The Old Rep

The Old Rep is a young people driven theatre situated on Station Street in the centre of Birmingham. We present a year-round programme of theatre, dance, comedy, musicals and creative workshops. In 2016, we were the proud winners of Best Small Theatre/Arts Venue, Birmingham in the What’s On Reader Awards. The Old Rep is an iconic venue that occupies a unique place in theatre history as Britain’s first purpose-built repertory theatre. Opened in 1913, The Old Rep was the original home of the Birmingham Repertory Company led by Sir Barry Jackson, who moved to their new site on Broad Street in 1971. Just as in the days of the repertory company where young actors would come from all over the country to learn their craft, The Old Rep strives to engage, educate and entertain the next generation of artists and theatre lovers. With a high quality programme of events, The Old Rep is a creative hub that showcases professional productions as well as nurturing talent by providing a platform to showcase amateur performances. We are dedicated to providing space for young people to craft a career in the arts and we offer a wide range of training opportunities within production, theatre management, marketing and technical theatre. The theatre has been well-preserved and still retains many original features from its early days including a mirror rumoured to have been requested by Sir Laurence Olivier himself! The 385 seater auditorium is an inspirational setting for our varied programme and a must-see for those interested in Birmingham’s (and Britain’s) theatrical history. As of 2014, The Old Rep is owned and managed by Birmingham Ormiston Academy (BOA). BOA was established in 2011 as an academy for 14 - 19 year olds specialising in creative, digital and performing arts. The academy has established itself as a centre of excellence for the arts, forging strong links with creative industries regionally, nationally and internationally. The Old Rep stages BOA students’ performances throughout the year, and students on performing and technical theatre arts courses have regularly timetabled lessons within the theatre The Old Rep is generously supported by Birmingham Ormiston Academy, the Ormiston Trust and Peter Murray OBE.