Birmingham REP and Talawa Theatre Company are to create a season of work with a predominately black, Asian and minority ethnic focus that will be seen both in Birmingham and in a three-month West End season.
Arts Council England has awarded the REP and Talawa £478,671 to “boost the visibility and profile of established and emerging diverse theatrical talent”.
The two organisations will work in partnership with leading BAME artists including Lenny Henry, Meera Syal, Don Warrington and Lucian Msamati as well as commercial producers Ambassador Theatre Group and Bill Kenwright Ltd.
Lenny Henry said, “holy mackerel! This is good news. Creativity, enterprise and inclusion in one fantastic Midlands-shaped package! Glorious!” Don Warrington added, “this is a wonderful achievement.”
Actor and writer Meera Syal commented, “this is such exciting news for audiences and actors, a chance to celebrate and showcase our best talent in some of our best theatres. As actress Viola Davies said when she picked up her Emmy, ‘The only thing that separates us from other people is opportunity.’ And finally, here it is.”
Birmingham REP’s artistic director Roxana Silbert said, “we’re thrilled with this significant investment and support from Arts Council England to produce a season of work in Birmingham and the West End that will celebrate the extraordinary range of talent we have in British theatre.
“As Lenny Henry recently told MPs, ‘Chiwetel Ejiofor and Idris Elba didn’t need more training, they just needed a break.’ In that speech one thing was clear: development funding is great but after development and training, what next? With this season of work we’ve decided to crash through that glass ceiling.
“A highly visible and sustained presence in the West End is exactly what BAME theatre professionals, both established and emerging, need right now.”
While the focus of the season will celebrate existing talent, it will be enhanced by a programme of training and apprenticeships for emerging BAME artists and backstage staff. In London, there will also be a festival of new play readings, work in progress, workshops and masterclasses.