Birmingham REP has scooped three awards in recognition of its artists’ development work.
Circles by Birmingham writer Rachel De-lahay has been awarded the Catherine Johnson award for best play 2014. Handsworth-born De-lahay won a bursary from the Pearson Playwrights’ Scheme—now known as the Channel 4 Playwrights’ Scheme—to write for Birmingham REP in 2013.
Her play Circles, which she wrote while on attachment to the REP, received its world première at the theatre in May 2014 before going on a regional tour. It then had a run at the Tricycle Theatre, London.
Catherine Johnson, the author of Mamma Mia, set up the award in 2007 as a way of giving something back for the help and encouragement she received in the early days of her career.
Unknown Male, a new play by another Birmingham writer Stephanie Ridings, was recognised at the Empty Space Peter Brook Awards, winning the Mark Marvin Rent Subsidy Award.
Stephanie Ridings wrote Unknown Male while on the REP’s inaugural REP Foundry artists’ development programme, set up by artistic director Roxana Silbert. The play will première at the REP on 28 January 2015.
The REP has been given the West Midlands Arts, Health and Wellbeing Award 2014 for Bedlam: A Festival of Mad Ideas. In November 2013 the REP and Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health Foundation Trust worked in partnership with people who have experience of mental health issues to help shape Bedlam—a programme of drama, theatre, comedy, poetry, spoken word and photography.
As part of Bedlam, the REP commissioned playwright Charlene James to research and work with those in residential and day mental health settings, which inspired a new play, Jump! We’ll Catch You.
Since Bedlam, Charlene James has been commissioned to write Tweet Tweet for the REP’s Young REP company and has been awarded the Alfred Fagon award for best play.
Roxana Silbert said, “these awards are a testament to the brilliant, young theatre talent that exists in the West Midlands. The REP is honoured to be working with such fine artists and thrilled that they’re being recognised nationally.”