Belgrade Theatre to Host NANNY OF THE MAROONS Event in Spring 2027

 The Belgrade Theatre has unveiled both the future and impact of its co-creation work: a three-day community showcase and sharing for its upcoming Summer 2027 production Nanny of the Maroons, and a landmark new report revealing the wide-reaching impact last year's co-created Romeo and Juliet had on Coventry's communities.

Between 18 – 20 March, the Belgrade presented three events that demonstrated the theatre's unique approach to community co-creation of its home-grown productions.

Presented under the banner Freedom to Reimagine these events celebrated the halfway stage in the creative process for the Belgrade's next major co-created production, Nanny of the Maroons, the epic tale of a 19th century Warrior Queen and feminist icon, who is today recognised as a Jamaican national hero. Tickets for the 2027 production will go on sale to Belgrade members on April 13th.

Developed through storytelling workshops with Coventry's Caribbean community and co-directed by Belgrade Artistic Director Corey Campbell and Justine Themen, the Belgrade has been engaging with hundreds of people to bring the Queen Nanny's story to life, share stories, creativity and ideas. Freedom to Reimagine provided a chance to see and experience work that has been created with young people, families, community members, and artists over the past few months.

On 18 March 2026 there was a showcase by the Belgrade's Media Academy. This screening and exhibition featured original short films, podcasts, and written work created in response to the theme Female Heroes. Each piece reflected the unique voices, perspectives, and creative talents of our community participants. Digital content created for the showcase is now available via the Belgrade website and on the Belgrade's YouTube Channel. See here.

A special Showcase and Sharing event took place on 19 March, bringing together Coventry's communities in an evening of performance, conversation, and reflection. The event highlighted the creative and emotional contributions of young people, centring their voices, stories, and lived experiences. Exploring themes of freedom, power, and collective strength, students from Blue Coat School and Hereward College presented newly devised work across poetry, dance, and theatre, developed through weeks of creative exploration.

The Blue Coat Gospel Choir performed original songs developed in collaboration with Nanny of the Maroons composer Corah Fowles, drawing on themes from the story of Queen Nanny. Members of West Midlands Youth Revival Church also took part in the creative process, contributing to the development of the work. The programme also featured a newly commissioned spoken word piece by Coventry's Young Poet Laureate, Diamond Kayode-Osunlana, responding to the theme Freedom to Reimagine.

On  20 March, the Belgrade presented Nanny to Now, a panel discussion exploring the legacy of Queen Nanny and the ongoing cultural and political resonance of her story today. Hosted by Sandra Griffiths, founder and CEO of The Red Earth Collective, a Black led arts organisation using creativity to challenge mental health stigma, Sandra was joined by a panel of prominent Black women leaders, thinkers and cultural voices - Lavinya Stennett — writer, activist and Founder/CEO of The Black Curriculum, a social enterprise campaigning for inclusive Black history education across the UK. Nissy Tee — award-winning content creator, presenter and digital strategist, and founder of Powerclass Masterclass, a platform supporting women to build confidence, power and self-belief, and Chinonyerem Odimba — Artistic Director and CEO of tiata fahodzi and an acclaimed playwright, librettist, screenwriter and director, with work spanning the Young Vic, RSC, BBC and Channel 4. Together the panellists explored leadership, resistance, identity and community through the lens of Queen Nanny's enduring legacy.

The panel discussion accompanied the release of the visual podcast series 'The Nannys of Today' in which Nanny of the Maroons co-director Justine Themen speaks with inspirational black women - Nova Reid,  Charlene Hunter and Lorna Phillip – about their careers and Nanny's legacy. The first three episodes are available via YouTube, Spotify and Apple Music, with four more episodes scheduled in the run up to the show's opening in Summer 2027. Watch Here

This three-day celebration demonstrated the diverse way communities can contribute to, participate in and influence productions at the Belgrade.

Adel Al-Salloum, Director of Producing and Co Creation said “Freedom to Re-imagine brought people together to share stories, ideas, and creative work developed over recent months with young people, artists and communities. More than a showcase, it offered a living glimpse into how the work is being made, inviting audiences into the creative process as Nanny of the Maroons evolves.”

Nanny of the Maroons will take place in 2027 and goes on sale on 13 April 2026.  

Romeo and Juliet Impact Report – co-creation's impact measured

In conjunction with Freedom to reimagine the Belgrade also unveiled the Romeo and Juliet Impact Report — a landmark study that articulates co-creation as the core of how the Belgrade

makes theatre. Centred on the Belgrade's ground-breaking 2025 co-created production of Romeo and Juliet, the report defines a long-term, people-first co-created model of theatre-making — one rooted in shared ownership, deep community collaboration and artistic ambition. Led by Artistic Director Corey Campbell and Chief Executive Laura Elliot, the Belgrade is on a 10-year journey to embed co-creation across its programme — creating large-scale work with communities and sharing it nationally. 

“This report is both a reflection and a beginning,” said Corey Campbell, Artistic Director of the Belgrade. “It captures everything that we've learned from Romeo and Juliet, but more importantly it articulates how we make work now — putting people at the centre of the process and allowing stories to grow from lived experience.”

The production of Romeo and Juliet, co-created with over 150 people from across Coventry and beyond, was developed in partnership with That's A Rap (a Coventry-based company on the Belgrade's Springboard talent programme) and students from, Coventry Academy, an alternative education provider for young people aged 11-16. The project united professional artists, emerging local talent, and community participants, offering opportunities, training, and pathways into the arts.

Together, they reimagined Shakespeare's story through rap, R&B and gospel, expressing contemporary themes of love, loyalty and conflict. Their music and perspectives became part of the final production, which opened at the Belgrade Theatre in February 2025 before touring to co-producers Hackney Empire and Bristol Old Vic.

The Romeo and Juliet Impact Report evidences the wide-ranging impact of this co-created approach:

• 22,000 people attended performances across Coventry, London, and Bristol with 41% first-time audiences
• 15% of Coventry audiences came from the city's most deprived neighbourhoods
• 40+ emerging regional artists were employed with 10% new to theatre practice
• Participants and co-creators reported significant increases in confidence, wellbeing, and employability.
• Over 80% of the cast made their Shakespearean debut
• 30 local residents performed in the show alongside professionals and a community choir
• 15,000+ YouTube views for the accompanying short film Turn and Draw, created by Belgrade Media Academy students and now used by schools nationwide, which won a Midlands Royal Television Society Diversity Award
• 2 further nominations at the Black British Theatre Awards

The report also highlights Romeo and Juliet's measurable impact on wellbeing, employability and creative confidence. Participants in the Belgrade Ensemble, Digital Media Academy and Community Choir all reported significant growth in skills, inclusion and wellbeing, while Coventry Academy saw improved attendance, engagement and predicted GCSE results as a result of the partnership.

Building on the learnings and principles set out in the Romeo and Juliet model, the co-created Nanny of the Maroons and Macbeth will deepen the Belgrade's position as a People First Theatre, where diversity powers storytelling and communities help shape the cultural landscape.

Corey Campbell, Artistic Director of the Belgrade Theatre, said “At every stage, this project showed how stories change when the process changes. From young people shaping Shakespeare through rap, to local residents performing alongside professionals, this was Coventry telling its own story on its own terms.”

Laura Elliot, Chief Executive of the Belgrade Theatre, said, “This impact study demonstrates the power of co-creation – when creativity is shared and ownership is collective, theatre becomes a true expression of the city it serves.” Romeo and Juliet was theatre made with and for our city, and it embodies our mission to be a truly People-First organisation where everyone has a voice.”