The Old Rep is a Grade II listed theatre, located on Station Street in Birmingham, England. When it was constructed in 1913, it was the United Kingdom's first ever purpose-built repertory theatre. When built, it became the permanent home for Barry Jackson's newly formed Birmingham Repertory Company, which began life in 1911, born from his amateur theatre group, The Pilgrim Players, founded in 1907. Jackson funded the construction of the theatre and established a professional, resident company there, which soon became a major powerhouse within the British theatre due to its innovative stagings of the works of both Shakespeare and George Bernard Shaw, resulting in some considering it to be Birmingham’s answer to The Old Vic.
In June 2024, is was officially announced that The Crescent Theatre, which celebrated its centenary in the same year, would be taking over the running of the historic 111 year old theatre in August 2024, alongside its own theatre complex in Brindley Place.[1]
The theatre is situated just opposite New Street Station, from which a Birmingham Civic Societyblue plaque dedicated to Sir Barry Jackson can be seen. For a relatively small street consisting of 9 buildings, Station Street also houses additional buildings of historic importance including, Britain's oldest working cinema; The Electric and The Crown Public House, which was given Grade II listed status in March 2024.
Origins
In September 1912, Jackson purchased a small plot of land in Station Street in-between the Market Hotel (built in 1883) and C.F. Marlowes Wine Merchants. The street was a major artery in the city, with the street leading straight to the Market Hall and access to New Street Station opposite. He employed the architect S. N. Cooke,[2] a colleague from the Birmingham School of Art, who collaborated with Barry Jackson in the creation of the theatre. Both Jackson and Cooke took inspiration from the democratic nature of theatres that they had visited in Germany. The design of The Old Rep was particularly influenced by Max Littmann's Münchner Künstlertheater which had been built in 1908.[3] In addition to the theatre, a set building workshop was built in the neighbouring Hinckley Street, which was still connected to the theatre at the back.
Construction on the vacant site began in October 1912, funded entirely by Jackson. Wanting the theatre built as soon as possible, he paid for continuous work by day and under flares into the winter nights, to have the theatre built within four months. To this day, the theatre retains many of the Edwardian features both externally and internally, making it one of the best preserved theatres, of its type, still in use for its original purpose.
The theatre opened its doors on 15 February 1913 with a performance of William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, preceded by a reading from Barry Jackson, of the poem The Mighty Line by resident playwright John Drinkwater. The company began what would become more than a century of history with a vision led by Jackson that theatre should "serve as art instead of making that art serve a commercial purpose." With a wealth of local talent, the theatre produced a rolling bill of plays reflecting both classic texts and new writing.
Home of the Birmingham Repertory Company: 1913-1971
The theatre rapidly became home to one of the most famous and exciting repertory theatre companies in the country with the repertoire ranging from innovative modern dress Shakespeare, medieval moralities, Greek drama and modern experimental drama, as well as presenting many world premieres including George Bernard Shaw's epic Back to Methuselah in 1923.
In 1914, almost a year after opening, The First World War began, with the theatre becoming a refuge for people during those dark days. In 1915, the men who were unable to join the war effort, who worked for the theatre both on stage and off, worked together on Sundays making shells at the local aluminium works.
In 1917, the Birmingham Repertory Company became a pioneer in the theatre industry by becoming the first UK venue to appoint a female stage manager, Maud Gill. She left a fascinating and entertaining account of her experiences in her autobiography 'See the Players'. She was told that "a woman ought not to be put in charge of stagehands because "working men" would not take orders from her, but she decided that, since mothers has been keeping order in the home since the beginning of time, the way to go about it was to treat them as a mother would treat her family. It worked."[4]
In 1921, a fire erupted inside the theatre damaging the front curtain and the stage set. However, by the matinee the following day, the production continued despite the fire damage.
In 1923, Barry Jackson received a gold medal from the Birmingham Civic Society which was shortly followed by a knighthood in 1925 for his services to the theatre. Sir Barry Jackson's significant role in the Birmingham's arts scene was to be recognized once again in 1955 when he was awarded the Freedom of the City.
Jackson single-handedly financed the theatre for over two decades, personally losing over £100,000.[5] The scale of Jackson's financial commitment to The Rep was revealed by the recollections of George Bernard Shaw of his first meeting with Jackson in 1923:
'How much a year are you out of pocket by this culture theatre of yours?' I said. He named an annual sum that would have sufficed to support fifty labourers and their families. I remarked that this was not more than it would cost him to keep a thousand-ton steam yacht. He said a theatre was better fun than a steam yacht, but said it in the tone of a man who could afford a steam yacht.
Jackson threatened to close the theatre at the end of the 1923–24 season after audiences at a production of Georg Kaiser's Gas in November 1923 averaged only 109 per night, but relented after commitments were made by 4,000 subscribers for the following season.[7] A fundraising appeal in 1934 raised only £3,000 of its £20,000 target, however, leading Jackson to hand over ownership to a board of trustees in January 1935.[8] Although this relieved Jackson of financial responsibility for the company, he would retain full artistic control until his death in 1961.[8]
By the outbreak of the Second World War the Rep was, alongside the Liverpool Playhouse, one of only two British theatres presenting programmes of quality drama outside London in accordance with the original aims of the repertory movement.[9] An indication of the Rep's status in British theatre at this time was given by the Scottish playwright James Bridie, who wrote in 1938: "If we are to be bombed, a thorough razing from Piccadilly Circus to Drury Lane and down to The Strand would do less harm to the theatre than one bomb on Station Street, Birmingham."[10]
In 1940, during the Birmingham Blitz, a bomb was dropped through the theatre’s roof, which resulted in the destruction of nearly 30 years of set and costumes. Despite this, the company vowed not to be affected, with the management deciding to switch performances to matinees only, which resulted in an increase in audiences as they now felt safer.
Jackson had an exceptional eye for young talent, and it was under his leadership that many young actors learnt their craft and who later went on to become stars in their own right. Some of the early names included; Laurence Olivier, Peggy Ashcroft, Edith Evans, Stewart Granger and Ralph Richardson all gaining valuable early experience with the then thriving repertory system. He toured plays to the city's parks, established a theatre school and made Birmingham Repertory Theatre one of the most renowned theatres in the world. As the theatre's reputation grew, more talent was to develop on its stage with the likes of Paul Scofield, Julie Christie, John Neville, Albert Finney and Derek Jacobi. Peter Brook directed at the Rep just after World War II and transferred with Sir Barry and Paul Scofield to Stratford.
The theatre was awarded its first Arts Council England grant in 1954 worth £3,000 which now equates to £77,000. Shortly after in 1960, Barry Jackson met with Birmingham City Council and Arts Council England to guarantee the funding to build a new arts venue. This was eventually agreed in 1968, and plans for the new Rep began to take place.
Life after the Birmingham Repertory Company: 1971-2024
In 1971, after 58 years, the resident company of the Birmingham Rep moved to a newly built 901-seat theatre designed by Graham Winteringham and Keith Williams Architects on Broad Street, with them taking the name of Birmingham Repertory Theatre with them. Consequently, the theatre was renamed The Old Rep, to avoid confusion, when it was taken into full ownership by Birmingham City Council. However, this wasn't the last time the company would be based at Station Street, returning to The Old Rep between 2011 and 2013 while the Birmingham Repertory Theatre and the Library of Birmingham underwent redevelopment. The company celebrated their centenary year at their original home with a programme of performances, tours and creative activities for the people of Birmingham.
For a period in the early 1990s it became the base of The Birmingham Stage Company, with the City Council still hiring out the theatre to touring shows and productions.
In 2014, Birmingham Ormiston Academy (BOA), a Birmingham based stage school, took on the lease of the theatre from the City Council. In 2024, after 10 years, they decided not to renew the lease, which allowed the established Crescent Theatre to take ownership of the theatre and secure it for future generations.
The Old Rep has played a central role in the early careers of many of the UK's most celebrated actors and theatre-makers. A few notable names who have all performed at The Old Rep include:
Joined the Birmingham Rep Company in February 1921, aged 15, as an ASM. By March, 1921, he was on stage in Captain Brassbound's Conversion by George Bernard Shaw. He was at the Rep for two years until February 2023, during which time he appeared in 25 productions, some alongside Gwen Ffrangcon-Davies and Cedric Hardwicke who were both in the company at that time.
Attended The Old Rep's drama school in her late-teens and participated in many of their shows including Separate Tables and charity fashion shows at Warwick Castle. Willcox is now a patron of The Old Rep.
Notable Buildings in Station Street
Former Market Hotel (to the left of the Old Rep). Built in sandstone in 1883 by Thomson Plevins. At the back of the hotel the original workshop of the Old Rep can just be seen.
The Electric Cinema
The Crown Public House, also attributed to Plevins
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