Drama, Dance and In-Depth Conversation at the REP this Spring

Dame Joan Bakewell. Photo courtesy of the artist.

The Birmingham Rep Theatre has announced details of additional productions focused on new dramas, dance and in-depth conversation to join its already impressive Spring 2025 programming of comedy, new drama, thrills and world class performances. 

The Intrusion – a new and dynamic collaboration between international Lecoq-trained Bric à Brac and The Rep’s long-time collaborator, Told by an Idiot will be hurtling into The Rep’s intimate performance space - The Door on Wednesday 19 – Thursday 20 March.

Inspired by Kafka, The Intrusion is a highly theatrical fable which fuses elements of the real and the fantastic, the documentary and the dream. Through original music, creative captioning, humour and sharp satire, this darkly comic production explores the end of human civilisation and questions who gets to survive.

Intrusion.

Additionally in March, pioneer of arts broadcasting and an icon of Britain's cultural scene, Dame Joan Bakewell will be reflecting on her career so far on The Rep’s main stage on Wednesday 5 March for An Evening with Joan Bakewell.

At 91, Baroness Bakewell looks back on her work in television, shares her passion for art and music and literature in a rare insight into the winner of a BAFTA Fellowship who helped transform the way the arts were covered on TV. 

Following later in the month, BAFTA nominated actor and much-loved television personality, Nigel Havers, will be taking to The Rep’s main stage with his first ever solo show, Talking B*ll*cks on Tuesday 25 March.

Nigel Havers. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Nigel Havers will be bringing his trademark charm, wit, and roguish style to the stage, sharing the incredible stories behind his five decade-rise from fresh-faced newcomer to one of Britain’s most beloved stars of stage and screen.

From childhood and drama school to iconic roles in Chariots of Fire, A Passage to India, and Empire of the Sun, he’ll reveal the behind-the-scenes moments that shaped his career. Expect anecdotes from his mischievous escapades in Don’t Wait Up, West End triumphs like Art, and even Palladium pantos.

Phoenix Dance Theatre, the UK’s longest-standing contemporary dance company outside of London, will be bringing Inside Giovanni’s Room, a captivating full-length dance piece inspired by one of the most influential novels of the 20th century, James Baldwin’s Giovanni’s Room to The Rep for one performance only (Wednesday 28 May).

To celebrate what would have been Baldwin’s centennial year, Phoenix Dance Theatre’s Artistic Director and choreographer Marcus Jarrell Willis, masterfully re-imagines Baldwin’s profound narrative into a powerful new piece set in 1950’s Paris brings the iconic novel to life, delving into themes of love, sexuality, guilt, and self-acceptance — subjects that continue to resonate deeply today. 

The Rep’s recently re-appointed Associate Director, Iqbal Khan (East is East, SILENCE) returns to The Rep’s main stage from Wednesday 25 June – Saturday 5 July with a brand-new stage adaptation of Marriage Material – written by Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti (A Kind of People) and adapted from the critically acclaimed debut novel from West Midlands born author, Sathnam Sanghera.

The Bains’ corner shop in Wolverhampton has been at the centre of the family for three generations. In 1969, Mrs Bains is balancing running the business, caring for her ailing husband and the demands of her two headstrong daughters, who each have their eye on a different kind of future. In the present day, a family tragedy pulls Arjan Bains back from a life in London. The shop represents everything he was trying to escape, but with his mother insisting it remain open, how long can he stay away?

To book tickets, please go to: https://www.birmingham-rep.co.uk/