Birmingham Rep has been named one of nine local arts organisations to receive funding from the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation’s new place-based programme, designed to support arts and culture across Birmingham and the wider region.
The grant will fund two new backstage apprenticeships — Theatre Technician and Scenic Maker — aimed at young people from diverse backgrounds traditionally under-represented in theatre.
The initiative is part of a wider £500,000 investment in 11 projects across the West Midlands, focused on widening access and developing creative talent.
Simon Thurley, Chair at Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation, said:
“For decades, Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation has sought to give money in impactful ways, reaching into the heart of communities up and down the country. As the public funding situation in cities like Birmingham becomes increasingly difficult, we felt compelled to support critically important, and now endangered, arts organisations and projects in the city.
Strong arts organisations bring unquantifiable benefit to the wider community, and we hope this programme will see our grants make a larger collective impact on a very local level in Birmingham. However, we are offering just a small part of the solution to a much larger problem. We very much hope that others may see the impact of this programme and be inspired to join us in Birmingham and other great UK cities in the coming years.”
Rachael Thomas, CEO at Birmingham Rep said:
“We’re delighted that Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation has chosen to fund our apprenticeships programme, which will fund 2 apprentices in backstage roles over 2 years.
With full production facilities on site here in Birmingham we’re hugely proud of the production and technical craft skills that are nurtured in this building. We’re also committed to opening up careers in theatre to young people from a wider range of backgrounds.
As the only producing theatre in one of the youngest and most diverse cities in the UK this is therefore a great opportunity to marry our aims of developing the production arts and building a more diverse workforce.
We look forward to discovering new talent in our city and region and the opportunities that will bring for both the apprentices and The Rep. Without Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation’s support, it would not be possible.”
Recruitment for the new apprenticeships is underway, with successful candidates to be announced soon.
More information can be found at https://www.birmingham-rep.co.uk/
