Produced by DanceXchange, in partnership with Birmingham Hippodrome, the award-winning International Dance Festival Birmingham 2016 (IDFB) returns for the fifth time to bring the city alive with dancers from across the globe over three spectacular weeks from 1-22 May 2016.
Multi award-winning musical Mary Poppins flies back onto the Birmingham Hippodrome stage just in time for Easter 2016, opening on Wednesday 9 March until Saturday 23 April 2016.
This week, Birmingham Royal Ballet Director David Bintley and dancers from one of the UK's most prolific dance companies took a step back in time retracing the steps of arguably the world's most famous playwright as they visited the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust in Stratford upon Avon.
Inspired by the true story of the famed recording session where Sam Phillips, the 'Father of Rock 'n' Roll' brought together icons Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis Presley, Million Dollar Quartet includes more than 20 legendary rock 'n' roll hits, including Blue Suede Shoes, Hound Dog, I Walk The Line and Great Balls of Fire. The production opens 24-29 October 2016.
Twenty nine students studying dance at top academies and colleges in the Midlands will have the chance to perform a Curtain Raiser on the Birmingham Hippodrome stage.
Under the artistic directorship of British-born Paul Lightfoot, Nederlands Dans Theater is headquartered at the Lucent Danstheater in The Hague. Since its foundation in 1959, this pioneering company has built a rich repertoire of more than 600 ballets by master choreographers Ji?i Kylian and Hans van Manen, renowned house choreographers Sol Leon & Paul Lightfoot, associate choreographers Crystal Pite and Marco Goecke and high-profiled guests such as Gabriela Carrizo, Hofesh Shechter, Johan Inger, Alexander Ekman and Sharon Eyal & Gai Behar.
See dazzlingly gothic Sleeping Beauty in its first revival since it took the Birmingham Hippodrome stage by storm in 2013.
Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap will continue its record-breaking, and first ever, UK tour into 2016. The beloved murder mystery will begin the 2016 leg of its tour at Nottingham Theatre Royal, where it originally opened in 1952, on 19 January
After seeing a similar panto production of Peter Pan at Birmingham Hippodrome a few years, Qdos Entertainment have rolled it out to the Wolverhampton Grand this Christmas, starring the Chuckle Brothers and John Altman. With stunning sets, flying and plenty of gags, what more can you ask for!
Carlo Rizzi is ready to enter an exciting period of work in the New Year. The conductor's 2015/16 season continues in January with a return to the Lyric Opera of Chicago for Matthew Ozawa's new production of Verdi's Nabucco. He heads to Milan the following month to begin rehearsals for Teatro alla Scala's eagerly awaited staging of Umberto Giordano's La cena delle beffe, an opera not seen at La Scala for eight decades. Rizzi's rich schedule also includes the world premiere of Iain Bell's In Parenthesis and the double-bill of Cavalleria rusticana and Pagliacci, staged to celebrate the 70th birthday of Welsh National Opera (WNO).
A stunning field of fibre optic lights will pop up at two Birmingham city centre sites in the approach to Christmas. Residents, city-centre workers, Christmas shoppers and visitors to the city will be able to view and control a unique and interactive art installation.
On Friday 27 November 2015 Birmingham Royal Ballet opened its magical production of THE NUTCRACKER once again on the Birmingham Hippodrome stage, 25 years after its world premiere back in 1990. Scroll down to see photos of the original cast and creative team reuniting in honor of the show's anniversary!
Wales Millennium Centre and Cape Town Opera are delighted to present the return of Mandela Trilogy, opening at Wales Millennium Centre on 24 August 2016, followed by a UK and Ireland Tour, finishing on 24 September 2016.
At a special reception at the House of Lords today 17 November 2015, kindly hosted by the Bishop of Birmingham The Right Reverend David Urquhart (in his capacity as a Trustee of Birmingham Hippodrome Theatre Trust), DanceXchange and Birmingham Hippodrome officially launched International Dance Festival Birmingham 2016.
Disney and Cameron Mackintosh are delighted to announce additional dates for the UK and Ireland tour of their multi award-winning musical MARY POPPINS, starring Zizi Strallen as 'Mary Poppins' and Matt Lee as 'Bert'. In addition to the previously announced dates, MARY POPPINS will also play the Alhambra Theatre Bradford from 2 November - 10 December 2016 and Wales Millennium Centre Cardiff from 14 December 2016 - 14 January 2017. Full tour schedule below.
Disney and Cameron Mackintosh are delighted to announce additional dates for the UK and Ireland tour of their multi award-winning musical MARY POPPINS, starring Zizi Strallen as 'Mary Poppins' and Matt Lee as 'Bert'. In addition to the previously announced dates, MARY POPPINS will also play the Alhambra Theatre Bradford from 2 November - 10 December 2016 and Wales Millennium Centre Cardiff from 14 December 2016 - 14 January 2017.
Rambert's eagerly awaited return to Birmingham showcases their reputation as Britain's national dance company, extending the reach of their world class dance to the Midlands with an accessible triple bill of works, Frames, Transfigured Night and Rooster, performed at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre.
24 children from The Theatre Workshop in Edgbaston will be joining the cast of Tim Rice & Andrew Lloyd Webbers classic rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar on stage at Birmingham Hippodrome from 2 - 7 November 2015. The children from the local stage school will perform in two of the well-known musical numbers from the show, alongside an acclaimed cast which includes musical theatre star Glenn Carter and X Factor's Rachel Adedeji.
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of their move to Birmingham, the Birmingham Royal Ballet presents a triple bill of contrasting works at the Birmingham Hippodrome. As a relatively small company, the dancers have to be flexible and adapt to a whole range of dance styles. This triple bill, Theme and Variations, is the perfect showcase for the dancers, ranging from American Balanchine, to classic Ashton, and cutting edge contemporary work.
In November 1940, just five days after the Coventry attack, Birmingham suffered three nights of consecutive bombing. 800 people lost their lives, thousands were injured and 20,000 civilians were made homeless.
Videos
