Beverley Knight was among the performers at a gala event celebrating 120 years of Birmingham Hippodrome which raised almost £40,000 towards projects involving young people and the region’s communities.
Hippodrome associate artists Motionhouse kicked off the evening with a free public performance of their new Hippodrome-commissioned piece Wild in Hippodrome Square.
There were performances from another Hippodrome associate, Sonia Sabri Company along with principle cast members of Wicked, Six The Musical and The Phantom of the Opera alongside Birmingham Hippodrome’s own ZooNation young company and the cast of West Side Story, the first community musical produced by Birmingham Hippodrome for its main stage.
Artistic director and chief executive Fiona Allan revealed plans to redevelop the front of the building and add more performances and rehearsal spaces.
She said, “we’re now open all day and are proud to be a public space in the city. We’ve increased the number of free and low-cost activities, curated new visual arts programmes and expanded our free festivals programme.
“We also want to create a place where future performing artists can make a career, so we’ll continue to invest in commissioning and presenting the best local artists.
“We have many more ambitions for the future of the Hippodrome, from the co-commissions we've brought to the main stage during our 120th year to the building itself, ensuring Birmingham Hippodrome continues to contribute and shape the cultural life of the region over the coming decades.”