Faustus, Asking For It, Romeo and Juliet and more: Birmingham REP announces Spring 2020 season of shows

The programme precedes new Artistic Director, Sean Foley’s first full season of work in Autumn 2020.

Speaking of the new shows, Sean said: “While my own first full season of work awaits in Autumn 2020 our programme of work from February next year continues The REP’s reputation for creating and presenting amazing theatre that ignites our collective imagination.

"Across our three stages, we present a real diversity of voices and stories. In an era when the very idea of ‘the other’ - an outsider - comes with extraordinary social tension, many of these plays - even the comedies - take a look at the conflict that can come from standing up, being different, or defiantly not fitting in.

"In a city of great diversity, and at a time of tremendous national debate around identity, these plays create great and essential evenings at the theatre through their unique takes on the human experience.

“Times, styles and audiences change, but the desire to present the new, the entertaining and extraordinary remains, and I look forward to welcoming audiences to this programme that promises to excite, challenge and thrill.”

Celebrating its UK première is the acclaimed stage adaptation of Louise O’Neill’s devastating novel, Asking For It from January 31 to February 15.

Adapted for the stage by Meadhbh McHugh in collaboration with director Annabelle Comyn, the show takes a brave look at victim blaming and the effects of rape culture.

Asking For It, a Landmark Productions and Everyman, Cork production in association with the Abbey Theatre, Dublin, broke box office records in two sold out seasons and won the Audience Choice Award at the Irish Times Irish Theatre Awards by a landslide earlier this year.

Faustus: That Damned Woman is a new play from award-winning playwright and theatre maker Chris Bush, and it comes to the theatre from February 26 to March 7.

The reimagining, directed by Caroline Byrne, asks what we must sacrifice to achieve greatness.

Birmingham director, Iqbal Khan’s 2018 production of Tartuffe for the RSC is revived by The REP from March 20 to April 4 for a Brummie audience.

Set in the Pakistani Muslim community in Birmingham, Tartuffe tells the story of charismatic chameleon and con man, Tahir Taufiq Arsuf, a religious leader for the 21st Century armed with a Twitter handle and the gift of the gab.

This version of Molière’s classic comedy of hypocrisy is created by BAFTA and Emmy Award-winning writers Anil Gupta and Richard Pinto.

The REP’s Deputy Artistic Director, Amit Sharma, will create a new version of Shakespeare’s Romeo And Juliet from April 16 to 25.

In the classic, two young people defy family strictures and age-old vendettas in the name of love. The new staging will invite everyone from Birmingham to be a part of the cast.

Amit Sharma explains: “The REP is a theatre for the people of Birmingham and our stage belongs to everyone.

"What better play to demonstrate this than the greatest love story ever told.

"We want to celebrate the make-up of this city by representing our friends and neighbours, and to have fun and create a large-scale show with a message of love conquering all.”

Dickens’ classic novel, Oliver Twist, adapted by award-winning playwright Bryony Lavery, comes to Birmingham from April 29 to May 9.

Directed by Amy Leach and presented by Leeds Playhouse in association with Ramps On The Moon, every performance of Oliver Twist will feature the use of integrated creative sign language, audio description and captioning.

Marking the start of a new collaboration with the Bush Theatre to produce new plays for both London and Birmingham audiences is the debut play from Temi Wilkey.

The High Table, staged from March 25 to April 9, is an epic family drama set between generations of a Nigerian family on the eve of a wedding and played out between the heavens and the earth.

It receives its world première at the Bush in February 2020 before playing The REP.

Giraffes Can’t Dance comes to the REP from May 13 to 17 based on the best-selling picture book by Giles Andreae and Guy Parker-Rees.

The touching tale follows Gerald the giraffe, who wants nothing more than to dance at the great Jungle Dance.

The show tours to Birmingham following its première at Curve Theatre.

Following the success of The Wipers Times, Ian Hislop and Nick Newman’s comedy A Bunch Of Amateurs comes to the theatre from May 26 to 30.

Adapted from their 2008 film, the play tells the story of Hollywood action hero Jefferson Steele, who arrives in England to play King Lear in Stratford only to find that this is not the birthplace of the Bard but a sleepy Suffolk village and the cast are a bunch of amateurs.

In The STUDIO, Told by an Idiot (My Perfect Mind, Heads Will Roll) play homage to two men who, as young, unknown performers, toured the USA for two years together as part of Fred Karno’s famous music hall troupe.

The duo ended up changing the world of comedy forever in The Strange Tale of Charlie Chaplin and Stan Laurel, set to be staged from February 25 to 29.

Fresh from a sell-out run at the Royal Court, Poet In Da Corner, from March 10 to 14, is a coming of age story inspired by Dizzee Rascal’s seminal album, Boy in da Corner.

A semi-autobiographical piece by poet, lyricist and dancer Debris Stevenson, Poet In Da Corner explores how grime helped shape her youth.

The show will feature grime MC Jammz.

The season of plays in The DOOR include The Political History of Smack and Crack, Forced Entertainment’s To Move In Time, Home of the Wriggler, Augumented, The Time Show, Shane Shambhu’s Confessions of a Cockney Temple Dancer, Matthew Xia’s debut production for ATC, Amsterdam, and The Canary And The Crow by Daniel Ward.

Tickets for spring 2020 shows at Birmingham Repertory Theatre went on sale to members on Wednesday, September 25, with general booking opening on Wednesday, October 2/

For more information, click here.