Birmingham REP has announced the first four productions to play in the city centre venue’s space The Door which closed in March 2020 because of the global pandemic.
Later in 2022, The Door will become a dedicated space for artists to develop new work and present scratch performances.
This new era for The Door will be led by the Rep’s associate director, Madeleine Kludje. She said, “it’s really encouraging to see live performance returning to our most intimate space after an absence of what will be approaching two years.
“Looking forward, this space will become a place where artists from Birmingham and beyond can develop their craft and their work, a venue where audiences can enjoy and explore emerging work and discover the hit productions of the future.”
The first performance in The Door will be Yours Sincerely, written and performed by Will Jackson and presented by Quick Duck Theatre, from Wednesday 2 until Saturday 5 March. Storytelling and lipsync cabaret “collide in this queer coming-of-age comedy about the complications of 21st century communication.”
Black is the Color of my Voice is inspired by the life of Nina Simone and features many of her songs performed live. Apphia Campbell’s play follows a successful singer and civil rights activist as she seeks redemption after the death of her father. It will run on Monday 28 and Tuesday 29 March.
Riot Act takes audiences on a “wild ride through six decades of queer history”. A solo verbatim show, Riot Act has been created entirely out of interviews with three key players in the history of the LGBTQ+ rights movement: Michael Anthony Nozzi, a survivor of the Stonewall riots, Lavina Co-op, an alternative 1970s drag artist and Paul Burston, a 1990s London AIDS activist. Written and performed by Alexis Gregory, Riot Act can be seen in The Door on Thursday 12 May.
Written by James Fritz and presented by Fifth Word and Nottingham Playhouse, Lava is a “funny, tender and moving story about friendship and reconnection in the aftermath of a catastrophe”. It will be in The Door on Friday 13 and Saturday 14 May.