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BrumHour is invited to review both homegrown and touring productions at Birmingham Rep throughout the year.
Little Red Riding Hood touring Birmingham and the West Midlands with The Rep
Via Samantha for Birmingham Rep
January 2024: Following on from a highly successful run at Birmingham Rep, Little Red Riding Hood, will tour to twenty-six community venues and libraries across Birmingham and the West Midlands during January and February 2024.
Audiences have been loving the production and the tour, presented by Birmingham Rep and the Library of Birmingham, gives more people the opportunity to see this charming re-telling of the famous fairytale.
Tickets will be free or at low cost thanks to the generous support of the Sir Barry Jackson Trust and Arts Council England.
The production is directed by Rep Associate Artist, Caroline Wilkes and written by Katherine Chandler, who also directed and wrote last year’s family favourite Jack and The Magic Beanstalk, making it another Rep Original that has been created especially for children aged three to six years old (and their grown-ups).
Here is the tour schedule:
Legacy Centre of Excellence (16th January at 11am) – Supported by the Sir Barry Jackson Trust
Ward End Library (17th January at 11.30am) – Supported by Arts Council England
Shard End Library (19th January at 11am and 1.30pm) – Supported by Arts Council England
Northfield Library (20th January at 11am and 1.30pm) – Supported by Arts Council England
Welcome Change Community Centre (23rd January at 11am) – Supported by the Sir Barry Jackson Trust
Acocks Green Library (24th January at 11am and 1.30pm) – Supported by Arts Council England
Perry Common Library (25th January at 11am and 1.30pm) – Supported by Arts Council England
Sutton Coldfield Library (26th January at 11am and 1.30pm) – Supported by Arts Council England
South Yardley Library (27th January at 11am and 1.30pm) – Supported by Arts Council England
Handsworth Library (30th January at 11.30am and 2.45pm) – Supported by Arts Council England
Chelmsley Wood Library (31st January at 11am and 1.30pm) – Supported by Arts Council England
Castle Bromwich Library (1st February at 1.30pm) – Supported by Arts Council England
Hobs Moat Library (2nd February 11am and 1.30pm) – Supported by Arts Council England
The Core Library (3rd February at 11am and 1.30pm) – Supported by Arts Council England
Balsall Common Library (6th February at 11am) – Supported by Arts Council England
Coventry Central Library (7th February 11am and 1.30pm) – Supported by Arts Council England
Tile Hill Library (8th February at 10.45am) – Supported by Arts Council England
Allesley Park Library (8th February at 2.15pm) – Supported by Arts Council England
Stoke Library (9th February 11am and 1.30pm) – Supported by Arts Council England
Foleshill Library (10th February at 10.45am) – Supported by Arts Council England
Bell Green Library (10th February at 2.15pm) – Supported by Arts Council England
Sense TouchBase Pears (13th February at 11am and 1.30pm) – Supported by the Sir Barry Jackson Trust
Jubilee Park, Tipton Muslim Community Group (14th February at 11am) – Supported by the Sir Barry Jackson Trust
Chinnbrook Children’s Centre (15th February at 2pm) – Supported by the Sir Barry Jackson Trust
West Heath Community Centre (16th February at 11am and 1.30pm) – Supported by the Sir Barry Jackson Trust
Dorothy Parkes Centre (17th February at 3pm) – Supported by the Sir Barry Jackson Trust
Robert Bruce, Chief Executive Officer of Smethwick’s Dorothy Parkes Centre, said:
The Dorothy Parkes Centre is delighted to be hosting another Birmingham Rep production. Following on from last year’s sell-out for Jack and the Magic Beanstalk, this year we will welcome Little Red Riding Hood and we are all looking forward to enjoying this show and banishing the winter blues.
This is a great opportunity to bring a high-quality show to Smethwick for families who may be facing a cost of living crisis and it gives young children a chance to experience theatre at a young age. We are extremely grateful to The Rep and The Sir Barry Jackson Trust for providing us with this opportunity.”
Director of Little Red Riding Hood, Caroline Wilkes, said:
We are truly thrilled to extend the enchantment of this magical production to a wider audience of young children across the West Midlands beyond our successful run at The Rep.
We’re delighted that hundreds more children can relish the joy of live theatre, perhaps marking the beginning of a lifelong love for the performing arts, a gift they might not have encountered otherwise.”
Little Red Riding Hood takes the audience on an exciting adventure, which sees Red and her Nana outwit the Big Bad Wolf through being brave, kind and a little bit chatty!
CBeebies presenter Nisha Anil plays Nana. The role of Red is played by Siobhan Cha Cha and joining them as the Wolf/Robin is actor and musician Ben Simon.
Little Red Riding Hood is also a Green Book sustainably made theatre production. Green Book productions are part of a theatre industry initiative to tackle climate change from waste reduction to printing posters on recycled paper.
Claire Cochrane from the Sir Barry Jackson Trust said:
The Sir Barry Jackson Trust is committed to the enrichment of the community experience of live theatre in all its diversity. We are delighted to support this hugely enjoyable and fun retelling of a much-loved fairy tale, which will enthral young children and their families. We’re especially proud that the show is a Green Book production, with sustainability at the heart of its set design.”
The Little Red Riding Hood set has been constructed to minimise its carbon footprint. A large portion of the wooden elements were made using offcuts from other Birmingham Rep productions, including Sinatra The Musical and The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe and leftover paint has been used to reduce waste.
In addition to the tour, a number of the venues and libraries will be offering a workshop that explores the production with its creatives. Please check with the individual venues as to which ones are hosting a workshop.
Tickets for The Rep’s Spring 2024 season are on sale now, to book tickets visit birmingham-rep.co.uk or call 0121 236 4455. and social media: Birmingham Rep.
