theatre since the Renaissance with roots going back to the Roman occupation. Beginnings Theatre was ...
. The earliest known performances in the city were
medieval pageant A medieval pageant is a form of procession traditionally associated with both secular and religious rituals, often with a narrative structure. Pageantry was an important aspect of medieval European seasonal festivals, in particular around the ce ...
s and miracle plays. Birmingham's first permanent theatres and theatrical companies were founded in the 1740s, drawing both actors and performance styles from the fashionable theatres of London. During World War II, the
Birmingham Blitz The Birmingham Blitz was the heavy bombing by the Nazi German ''Luftwaffe'' of the city of Birmingham and surrounding towns in central England, beginning on 9 August 1940 as a fraction of the greater Blitz , which was part of the Battle of Bri ...
forced all performance venues in the city to close; most would stay closed throughout the war. The postwar introduction of television led to further theatre closures. Today, Birmingham is home to three major
producing theatre A producing house is a theatre which ‘manufactures' its own shows in-house (such as plays, musicals, opera, or dance) and perhaps does everything from honing the script, building the set, casting the actors and designing and making the costum ...
s--
Birmingham Repertory Theatre Birmingham Repertory Theatre, commonly called Birmingham Rep or just The Rep, is a producing theatre based on Centenary Square in Birmingham, England. Founded by Barry Jackson, it is the longest-established of Britain's building-based theatre ...
, the
Old Rep The Old Rep (originally Birmingham Repertory Theatre) is the United Kingdom's first ever purpose-built repertory theatre, constructed in 1913, located on Station Street in Birmingham, England. The theatre was a permanent home for Barry Jackso ...
, and the Blue Orange Theatre—as well as a number of touring venues, the
Birmingham Royal Ballet Birmingham Royal Ballet (BRB) is one of the five major ballet companies of the United Kingdom, alongside The Royal Ballet, the English National Ballet, Northern Ballet and Scottish Ballet. Founded as the Sadler's Wells Theatre Ballet, the company ...
, and the
Birmingham Opera Company Birmingham Opera Company is a professional opera company based in Birmingham, England, that specialises in innovative and avant-garde productions of the operatic repertoire, often in unusual venues. History The company was founded by leading in ...
.


History


Early performers and venues

What evidence remains of drama in medieval Birmingham suggests that it was largely religious in its basis. The
Guild of the Holy Cross The Guild of the Holy Cross could refer to: *Guild of the Holy Cross (Birmingham) The Guild or Gild of the Holy Cross was a medieval religious guild in Birmingham, England. It was founded in 1392 by three burgesses of the town – John Coleshil ...
was established in the 14th century to maintain
chantries A chantry is an ecclesiastical term that may have either of two related meanings: # a chantry service, a Christian liturgy of prayers for the dead, which historically was an obiit, or # a chantry chapel, a building on private land, or an area in ...
in the parish church of
St Martin in the Bull Ring St Martin in the Bull Ring is a Church of England parish church in the city of Birmingham, West Midlands, England. It is the original parish church of Birmingham and stands between the Bull Ring Shopping Centre and the markets. The church i ...
, and is likely to have presented liturgical drama at its guildhall on New Street. The street now known as Carr's Lane in Birmingham City Centre was originally called "God's Cart Lane", after the Holy Cart used for religious pageantry and the presentation of
morality play The morality play is a genre of medieval and early Tudor drama. The term is used by scholars of literary and dramatic history to refer to a genre of play texts from the fourteenth through sixteenth centuries that feature personified concepts ( ...
s and miracle plays. Wakes were established in
Deritend Deritend is a historic area of Birmingham, England, built around a crossing point of the River Rea. It is first mentioned in 1276. Today Deritend is usually considered to be part of Digbeth. History Deritend was a crossing point of the River Rea ...
and in Handsworth in the 15th century where booth drama would have been presented. The earliest definite records of dramatic performances in the town are of regular seasonal performances by
strolling players Strolling players were travelling theatre groups in England during the Tudor and subsequent periods. They toured the country delivering theatrical performances. They performed in barns and in the courtyards of inns. One of the most popular play ...
in the early 18th century. A booth existed by 1715 in "The Hinkleys" – the area bounded by Smallbrook Street and Dudley Street near the site of the current
Old Rep The Old Rep (originally Birmingham Repertory Theatre) is the United Kingdom's first ever purpose-built repertory theatre, constructed in 1913, located on Station Street in Birmingham, England. The theatre was a permanent home for Barry Jackso ...
theatre – and a second, described as a "shed of boards", is recorded a few years later in the meadows that would later be developed as Temple Street. These later developed into the theatre in Smallbrook Street and the Playhouse in New Street, but at this early date would have presented plays and performances by travelling actors of indifferent quality, who carried their costumes and scenery with them on their backs and announced their performances by beating a drum. A building "something like a stable" in Castle Yard between High Street and Moor Street was used for dramatic performances from 1730. The standard of production in this new venue was reflected in the remarks of William Hutton, writing later in the century: "here the comedian strutted in painted rags, ornamented with tinsel. The audience raised a noisy laugh, half real and half forced, at three-pence a head." Not all of the performances of this era were of such low quality, however: later playbills suggest that George Hallam had visited Birmingham with a company of actors from London, and that a repertoire of good quality was being presented in the town, by 1730 at the latest.


Georgian theatre

It was in the 1740s that Birmingham emerged as the home of a distinctive theatrical tradition, which had become well-established by 1750. The town's first permanent theatre was the Moor Street Theatre, which opened in 1740. Though not purpose-built, this was a substantial structure with boxes, a pit, a balcony, two galleries, and significant backstage machinery. This new venue brought a major increase in the quality of drama presented in the town. It was managed during the 1740s by John Ward, whose background lay not with provincial
strolling players Strolling players were travelling theatre groups in England during the Tudor and subsequent periods. They toured the country delivering theatrical performances. They performed in barns and in the courtyards of inns. One of the most popular play ...
but with London's fashionable
Lincoln's Inn Fields Theatre Lisle's Tennis Court was a building off Portugal Street in Lincoln's Inn Fields in London. Originally built as a real tennis court, it was used as a playhouse during two periods, 1661–1674 and 1695–1705. During the early period, ...
and
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) and backs onto D ...
, and with the Aungier Street Theatre in
Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 cen ...
. The Moor Street Theatre featured notable cast-members –
David Garrick David Garrick (19 February 1717 – 20 January 1779) was an English actor, playwright, theatre manager and producer who influenced nearly all aspects of European theatrical practice throughout the 18th century, and was a pupil and friend of S ...
himself performed at Moor Street in the 1740s – and presented a credible repertoire: the season for 1744 included
Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
's ''
Othello ''Othello'' (full title: ''The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice'') is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare, probably in 1603, set in the contemporary Ottoman–Venetian War (1570–1573) fought for the control of the Island of Cypru ...
'', ''
Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, and ...
'' and '' The Tempest'',
John Vanbrugh Sir John Vanbrugh (; 24 January 1664 (baptised) – 26 March 1726) was an English architect, dramatist and herald, perhaps best known as the designer of Blenheim Palace and Castle Howard. He wrote two argumentative and outspoken Restorat ...
's ''
The Provok'd Wife ''The Provoked Wife'' (1697) is the second original comedy written by John Vanbrugh. It made its first appearance in Lincoln's Inn Fields in May, 1697. The often-repeated claim that Vanbrugh wrote part of his comedy ''The Provoked Wife'' in th ...
'', '' Fair Rosamund'' and '' The Biter Bit'',
William Congreve William Congreve (24 January 1670 – 19 January 1729) was an English playwright and poet of the Restoration period. He is known for his clever, satirical dialogue and influence on the comedy of manners style of that period. He was also a mi ...
's ''
Love for Love ''Love for Love'' is a Restoration comedy written by British playwright William Congreve. It premiered on 30 April 1695 at the Lincoln's Inn Fields Theatre. Staged by Thomas Betterton's company the original cast included Betterton as Valenti ...
'' and '' The Mourning Bride'', and
John Rich John Rich (born January 7, 1974) is an American country music singer-songwriter. From 1992 to 1998, he was a member of the country music band Lonestar, in which he played bass guitar and alternated with Richie McDonald as lead vocalist. After ...
's '' The Spaniard Outwitted''. Performances were given in costumes "proper to the play", reflecting the time and culture in which the drama was set, anticipating Garrick's later reforms at Drury Lane in London. The most notable development of the 1740s was John Ward's founding of the
Warwickshire Company of Comedians The Warwickshire Company of Comedians, also known as Mr Ward's Company of Comedians and after 1767 as Mr Kemble's Company of Comedians, was a theatre company established by John Ward in Birmingham, England in the 1740s, touring throughout the We ...
– Birmingham's first indigenous
theatre company Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...
. Ward was the manager of the Moor Street Theatre in the 1740s and had established the company by 1744, when it is recorded as playing in
Stratford-upon-Avon Stratford-upon-Avon (), commonly known as just Stratford, is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon district, in the county of Warwickshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It is situated on the River Avon, north-we ...
. At a time when any actor outside London was officially "deemed to be a rogue and a vagabond" the Birmingham company's performances were of much higher standard than was usual outside London. A reviewer of their performance in Stratford on Avon in 1746 described them as "much ye best Set I have seen out of London, & in which opinion I am far from being singular" and the memoirs of the contemporary Irish actor
Charles Lee Lewes Charles Lee Lewes (1740 – 13 July 1803) was an English actor. Biography He was born the son of a hosier in London. After attending a school at Ambleside he returned to London, where he found employment as a postman. In about 1760 he went on th ...
speak of "the Great Ward" who "has now a very great company at Birmingham: many of them are no less than Londoners". Ward maintained an interest in theatrical affairs in London throughout the 1740s. Many of the actors in his company had experience from London and Dublin and the company's repertoire included works by Congreve, Dryden, Lee, Rowe, Shakespeare, Steele, and Vanbrugh, as well as more populist fare including pantomime, music and dance. Developments in Birmingham's theatrical culture were not confined just to the new theatre. The Playhouse in New Street and the Theatre in Smallbrook Street – successors to booths recorded earlier in the century – continued to operate through the 1740s, though both had disappeared by 1751. Serious plays co-existed with more vulgar entertainments at all Birmingham's theatres – from musical concerts to fire-eating, rope-dancing to ventriloquism – often at the same venue, sometimes even on the same evening. Popular dramatic entertainment much like later
music hall Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as variety. Perceptions of a distinction in Bri ...
was also often held in the town's larger public houses, including the "George and Dragon" and the "Red Lion" in the Bull Ring, the "King's Head" in
Digbeth Digbeth is an area of Central Birmingham, England. Following the destruction of the Inner Ring Road, Digbeth is now considered a district within Birmingham City Centre. As part of the Big City Plan, Digbeth is undergoing a large redevelopment ...
and the "Roe Buck" in Cox Street. Though popular these were illegal and often prosecuted by the owners of the more established theatres, who viewed them as unwelcome competition. The
Licensing Act of 1737 The Licensing Act of 1737 is a defunct Act of Parliament in the Kingdom of Great Britain, and a pivotal moment in theatrical history. Its purpose was to control and censor what was being said about the British government through theatre. The act ...
confined drama in England to the two London
patent theatre The patent theatres were the theatres that were licensed to perform "spoken drama" after the Restoration of Charles II as King of England, Scotland and Ireland in 1660. Other theatres were prohibited from performing such "serious" drama, but ...
s, otherwise forbidding "every Person who shall for Hire, Gain or Reward, act, represent or perform, any Interlude, Tragedy, Comedy, Opera, Play, Farce, or other entertainment of the stage" To get round this all Birmingham theatrical venues were licensed by magistrates for the performances of "Concerts of Music" under the Disorderly Houses Act 1732, with plays technically being given free of charge during the interval. Such licenses were only available for 60 day periods between June and October, however, as a result of which Birmingham theatres had only summer seasons until the licensing of the Theatre Royal in 1807.


Twentieth century theatre

By 1901 Birmingham had ten theatres. The Tivoli (later the
Hippodrome The hippodrome ( el, ἱππόδρομος) was an ancient Greek stadium for horse racing and chariot racing. The name is derived from the Greek words ''hippos'' (ἵππος; "horse") and ''dromos'' (δρόμος; "course"). The term is used in ...
) and the Lyceum (later the Alexandra Theatre) showed melodrama, pantomime, circus and variety acts. The Theatre Royal and the
Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the ruler ...
, which had closed their stock companies, received touring modern and classical drama from leading national actor-managers.


Post-war theatre

The outbreak of the Second World War saw the enforced closure of all Birmingham's theatres in anticipation of immediate bombing. Although they were allowed to reopen after a few weeks, the onset of the
Birmingham Blitz The Birmingham Blitz was the heavy bombing by the Nazi German ''Luftwaffe'' of the city of Birmingham and surrounding towns in central England, beginning on 9 August 1940 as a fraction of the greater Blitz , which was part of the Battle of Bri ...
in 1940 led to a collapse in attendance at evening performances and the return of closure for the majority of theatres. The
Birmingham Repertory Theatre Birmingham Repertory Theatre, commonly called Birmingham Rep or just The Rep, is a producing theatre based on Centenary Square in Birmingham, England. Founded by Barry Jackson, it is the longest-established of Britain's building-based theatre ...
was closed for two years from December 1940, and only the Alexandra Theatre would stay open for the entire remaining duration of the war. The most notable theatrical development of the war years were the Plays in the Park, that saw Birmingham's theatre companies working around the threat of evening bombing of the city centre by presenting matinée performances of drama in the city's parks. The opening of the
Sutton Coldfield transmitting station The Sutton Coldfield transmitting station is a broadcasting and telecommunications facility located in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, England. In terms of population covered, it is the third most important transmitter in the UK, after Crystal P ...
in 1949 made Birmingham the first British city outside London to have a television service, and this came to have a severe effect on the city's commercial theatres.
Moss Empires Moss Empires was a company formed in Edinburgh in 1899, from the merger of the theatre companies owned by Sir Edward Moss, Richard Thornton and Sir Oswald Stoll. This created the largest chain of variety theatres and music halls in the United K ...
closed the Theatre Royal in 1958, with the replacement proposed as part of the ATV Centre never materialising. The Alexandra Theatre was suffering financial problems by 1956, being forced to seek a loan from
Birmingham City Council Birmingham City Council is the local government body responsible for the governance of the City of Birmingham in England, which has been a metropolitan district since 1974. It is the most populated local council area in the United Kingdom (e ...
in 1963 and from the Arts Council in 1968. In October 1968 it was bought by the City Council and leased to a non- profit making management trust. The Alex's repertory company was closed in 1974 and the company continued as a
receiving house A receiving house (sometimes called a roadhouse) is a theatre which does not produce its own repertoire but instead receives touring theatre companies, usually for a brief period such as three nights or a full week. The incoming company may receive ...
. Moss Empires threatened to close the
Hippodrome The hippodrome ( el, ἱππόδρομος) was an ancient Greek stadium for horse racing and chariot racing. The name is derived from the Greek words ''hippos'' (ἵππος; "horse") and ''dromos'' (δρόμος; "course"). The term is used in ...
in 1961 and 1970, but in 1979 sold it to the City Council who in turn leased it to a charitable trust. The Hippodrome's fortunes gradually revived, and by the early 21st century it was selling more tickets than any other single theatre in the country. By the 1980s Birmingham had only three large-scale professional theatres, though this was still – jointly with
Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...
– the highest number of any English city outside London. During the 70s, MAC, then known as the Midlands Arts Centre for Young People had its own professional puppet theatre and resident theatre company, members of the theatre company included Mike Leigh, Brian Blessed and Sir Tony Robinson.


Contemporary theatre


Drama


Producing theatres

Birmingham Repertory Theatre Birmingham Repertory Theatre, commonly called Birmingham Rep or just The Rep, is a producing theatre based on Centenary Square in Birmingham, England. Founded by Barry Jackson, it is the longest-established of Britain's building-based theatre ...
, commonly known as "The Rep" and located next to the
Library of Birmingham A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vir ...
on
Centenary Square Centenary Square is a public square on the north side of Broad Street in Birmingham, England, named in 1989 to commemorate the centenary of Birmingham achieving city status. The area was an industrial area of small workshops and canal wharves ...
, is one of Britain's leading
producing theatre A producing house is a theatre which ‘manufactures' its own shows in-house (such as plays, musicals, opera, or dance) and perhaps does everything from honing the script, building the set, casting the actors and designing and making the costum ...
s. It stages a wide range of performances in its three auditoria in Birmingham – ''The House'' with 825 seats, ''The Studio'' with 300 seats and ''The Door'' with 140 seats – as well as touring nationally and internationally and transferring productions to London's West End. The Rep regularly commissions new work and presented over 130 new plays during the five-year period to 2013. The
Birmingham Stage Company The Birmingham Stage Company was founded by the Actor/Manager Neal Foster in 1992, with Sir Derek Jacobi and Paul Scofield CH as patrons. It presents productions both on its home stage at The Alexandra Theatre in Birmingham and touring throughou ...
is the resident company at the 383 seat
Old Rep The Old Rep (originally Birmingham Repertory Theatre) is the United Kingdom's first ever purpose-built repertory theatre, constructed in 1913, located on Station Street in Birmingham, England. The theatre was a permanent home for Barry Jackso ...
in Station Street, where it performs 5 major productions annually before touring them as far afield as
Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borderin ...
,
Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics o ...
, New York City and
Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountains ...
. Founded in 1992, it has focused on new and contemporary plays since 1998, producing world premieres by playwrights including
Oren Lavie Oren Lavie (born June 13, 1976) is an Israeli songwriter, author, theatre and video director. His music video for "Her Morning Elegance" earned a 2009 Grammy Award nomination for "Best Short Form Music Video" and has become a YouTube hit with o ...
, Paul Lucas, Dominic Leyton,
David Mamet David Alan Mamet (; born November 30, 1947) is an American playwright, filmmaker, and author. He won a Pulitzer Prize and received Tony nominations for his plays ''Glengarry Glen Ross'' (1984) and ''Speed-the-Plow'' (1988). He first gained crit ...
and
Reg Cribb Reginald Cribb is an Australian playwright and actor. Early life Cribb graduated from National Institute of Dramatic Art at the University of New South Wales in 1990 and his first play, Night of the Sea Monkey, was performed in 1999. Plays ...
. The Blue Orange Theatre is a small
fringe theatre Fringe theatre is theatre that is produced outside of the main theatre institutions, and that is often small-scale and non-traditional in style or subject matter. The term comes from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.Kemp, Robert, ''More that is Fre ...
based in the
Jewellery Quarter The Jewellery Quarter is an area of central Birmingham, UK, in the north-western area of Birmingham City Centre, with a population of around 19,000 people in a area. The Jewellery Quarter is Europe's largest concentration of businesses invol ...
, with a flexible theatre space seating between 90 and 100 people. Although primarily a producing theatre it also hosts visiting companies and runs comedy nights, workshops and courses.


Touring venues and companies

The Alexandra Theatre and the
Birmingham Hippodrome The Birmingham Hippodrome is a theatre situated on Hurst Street in the Chinese Quarter of Birmingham, England. Although best known as the home stage of the Birmingham Royal Ballet, it also hosts a wide variety of other performances including v ...
host large-scale touring productions, while professional drama is performed on a wide range of stages across the city, including the
Old Rep The Old Rep (originally Birmingham Repertory Theatre) is the United Kingdom's first ever purpose-built repertory theatre, constructed in 1913, located on Station Street in Birmingham, England. The theatre was a permanent home for Barry Jackso ...
, the
Crescent Theatre The Crescent Theatre is a multi-venue theatre run mostly by volunteers in Birmingham City Centre. It is part of the Brindleyplace development on Sheepcote Street. It has a resident company, one of the oldest theatre companies in the city, and al ...
, the
Custard Factory The Custard Factory is a creative and digital business workspace complex, including independent shops, cafes and bars, on the site of what was the Bird's Custard factory off High Street, Deritend, in the Digbeth area of central Birmingham, Engl ...
, the Old Joint Stock Theatre, the Blue Orange Theatre and the ''
mac Mac or MAC most commonly refers to: * Mac (computer), a family of personal computers made by Apple Inc. * Mackintosh, a raincoat made of rubberized cloth * A variant of the word macaroni, mostly used in the name of the dish mac and cheese * Mac, ...
'' in
Cannon Hill Park Cannon Hill Park is a park located in south Birmingham, England. It is the most popular park in the city, covering consisting of formal, conservation, woodland and sports areas. Recreational activities at the park include boating, fishing, bowls ...
.During the 70s, mac, then known as the Midlands Arts Centre for Young People had its own professional puppet theatre and resident theatre company, members of the theatre company included Mike Leigh, Brian Blessed and Sir Tony Robinson. Touring
theatre companies Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...
in Birmingham include the experimental
Stan's Cafe Stan's Cafe is a theatre company based in Birmingham, United Kingdom, with a long track record in producing experimental theatre, installations and live art. Established in 1991, it has become "one of Britain's major contemporary theatre expo ...
, the politically radical
Banner Theatre {{primary sources, date=January 2012 Banner Theatre is a community theatre company based in Birmingham, England. The theatre was founded in 1974. History Founded in 1974, the theatre works with marginalized and disadvantaged communities using a c ...
, the
Birmingham Stage Company The Birmingham Stage Company was founded by the Actor/Manager Neal Foster in 1992, with Sir Derek Jacobi and Paul Scofield CH as patrons. It presents productions both on its home stage at The Alexandra Theatre in Birmingham and touring throughou ...
and the Maverick Theatre Company.


Dance

The
Birmingham Royal Ballet Birmingham Royal Ballet (BRB) is one of the five major ballet companies of the United Kingdom, alongside The Royal Ballet, the English National Ballet, Northern Ballet and Scottish Ballet. Founded as the Sadler's Wells Theatre Ballet, the company ...
is one of the United Kingdom's three major
ballet companies A ballet company is a type of dance troupe which performs classical ballet, neoclassical ballet, and/or contemporary ballet in the European tradition, plus managerial and support staff. Most major ballet companies employ dancers on a year-round bas ...
and the only one based outside London. It is resident at the
Birmingham Hippodrome The Birmingham Hippodrome is a theatre situated on Hurst Street in the Chinese Quarter of Birmingham, England. Although best known as the home stage of the Birmingham Royal Ballet, it also hosts a wide variety of other performances including v ...
and tours extensively nationally and internationally. The company's associated ballet school –
Elmhurst School for Dance Elmhurst Ballet School is an independent school for professional classical ballet in the United Kingdom. It takes students aged 11–19 years who intend to pursue a career in professional classical ballet. Elmhurst provides a full academic day i ...
in
Edgbaston Edgbaston () is an affluent suburban area of central Birmingham, England, historically in Warwickshire, and curved around the southwest of the city centre. In the 19th century, the area was under the control of the Gough-Calthorpe family a ...
– is the oldest vocational dance school in the country.


Opera

The
Birmingham Opera Company Birmingham Opera Company is a professional opera company based in Birmingham, England, that specialises in innovative and avant-garde productions of the operatic repertoire, often in unusual venues. History The company was founded by leading in ...
under artistic director
Graham Vick Sir Graham Vick (30 December 1953 – 17 July 2021) was an English opera director known for his experimental and revisionist stagings of traditional and modern operas. He worked in many of the world's leading opera houses and was artistic d ...
has developed an international reputation for its
avant-garde The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or 'vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretical D ...
productions, which often take place in factories, abandoned buildings and other found spaces around the city. In 2010 it was described by ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the G ...
'' as "far and away the most powerful example that I've experienced in this country of how and why opera can still matter." More conventional seasons by
Welsh National Opera Welsh National Opera (WNO) ( cy, Opera Cenedlaethol Cymru) is an opera company based in Cardiff, Wales; it gave its first performances in 1946. It began as a mainly amateur body and transformed into an all-professional ensemble by 1973. In its ...
and other visiting opera companies take place regularly at the
Birmingham Hippodrome The Birmingham Hippodrome is a theatre situated on Hurst Street in the Chinese Quarter of Birmingham, England. Although best known as the home stage of the Birmingham Royal Ballet, it also hosts a wide variety of other performances including v ...
.


References


Bibliography and further reading

* * * * * * * * * * *{{Citation, last=Thompson, first=Ann, title='I'll have grounds / More relative than this': The Puzzle of John Ward's 'Hamlet' Promptbooks, journal=The Yearbook of English Studies, volume=29, year=1999, pages=138–150, issn=0306-2473, doi=10.2307/3508939, jstor=3508939 Theatre in Birmingham, West Midlands Performing arts in Birmingham, West Midlands