The creative team who will deliver the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games has been announced today.

Taking place on 28 July 2022, and broadcast to 1.5 billion people around the Commonwealth, the Opening Ceremony will host a live audience of 30,000 at the newly redeveloped Alexander Stadium. Some of the UK’s brightest and best creative names have been assembled to deliver this once in a lifetime showcase for the region, with the team boasting a compelling blend of global prestige and homegrown talent.

The Birmingham 2022 Opening and Closing Ceremonies team consists of artistic director Iqbal Khan, writer Maeve Clarke, musical director Joshua ‘RTKal’ Holness, production designer Misty Buckley, broadcast director Hamish Hamilton, and executive producer Steven Knight CBE.

The team have been bought together by Birmingham2022’s Chief Creative Officer Martin Green CBE, who also led the Olympic and Paralympic Ceremonies in London 2012. He said: “As a showcase of creativity and innovation, a successful Opening Ceremony will be remembered by athletes, spectators, and broadcast audiences alike for many years to come. It is a defining moment for Birmingham, the West Midlands, and the UK as we welcome the Commonwealth and set the stage for the Games ahead.

"As we create these Ceremonies, it is our intention to utilise the new range of tools at our disposal. From CGI to special effects, the UK is a world leader in cutting-edge broadcast technology. The core creative team assembled to imagine the Opening Ceremony is drawn from a diverse range of disciplines, from theatre to literature, TV to stage production; we have had access to the very best UK and West Midlands talent to create this.

“This talent and these tools are nothing without a story, and this city and region are full of rich and diverse narratives to share with the world. Ten years, almost to the day, since London 2012’s Opening Ceremony, these Games in Birmingham present a unique opportunity to create a global advert at a moment of renewal as we emerge from the challenges of the pandemic.”

Full details of the story of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies will be revealed in the coming months, as well as the musical performers, special guests and moments that will make up the shows. Created in Birmingham, the Ceremonies are set to be a platform for the voices, cultures and talent of the West Midlands to be represented on an international stage through the lens of innovative broadcast, cutting-edge technology, and spectacular creative production.

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