Birmingham Hippodrome has announced that three female-led musical theatre companies have joined its associates programme.
Burnt Lemon Theatre, The Good Enough Mums Club and Fat Rascal are now part of a programme which is “designed to support artistic ambitions and develop work to reach new and wider audiences”.
Chris Sudworth, director of artistic programme at the Hippodrome, said, "as one of the UK's best-known venues for musical theatre, we felt it was essential to support the development of new voices telling fresh and different stories in this most popular of styles. All three companies make playful and powerful musical theatre with a contemporary twist."
Burnt Lemon Theatre will be the first of the new associates to perform at the Hippodrome with its musical Toyko Rose. First performed at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2019, Tokyo Rose tells the true story of how a strong, American-born woman battled through a journey of self-acceptance only to return home to a dangerously divided nation.
Hannah Benson, co-artistic director of Burnt Lemon Theatre, said, "the Hippodrome's support and belief in us have been incredible. Working with the team has been critical to our growth and an amazing opportunity to hone our craft and lift the musical's potential."
Tokyo Rose will be presented at the Hippodrome's Patrick Studio from Thursday 28 until Saturday 30 October.
The Good Enough Mums Club was established in 2013 and all its work is produced, directed, arranged and performed by mothers. A concert show, An Evening With The Good Enough Mums Club, will be performed in the Patrick Studio at the Hippodrome on Friday 19 November before a full musical, The Good Enough Mums Club, premières at the Hippodrome in 2022.
Fat Rascal’s Unfortunate sold out at the Patrick Studio in 2019. The company will be working with the Hippodrome team to develop the show into a full-length musical that will premiere in late 2022.
The three companies join existing Hippodrome associates Aakash Odedra Company, Break Mission, Motionhouse, Open Theatre, Rosie Kay Dance Company, Sonia Sabri Company and ZooNation: The Kate Prince Company.