The Young REP Presents Nine Plays in THE MANIFESTO, Now thru March 31

As the UK heads towards the general election young people from across Birmingham and the West Midlands are taking to the stage for The Manifesto, a two-and-a-half-week festival of punchy, political ideas.

From today 17 to 31 March, Birmingham Repertory Theatre's youth theatre, The Young REP present nine plays that tackle issues surrounding education, culture, equality and justice including Bryony Lavery's More Light, Davey Anderson's Blackout, Douglas Maxwell's Prom plus a brand new interpretation of Shakespeare's Hamlet to be staged over all 10 floors of the Library of Birmingham.

Tom Saunders, Senior Youth Theatre Director at The REP, says of the festival:

"In recent years the Young REP Festival has become a highlight of the year for us and our young people and this year will be no different. The festival takes place just eight weeks before the general election and with this in mind we've put together a programme of work that is punchy, political and aims to get audiences thinking about important issues.

"We've named the festival The Manifesto because the shows represent the thoughts, feelings and ideas that many of our young people share. Over the two and half weeks there will be 9 plays, over 150 performers with ages ranging from 7 to 25 and such a mix of styles that there is something for everyone."

An exciting addition to this year's festival is the opportunity for audiences to travel around the Library of Birmingham as part of a collaboration between The REP, Library of Birmingham and Hôtel Teatro. Hamlets is presented by the Young REP 18-25 Company and will see one of Shakespeare's iconic plays cut up, rearranged and spread all over the library.

The Young REP works with young people aged between seven and twenty-five across Birmingham and the West Midlands. Members work with professional theatre-makers to create innovative and thrilling productions, which are performed at The REP, as well as touring across the UK and beyond.

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Young REP Festival 2015: The Manifesto:
Tuesday 17 to Tuesday 31 March 2015
Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Centenary Square, Broad Street, Birmingham, B1 2EP

Tuesday 17 - Wednesday 18 March, 7pm
Young REP Shenley Academy, Small Heath School and Waverley School present

Ask A Fish To Climb A Tree

Devised by the companies

Directed by Jo Gleave, Melissa Daly, Bhavik Parmar and Tom Saunders

"If you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid." Albert Einstein

The school-based Young REP companies from Shenley, Small Heath and Bordesley Green tackle the issue of Education. Why is it compulsory? What is its value? What is it for?

Tuesday 17 - Saturday 21 March, 8.30pm plus 5.30pm matinee on Saturday Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Library of Birmingham & Hôtel Teatro Theatre Company present a Young REP 18-25 Company production

Hamlets

Based on William Shakespeare's Hamlet

Adapted and directed by Daniel Tyler

There have been thousands. There'll be many more. But does everyone have a Hamlet in them? Based on this question, Shakespeare's most famous play is being cut up, rearranged and spread all over the Library of Birmingham.

Audiences will encounter the play as never before as they travel around the building. Expectations of 'Hamlet', Shakespeare, theatre, and the Library itself, will be explored, expanded and exploded.

Friday 20 - Saturday 21 March, 7pm

Young REP Intermediates present

Panic!!!

Devised by the company

Directed by Tom Mansfield and Tom Saunders

Everyone Panic! Everyone believe the news! Everything is in disarray and a deadly new virus in on the way!

Young REP Intermediates present a fast-paced and raucous new show about what happens when we push the panic button.

Tuesday 24 - Wednesday 25 March, 7pm

The Arena Young REP present

Blackout

By Davey Anderson

Directed by Melissa Daly

"Imagine. Imagine if all this happened to you. What would you do?"

Blackout is inspired by the true-life story of a 15 year old boy charged with attempted murder. This short, sharp shocker of a play gives an insight into the mind of a troubled young offender.

Young REP Seniors present

British Values

Devised by the company

Directed by Tom Mansfield

What makes you British? The language you speak? The food you eat? How long you're prepared to stand in a queue? With schools across the country now required to teach British values, the Young REP Seniors set out to find out what those values really are.

British Values is a high-energy satirical sketch show that goes right to the heart of who we are.

Saturday 28 March, 4pm & 7pm

Young REP Juniors present

The Day The Stories Went

Devised by the company

Directed by Tom Mansfield

There's big trouble in class 4A. At the end of a long day, the children have earned a story. There's just one problem: all the books have gone missing. Can our intrepid young heroes find the missing stories before the bell rings? Will they ever master the eight times table? Will the dinosaurs eat the pirates for breakfast?

The Day the Stories Went is a joyful exploration of the power of the imagination, presented by the youngest members of the Young REP.

Young REP Juniors present

Prom

By Douglas Maxwell

Directed by Tom Saunders

"I think the best bit will be getting to be totally grown up. Like real Americans."

Join our Year Six class as they prepare for the most exciting night of their lives. What is the theme? What we they wear? What make up should they put on? And is everyone as excited about the Prom as the Prom Committee are?

Monday 30 - Tuesday 31 March, 7pm

Young REP Seniors Company present

More Light

By Bryony Lavery

Directed by Daniel Tyler

The Emperor has died. He is accompanied to his tomb by his concubines. Forever.

Being buried alive forces the ladies to come to terms with their past whilst attempts to survive drive them to extremes of human behaviour. However, there is some light: they learn to play, laugh, create their own art; they may be doomed but they are more alive than ever before.

Young REP Seniors Company present

Pies Tomorrow

By Matthew Bond and Ian Farnell

A secret pie loving cult is surreptitiously pressuring the government! Why? Because they WANT THE PIES! Only one man stands in their way, the egotistical, absent-minded and all together wrong man for the job; Charles Melvin, the Major of Melton Mowbray. His only option is an all out war between NATO and the town, but what else going on deep inside the dark and seedy underbelly of the pie world?

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Tickets: £7, concessions £3; Hamlets: Tickets £10, concessions £7. Box Office: 0121 236 4455. Online booking: birmingham-rep.co.uk.