Birmingham Repertory Theatre announce the commissioning of 12 new plays

Birmingham Repertory Theatre has announced that it is commissioning a new series of micro-plays that will “illuminate, interrogate and even celebrate today’s socially distanced world”.

Spearheaded by The REP’s Artistic Director Sean Foley, The Park Bench Plays will collate work from some of the country’s biggest writing talents, comedians and emerging playwrights including: ; Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti (A Kind of People, Khandan), Janice Connolly (Mrs Barbara Nice, Stuff), Rachel De-Lahay (The Westbridge, Circles), David Edgar (Nicholas Nickleby, Pentecost), Robin French (Cuckoo, Rebel Music), Tanika Gupta (Lions and Tigers, The Empress), Bryony Lavery (Frozen, The Lovely Bones), Sabiha Mank (The REP Discovery Artist), Amerah Saleh (Author 'I Am Not From Here', Commonwealth Games Handover Poet), Frank Skinner (The Frank Skinner Radio Show, Frank Skinner’s Poetry Podcast), Liam Steel (Director/Adaptor – Peter Pan, The Wizard of Oz), Jack Thorne (His Dark Materials, Harry Potter And The Cursed Child) and Lettie Precious (This Is Us, The Break – BBC 3).

Supported by The Sir Barry Jackson Trust, the 10-minute two-hander plays will be performed in pop-up locations across Birmingham; from bus stations to community centres to foyers, surprising and delighting passers-by.

The plays will be directed by Olivier Award-winning Foley, along with Deputy Artistic Director, Amit Sharma and Associate Director, Madeleine Kludje.

Foley said: “Considering the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on our industry, we at The REP feel it is important to continue to employ artists and create work for audiences.

“From comic to serious, tragic to hysterical, this collection of two-hander plays take ordinary and everyday conversations and make them extraordinary and timeless – they all have a sense of fun and provide a living snapshot of our socially distanced, somewhat disturbed world.

“We look forward to sharing this extraordinary collection of works with audiences when the time is right to do so in the future and to continuing working with this wonderfully eclectic set of writers.”

Comedian Frank Skinner said: “I’m really properly excited to be part of this project with The REP. I’ve had some life-changing experiences on park benches in the West Midlands but I’m hoping this one will be a bit easier on the elbows.”

Playwright Tanika Gupta added; “I am thrilled to have been asked by the The REP to write a piece for this collection of eclectic new plays. In this time of uncertainty, it is greatly welcome to see venues such as The REP actively engaging with artists to continue in efforts to make new work. I am excited to be writing for live theatre again, alongside my fellow eleven fantastic playwrights.”

Having originally planned to stage their first outing during October, local restrictions (in addition to new national limitations) means that The Park Bench Plays has been delayed but will resume as soon as it is safe to stage outdoor performances in the city.

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