Friends of the Belgrade Theatre benefit from receiving 20% off individual tickets.See back page for season diary.Book Now 024 7655 3055 or via www.belgrade.co.uk

The

Bel

grad

e T

heat

re is

a r

egis

tere

d ch

arity

, no.

219

163

After all the excitement of celebrating the fifth anniversary of the reopening of the theatre, we caught up with Executive Director Joanna Reid to find out what her highlights of the last five years have been and what she hopes the theatre will achieve in the future.

What do you think have been the theatre’s main achievements over the last five years?

It’s been a really busy period. Not only have we opened this beautiful building and produced great shows and increased our Community & Education work, but we’re also serving new and bigger audiences. we’re also working more closely with businesses, and we’ve established new commercial activities to increase our earned income as well.

What have been your personal highlights?

Meeting and working with some of our famous alumni has been a privilege and it’s great to witness their loyalty and affection for the Belgrade. In 2011 we had visits by Sir Ian Mckellen and Clive owen and we worked closely with director Trevor Nunn on the reopening of the theatre in 2007. I got to tell him that it was one of his shows that made me want to work in theatre in the first place! More recently I’m proud of the development

of our award-winning Creative Apprenticeship programme which encourages young people to join us in one of the many jobs that exist off the stage.

Why do you think it is important to work with local talent and produce work specifically about Coventry?

Shows like We Love You City and Too Much Pressure tell the stories of the people who live here, it’s their city and these stories are its shared history. They are a great talking point too, a way of bonding us together and reminding us of the many things we have in common with each other. These are the shows that make the Belgrade unique in the country. As a newcomer to the city, I was particularly struck by One Night in November. I knew Coventry had been bombed but it was only by sitting through the play that I understood what that meant emotionally for this city. That was a real bonding moment for me.

What challenges has the theatre faced since reopening and how did you overcome them?

Every theatre that has been closed for refurbishment is faced by the challenge of recapturing its audience on reopening. we also had the challenge of putting the new Belgrade onto the producing theatre map. we

achieved both by producing eight shows in eight months which was a mammoth job and typically ambitious. we also needed to attract new audiences into the theatre and we’ve achieved that by offering a wide programme of shows. B2 has been a major contributor to that. It’s such a great space and being smaller it is better suited to show certain types of work.

What are your plans and aspirations for the theatre for the next five years?

To continue to offer bold, exciting and wide ranging shows on both stages – some of which we produce, some of which we buy in – and a full programme of Community & Education work at the same time as balancing the budget. A buzzing theatre is great for the city and its region. It is particularly important in this time of economic gloom and depression. People need to have fun and to be stimulated to think outside themselves and theatre offers this. we are also working on reducing our carbon footprint and are happy that what we sell to audiences is pretty green so your theatre experience does not end up adding to landfill!

Show Dates Description

Talon Tues 2 october Talon’s 15th anniversary tour features all of the Eagles classic songs including Hotel California, Take it Easy, Desperado and more.

ABBA Mania weds 3 oct Enjoy all your favourites such as Mamma Mia, Dancing Queen, Super Trouper and many more.

Murder on the Mile Mon 8 –Sat 13 oct The Agatha Christie Theatre Company presents a stylish new production of the Queen of Crime’s classic thriller.

House of Burlesque – Shipwrecked Fri 5 oct Shipwrecked by a terrible storm on the Island of Temptation, international Burlesque showgirl Miss Tempest

Rose leads the audience through an utterly absorbing adventure.

J A Story – The History of Jamaica Musical Sat 6 oct In a passionate story set against an exceptional set of circumstances, you will see the many different cultures

and people who have helped to make Jamaica what it is.

Dry Rot Mon 22 – Sat 27 oct Secret doors, spilt second-timing, flawless physical comedy and an all star cast including Liza Goddard, Gareth Hale, Neil Stacy and Gemma Bissix.

The Dark at the Top of the Stairs Sat 20 oct – Sat 10 Nov American family drama set among the wide open spaces and never-ending skies of oklahoma in the early 1920s.

The Bootleg Sixties Mon 12 Nov Back with great music and visuals having rocked the Belgrade to its very foundations last time

Twelfth Night Thurs 8 – Sat 10 Nov Propeller return to the Belgrade with Twelfth Night. In a quest to understand the nature of truth itself. Twelfth Night tells a twisted tale of mistaken identity, transformation and deception.

Phantom and The Musicals Tues 13 Nov Phantom and The Musicals represent the very best from the west End and Broadway. Barry walker, who

was born in Coventry, brings the show to his home town for the first time.

The Circus of Horrors weds 14 Nov Dr Haze and his Vampire Vaudeville show takes you through 1927 Berlin, the roaring twenties and the birth of cabaret with dare devil and bizarre circus acts from all 4 corners of the world.

The Canterbury Tales wed 14 – Thurs 15 Nov The Canterbury Tales is an immersive production igniting with an explosion of live music, story-telling and general mischief.

Crackers Sat 8 – Sat 22 Dec Leonard’s life is a complete and utterly weird pantomime. Trapped behind the checkout at Myrrh’s Bazaar, a cut price Christmas shop, he longs to escape find true love and live his dream.

Exclusive Friends of the Belgrade Theatre Events

Joanna Reid on the fifth anniversary

Exclusive Friends of the Belgrade Theatre EventsAs part of your Friends of the Belgrade Membership, you are entitled to 20% off the following shows. * Discount is valid on 1 ticket if you have a Single Membership and 2 tickets if you have a Joint Membership.

Issue Fourteen Winter 2012

Check our What’s On guide or visit www.belgrade.co.uk for more details.

We are currently working on the exclusive Friends events for the next few months.

However, I can announce that the Belgrade Theatre will be hosting its first ever Craft Fair on Saturday 24 November… more details to follow soon.

As always we are keen to find out what you want to see and do at the Belgrade, so if you have an idea for a Friends event please do get it touch on 024 7684 6758 or email friends@belgrade.co.uk.

The Belgrade BulletinNow you know about everything that’s happening on stage, here’s an insight into what’s going on backstage with an update from the Production department, the Communications team, Theatre operations and the Community & Education Company.

Production Department & Belgrade Production ServicesThe Production department have been extremely busy so far this season working on Fragile and 20th Century Boy. over in the workshop, the team will be building a family ranch house set in dusty 1920s oklahoma for The Dark at the Top of the Stairs, and a dazzling fairy tale castle fit for Sleeping Beauty.

Community & EducationThe Community & Education Company will be presenting readings of short new plays from some of the west Midlands’ newest communities in the third New Black Showcase on the 16th and 17th November. The theatre’s five youth theatre groups will commence workshop sessions in october where they will be working towards achieving their Bronze Arts Award qualification. We also welcome a new cohort of year 10s who will study with the theatre for the next two years on the Acting out Programme, working towards achieving a BTEC qualification in performing arts.

DevelopmentLeonie Fletcher, the new Development Manager is now in place and the team are working on developing a new fundraising strategy that will provide patrons with a number of ways to donate to the Belgrade Theatre.

Part of the strategy is to increase awareness of the Belgrade’s charitable status, so a charity bed-push is being planned to coincide with this year’s pantomime, Sleeping Beauty.

CommunicationsCommunications are happy to welcome some new members to the team; Rosie Mackie, who was the Communications Apprentice is now Communications Assistant and Claire Procter joins as Education Officer, splitting her time between the Communications and Community & Education office.

The team are currently busy promoting the current Autumn 2012 season and gearing up for the onset of this year’s panto Sleeping Beauty. The marketing officer is planning even further ahead having already started work on creating the Spring 2013 brochure.

Theatre Operationsover the summer the team has been looking at new and exciting ways of increasing the services the theatre provides with a view to enriching the theatregoer’s experience.

The team have been overwhelmed by applications for usher positions and are short-listing applicants to get them on board and trained in time for the beginning of panto. They are also currently interviewing more volunteers to assist the ushers front of house during performances. This is a relatively new scheme which will be developed over the season. If you are interested in volunteering please get in touch.

Meetings have already taken place with various suppliers to provide merchandise for sale at panto… Oh no they’re not… oh yes they are!

All in all, the team are refreshed, informed and ready to go to help our patrons experience more in the new season at the Belgrade Theatre.

What is your role at the Belgrade Theatre?I am the Communications Assistant which means I support the communications team in the press and marketing activity.

How long have you worked here?I started working here after Christmas as a Communications Apprentice, so I’ve been here for nine months but have only just started in my current, permanent role as Communications Assistant. I can’t wait to work on pantomime for the first time as there’s so much fun stuff involved. we’ve created a Sleeping Beauty themed game which you can play online and a huge standee that you can put your face through and become the Prince or Princess!

How did you get into your job?I’ve always loved theatre and it’s been a dream to be involved with it. I started out as an apprentice and grabbed the opportunity to learn and meet people. I was delighted to take over from our previous Communications Assistant when she left. It’s a joy to work here with so many wonderful people.

What are the most exciting and challenging parts of your job?I am responsible for putting together the programmes for Belgrade-produced shows which is quite a responsibility and there’s a lot of work involved with it. I have involvement with producing all the articles and content and it’s always a fun and exciting process. Although, it does makes me nervous when the printed programmes arrive at the theatre and you just have to pray that there are no spelling mistakes you might have missed!

Have you ever experienced any real disasters? Thankfully, I can’t think of anything that I’ve got horrifically wrong. Not yet anyway! There was an incident where a certain piece of artwork was sent to us by a touring company and went on the website. Nobody noticed until it was too late that it contained a typo which spelt out a rude word but I won’t be too specific about that!

What are your favourite shows that you have seen at the Belgrade Theatre?I’ve been a fan of the Belgrade long before I started working here. I came to see Uncle Vanya in 2011 and thought it was an excellent version of a classic play. Another of my favourites was We Love You City, which really surprised me because I’m not a big football fan. It focused on real people’s stories from the time of the CCFC FA Cup win and that’s what made it such an emotive piece of theatre.

What shows are you most looking forward to seeing in the new season?The Dark at the Top of the Stairs will be a highlight of the autumn season for me. Having read the script, I think it’s an interesting story about a family in a changing world. Also, it will be my first time working on panto this year, so I’m really excited for Sleeping Beauty. I went to the presentation of the model box of the set and was wowed by the creativity of the design.

Can you tell us something we might not expect about your job?I’m heavily involved in the theatre’s social and digital media stuff which includes updating our Facebook and Twitter accounts and producing content for the blog on our website. This is one of my favourite parts of the job as I get to interview actors and members of the creative team and make the occasional trip to our workshop at Red Lane to take pictures of the set being built or the costumes being made.

2 3

Meet the TeamRed Lane Panto Update

Unfortunately Signatures Dining have closed the restaurant at the Belgrade. we know that having a meal and a drink before seeing a production enhances the enjoyment of the evening so we have teamed up with local restaurants to offer discounts to Friends of the Belgrade Theatre.• Signatures – 10% off food and drink at the

Belgrade’s Café and Bars

• Coombe Abbey – 10% off food and drink in the restaurant

• Ramada Hotel Coventry – 10% off food and drink at Stresa Bar and Restaurant

• Wroxall Abbey – 10% off food and drink in their restaurants

• Blue Bistro – 20% off the A La Carte Menu and 10% off the Lunch and Bluebird Menu

Member offer

The talented team at Belgrade Production Services are extremely busy at the minute, building sets for our new show The Dark at the Top of the Stairs and an entire season of work at Newbury’s watermill Theatre. They’re also working on the set and costumes for our pantomime Sleeping Beauty, which looks set to be as extravagant and glitzy as ever! Here’s an update on the work they’ve been doing so far.

These photos show various scenes taken from the model box, which is a scale model of the set that the team will use to build the real thing.

Rosie MackieCommunications Assistant

Main show backdrop The dragon’s lair A village scene

The kitchen at the castle

The scenic art department have already started painting some of the huge backdrops that you can see in the above photos.

These photos show the team painting the main backdrop which will appear at the start of the show and the finished result.

The designer Mark Walters has created some amazing costumes for this year’s show, including some typically wacky outfits for the Dame.

This sketch shows the costume for the Good Fairy Azuriel.

Here’s an early sketch of one of the Dame’s costumes which harks back to the swinging ‘60s. In true ‘60s style it will be extremely bright!

This sketch shows one of the Goblin costumes for the chorus