More than 400 performers will take part in Home and Horizons, the third annual festival celebrating the talents of young people of Birmingham.
Birmingham Rep’s youth theatre groups which cater for those aged from 3 to 25 is staging its “most ambitious programme to date”, with productions exploring identity, self-discovery and community.
The Company, the Rep’s ensemble for emerging artists aged between 18 and 25, will perform Tennessee Williams’s Summer and Smoke on Friday 11 and Saturday 12 July. The same group will stage Alice, Laura Wade’s contemporary reimagining of C S Lewis’s Alice in Wonderland, on Thursday 17 and Friday 18 July.
Young Rep Seniors, the Rep’s ensemble for young people aged from 14 to 18, will perform the National Theatre’s version of Euripides’ Greek tragedy Medea, adapted by Ben Power, from Sunday 13 until Tuesday 15 July and will also present Evan Placey’s adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Jekyll and Hyde on Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 July.
Head of Young Rep Becky Deeks commented, “each year we discuss with our youth board and youth theatre companies what shows they’re interested in, and then our incredibly talented directors work with the companies throughout the year before we take over the Rep for two weeks.
“I’m so excited for this year—it’s the first time we’ve worked in a professional setting with The Company to rehearse Summer and Smoke, our Young Rep Seniors are taking on some challenging titles and our new group for five- to seven-year-olds will be performing on the stage for the first time.
“Every year I’m so proud of all the young people and our team working on the festival. The productions are loved by audiences and they really do set the standard for what youth theatre can be.”
The full festival programme can be found at the Birmingham Rep web site.