50th Anniversary Gala Raises £23k For Birmingham Rep

Birmingham Rep have announced that their 50th Anniversary Gala event held on Saturday 2 April has raised £23,000 towards supporting the venue, the only producing theatre in Birmingham.

The event was attended by 130 guests and hosted by The Rep's Patron of Youth and Education, Baroness Floella Benjamin and Rep Associate Director, Iqbal Khan.

Entertainment included words from Sir David Suchet and music from star of recent hit Rep production, What's New Pussycat?, Kelly Price, accompanied on piano by Rep Associate Artist and composer of Jerry Springer: The Opera, Richard Thomas.

Birmingham's own Michelin-starred Chef, Glynn Purnell, provided a bespoke menu which paid homage to several of The Rep's most famous productions including East Is East and The Snowman.

The evening also included an auction where guests were able to bid for some unique items and experiences. The vital funds raised will support The Rep's extensive activities both on and off stage and help to pave the way for another 50 years of providing theatre for everyone in the city and beyond.

The Rep's Artistic Director, Sean Foley said; "The Rep has always been an industry leader - the vision it embodies of a world class producing theatre in Birmingham has endured for over 100 years.

"We are extremely grateful to all of those who attended, donated or performed at The Rep's 50th Anniversary Gala - a special evening to mark 50 years of our home on Centenary Square. The event raised vital funds that will help this pioneering theatre to continue as a cultural crown jewel of the city and nation.

"We create world premiere productions right here in Birmingham - five in our current season - and events such as this enable us to do so... here's to the next 50!"

Rachael Thomas, The Rep's Executive Director added; "As we all know, the past two years have been incredibly tough for theatres and we continue to navigate the impact of Covid day to day on our financial sustainability. Our public subsidy equates to less than 20% of the income we generate each year to deliver our all of our creative activities on and off stage.

"As a charity, events like our 50th Anniversary Gala are therefore vital in helping to secure our future as a theatre and continue delivering life changing creative activities with young people and our community. We are so grateful to all of those of who have shown their support for this event and far beyond."

Glynn Purnell said; "It has been an absolute pleasure designing a menu that suitably celebrates The Rep, a brilliant Brummie theatre at which I have enjoyed many fantastic evenings of entertainment over the years. I'm so pleased to be able to contribute to celebrating 50 years of The Rep in Centenary Square and seize the opportunity to bring theatricality to the dinner table at this special event."

The money raised at Birmingham Rep's 50th Anniversary Gala will make a vital difference in helping to secure the theatre's future, aid its recovery following enforced closure during the pandemic and help The Rep to continue providing opportunities for the city's creative talent and communities.

For more information on The Rep and how you can support visit birmingham-rep.co.uk.

To post a comment, you must register and login.