Birmingham Hippodrome Reveals Origins Festival Programme
The festival will showcase new work from eight Birmingham-based artists who have been part of Origins.
Birmingham Hippodrome's New Work & Artist Development department has announced the programme for Origins Festival: Celebrating New Work, taking place from Monday 11 to Saturday 16 May 2026.
The festival will showcase new work from eight Birmingham-based artists who have been part of Origins, the Hippodrome's 18-month New Work & Artist Development residency programme.
The week-long festival will feature hands-on workshops and discussions from industry-leading practitioners and organisations, including In Good Company and Paines Plough, as well as a scratch night for artists to share works-in-progress. Full details will be announced closer to the festival.
From Wednesday 13 to Saturday 16 May, the Origins cohort will present their work on a pay what you can basis. As an independent charity, all proceeds will be reinvested to continue the Hippodrome's commitment to supporting new work in Birmingham.
On Wednesday, Grace Barrington will explore the struggles of a working men's club in Yardley during early-2010s austerity in Money for Nothing, while Amerah Saleh's Untitled follows Layla, who is trying to write a play about her mother's passing and perfectly express her grief and joy, without interference from her three aunties.
Thursday sees Nathan Sebastian Lafayette present As Poetic as it Sounds, a dance-theatre piece exploring what it means to be an artist, from the comic to the infuriating, alongside Louis Wharton's Hurts So Good which examines queer legacy and ethical dilemmas through research into Operation Spanner.
On Friday, Zakariye's Pretend Like It's Calm, a poetic exploration of grief, family and unlikely friendships is joined by Tina Hofman's The Body I See Is Also Mine, a journey through memory, rave and connection where new writing, movement and images collide in a bass-driven search for what is real.
The festival closes on Saturday with Elizabeth O'Connor's Earth Secrets, which follows the dispute of two neighbouring families over a bordering fence, a rose bush, and a lost dog, all while birds fall out of the sky, alongside Jaz Morrison's MID, a near-future story in Birmingham where Dee and Haddy fight to save their local community centre while challenging the Poet Laureate's attempts to artwash its demolition.
Sophia Griffin, Head of New Work & Artist Development at Birmingham Hippodrome, said: “Over the past 18 months, these eight artists have taken risks, tested ideas and developed their practice with real ambition. We're really proud to now share their work with audiences at our first Origins Festival.
“Alongside the performances, the festival creates space for learning and exchange, bringing workshops led by brilliant practitioners into the city and opening them up to Birmingham's wider creative community. We're excited to welcome everyone to the Hippodrome, in what will be a fantastic week-long celebration of new work.”
Origins Festival: Celebrating New Work is produced by Birmingham Hippodrome.
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