The theatre has announced that they will be hosting two Summer Schools this August - Theatre Making for those aged 13-18 and Spy School for ages 7-12.

Both sets of five-day workshops have the option for in-person tuition and interaction in The REP’s rehearsal rooms under COVID-safe conditions or online digital classes.

Both programmes of online classes have also been made available to West Midlands Virtual Schools’ Connect & Create programme featuring specially selected arts and cultural activity for children & young people in care. A limited number of bursary places for the in-person sessions have been made available to support access for people facing financial barriers for both Theatre Making and Spy School. These bursaries have been made possible thanks to generous individual donations to The REP.

Each Summer School will have a strictly limited number of participants for the workshops held within The REP’s rehearsal rooms with social distancing observed at all times. Each participant will be assigned a marked 4 metre square space, cleaning staff will attend to hotspots like door handles and toilet flushes after every use and First aiders will be equipped with PPE to ensure safe assistance can be provided in the event of any health issues. The drop off and collection of participants will also be carefully co-ordinated to ensure social distancing is retained from start to finish.

Online sessions will include bespoke pre-recorded versions of physical classes plus links to downloadable documents and files for home use. Alex Summers, Director of Creative Learning at The REP said;

“We are over the moon to be able to get back into The REP’s rehearsal rooms and make use of our theatre once again this summer. It feels right that young people from Birmingham will be some of the first to step back into the theatre space and continue creative work within our four walls.

“The newly created digital versions of our sessions also mean that more young people than ever can join us for these exciting week-long workshops.

“I’m also extremely pleased to continue our partnership with West Midlands Virtual Schools to bring our industry-leading work to children & young people in care across our region, and to provide bursary places allowing young people from all backgrounds to access the work of The REP.”

Theatre Making for those aged 13-18 will explore devising, movement, puppetry, monologues and audition techniques. Spy School for children aged 7-12 is an immersive theatre adventure where young people take on the role of spies to complete training, discover clues and uncover mysteries.

Both Summer Schools can be booked online at birmingham-rep.co.uk.

As a registered charity, The REP relies on the generosity of donors and sponsors. For more information on how you can help The REP’s development of work with young people visit birmingham-rep.co.uk/support-us.