Belgrade Theatre Coventry to Launch SEE IT FIRST 2026 Programme of New Work

The Belgrade Theatre Coventry today has revealed details of See It First 2026, its annual programme of new work in development, workshops and conversations between artists and audiences, taking place from Saturday 18 – Saturday 25 July 2026.

Once again, the Belgrade will become an artistic hub for the region, championing new work, unearthing new stories and connecting artists with audiences. Taking place across the Belgrade and in The Jag, the Theatre's creative workshop and performance space on Corporation Street, See It First invites audiences to encounter bold new ideas at an early stage, while offering artists time, space, support and connection.

 

Saturday 18 July

See It First 2026 will open on Saturday 18 July with Common Ground: A West Midlands Artists Reflective Space, a facilitated, interactive session bringing together freelance artists, companies and organisations from across the region to connect, reflect, play and share openly about the realities of making work in the West Midlands today. Led by Belgrade Theatre Associate Director Jay Zorenti-Nakhid, the session will use practical exercises, discussion and breakout groups to create space for meaningful exchange, peer support and new connections.

The opening day will also include Created in Cov, a work-in-progress showcase featuring three exciting new works by Coventry-based artists Charlotte Faulconbridge, Bladder & String and Rikkai Scott. At 7pm in The Jag, the showcase will offer audiences a glimpse into the creative process as new ideas take shape, the evening reflects the breadth of talent being developed across the city.

Wednesday 22 July

On Wednesday 22 July (6.15 & 8.30pm, The Jag), Jude Green presents Toast, a brutally funny show about broken systems, broken artists and breadstuffs. Pitting one skint actor against Universal Credit, Toast explores what it means to try to survive as an artist when the stakes are no longer theoretical.

Thursday 23 July

On Thursday 23 July (6.15 & 8.30pm, The Jag), James Trevelyan presents Chase, a one-person play about suburban isolation, social media and the lengths we go to for validation. Set on the edge of a town on the edge of the Midlands, the play follows Gee as they search for signs of extra-terrestrial visitors among the grass of Cannock Chase, while seeking their fortune posting conspiracy theories online.

Friday 24 July

On Friday 24 July (6.15 & 8.30pm, The Jag), Kate Thomson Rahmanian presents Duck, a feral, funny, full-throttle one-woman show mixing cabaret, burlesque, clowning and spoken word. At its centre is Duck, a mixed-race duck with a minor identity crisis and a major need to belong. Hilarious, tender and gloriously unhinged, Duck pecks at the absurdity of race, identity and existing between worlds.

Saturday 25 July

On Saturday 25 July (6.15 & 8.30pm, The Jag), Emmeline Hartley and Jack Mullings present We Had Fun, directed by Olivier and Tony Award nominee Carrie-Anne Ingrouille. A distinctly un-romantic dark comedy exploring the greyest areas of consent and sexual politics, the play follows close friends Oscar and Ela as they navigate the fallout of a drunken sexual encounter and their conflicting versions of events are replayed, rewound and re-written against the sensory medley of a wild night out.

Alongside the public performance programme, See It First will include a series of workshops and artist-development sessions designed for writers, performers, theatre-makers, facilitators, poets, spoken word artists and creative practitioners.

Wednesday 22 July

On Wednesday 22 July (3.30 – 6pm, Screen Room), award-winning writer Sophia Griffin will lead Character-Driven Writing with Sophia Griffin, a workshop exploring how writers can build stories around empathy, truthfulness and character-led journeys. Sophia's debut play After Sunday, a Belgrade Theatre and Bush Theatre co-production, won an Off West End Award, and Sophia was nominated for Most Promising Playwright at the 2026 Critics' Circle Theatre Awards.

Thursday 23 July

On Thursday 23 July (4 – 5.30pm, Screen Room), disabled theatre-makers Alexandra Whiteley and Benjamin Wilson will lead Creative Access: How Integrated Access Can Make Your Work Fly, a session exploring how access can be embedded creatively from the earliest stages of a project. Designed for artists at every scale of work, the workshop will consider how audio description, captions, BSL and other forms of theatrical accessibility can open doors to new audiences, enrich storytelling and support more inclusive creative processes.

Friday 24 July

On Friday 24 July (4 – 6pm, Screen Room), Birmingham spoken word artist Amerah Saleh will lead Poetic Storytelling and Theatre, a workshop for poets and spoken word artists interested in writing for theatre. Through discussion, exercises and reflection, participants will explore the differences between poetic and dramatic storytelling, and the opportunities and challenges that come with entering a form that may feel familiar but demands a different way of thinking.

Saturday 25 July

On Saturday 25 July (2 – 5pm, Patrick Suite), Jay Zorenti-Nakhid will lead Facilitation Through Play, a practical, peer-led workshop exploring facilitation through games, play and shared practice. Participants will be invited to try out exercises drawn from theatre and participatory work, exchange ideas and build a collective toolbox of facilitation techniques and approaches.

On Saturday 25 July (4 – 6pm, Screen Room), Richard Kent will be hosting An Honest Conversation About Design, an open discussion presented in partnership with Belgrade Theatre. Drawing on his experience designing productions across the West End, international opera and new writing, including Paines Plough's After Party, Richard will explore the realities of theatrical design, from director/designer collaboration and balancing creative ambition with budgets, to the journey from initial ideas through to tech week. Participants are invited to bring their curiosity, questions and insights for a candid conversation about the often unseen design process.

See It First 2026 will then close with a celebratory closing event Stay & Play: A Celebration Experiment (7.30 – 10pm, Burbidge Room), bringing artists and audiences together to mark the end of the programme and take part in challenges and games led by Associate Director Jay Zorenti-Nakhid.

Together, See It First reflects the Belgrade's ongoing commitment to co-creation, talent development and new work, creating space for artists and audiences to meet, experiment, exchange ideas and help shape the future of theatre in Coventry and the wider region.

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