The Old Rep is participating in this year’s Birmingham Heritage Week by celebrating its long history with a series of behind the scenes tours followed by traditional afternoon teas in a special location within the theatre. You might be able to guess it, but don’t, that takes the fun out of it. It is a treat.
Led by two charming front of house staff, a small group of visitors is led up and down the many staircases of the Old Rep – due to the age and listed status of the building, there is no lift and the tour involves climbing numerous stairs – and regaled with stories of the last 109 years.
The Old Rep was constructed in 1913 and for much of its life known as Birmingham Repertory Theatre. That is, until the new Birmingham Repertory Theatre opened on Broad Street in 1971 and the original received the ‘Old’ descriptor. The Old Rep is the United Kingdom’s first ever purpose-built repertory theatre, and was built as a home for Barry Jackson’s repertory company.
During the tour you hear of how the first female stage manager in the UK began at the Old Rep, what item the iconic Laurence Olivier asked to be installed near the stage.
You hear which famous faces are patrons, how musician Toyah Willcox started off as a stagehand, you hear of ghosts sitting in the balcony and see graffiti scrawlings on the fly floor.
The tour will last around 1 hour and 20 minutes depending on your group, what comes up, and the questions asked. Beyond checking the backs of seats for plaques featuring the dedications of famous patrons, a highlight of the tour is getting to be on and around the stage, visiting the orchestra pit, seeing the tunnels. When I visited we were lucky enough to receive a special demonstration on the ‘fly floor’ as one of the riggers happened to be on site so we saw the hemp flying system in action. It’s a very comprehensive experience. There’s a video, there’s handouts, there’s demonstrations.
The afternoon tea (remember, no guessing the secret location!), includes sandwiches, a scone with jam and cream, cake and biscuits. The sandwiches are not labelled, so there’s more guesswork involved, but they can cater to dairy free, vegan or vegetarian options if you tell them specifically.
I’d recommend visiting the Old Rep for a tour as it not only educates you on the history of the theatre itself, but of the city around it. You learn plenty about a changing Birmingham too.
Will Amott, 17th September, 2022
