As the UK heads towards the general election, young people from Birmingham and the West Midlands are taking to the stage for The Manifesto, a two-and-a-half-week festival of “punchy, political ideas”.
Birmingham REP’s youth theatre The Young REP will present nine plays tackling issues surrounding education, culture, equality and justice. They include Bryony Lavery’s More Light, Davey Anderson’s Blackout, Douglas Maxwell’s Prom and a new interpretation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet to be staged over all ten floors of the Library of Birmingham.
Tom Saunders, senior youth theatre director at the REP, said, “in recent years, the Young REP Festival has become a highlight of the year for us and our young people. This year will be no different.
“The festival takes place eight weeks before the general election and with this in mind we’ve put together a programme of work that is punchy, political and aims to get audiences thinking about important issues.
“Over the two-and-a-half weeks there’ll be nine plays, more than 150 performers with ages ranging from seven to 25 and a mix of styles so there’s something for everyone.”
The Manifesto will run at the REP from Tuesday 17 March until Tuesday 31 March.
Young REP Shenley Academy, Small Heath School and Waverley School will stage Ask A Fish To Climb A Tree, devised by the companies, on Tuesday and Wednesday, 17 and 18 March.
Hamlets, presented by the Young REP 18-25 Company, a collaboration between the REP, the Library of Birmingham and Hôtel Teatro, will involve Shakespeare’s play being cut up, rearranged and spread all over the library from Tuesday until Saturday, 17 until 21 March.
Young REP Intermediates will perform Panic!!!, devised by the company, on Friday and Saturday, 20 and 21 March.
The Arena Young REP and Young REP Seniors will present a double bill of Blackout by Davey Anderson and British Values, devised by the company, on Tuesday and Wednesday, 24 and 25 March.
There will be another double bill, this time from Young REP Juniors, who will perform The Day The Stories Went, a company-devised production, and Douglas Maxwell’s Prom on Saturday 28 March.
The Young REP Seniors Company will then tackle Bryony Lavery’s More Light and Pies Tomorrow by Matthew Bond and Ian Farnell on Monday and Tuesday, 30 and 31 March.
Further information is available at the Birmingham REP web site.