Background: The Birmingham Rep

“… this little playhouse is the most considerable thing that the twentieth century has seen in the English theatre.”

T. C. Kemp*

In many ways it is painful to gloss over the interesting and well-documented history of the origins and early years of the Birmingham Repertory Theatre but I have to keep in mind that I am just setting the scene for the entrance of Dennis Pratt …

The Birmingham Rep opened it doors, in a purpose-built theatre in the centre of the city, on 15th February, 1913, with Twelfth Night. This was the first Repertory Theatre to be built in England (according to T. C. Kemp*). It had its origins in the work of a group of amateurs who first performed publicly in 1907, led by Barry Jackson who lived in the Moseley area of the city. In the early years this was a peripatetic group calling itself the Pilgrim Players and performing at venues around Birmingham.

Barry Jackson recognised the need for a change from amateur to professional status, and he became the Founder of the permanent theatre and its first Director. But he was more than that - he was also an actor, producer, playwright and stage designer. He was later to be knighted.

One more name to take note of from these early days is that of Thomas Foden Flint. One of the original Pilgrim Players, Thomas became the Stage Manager when the Rep opened but recognising his limitations, he relinquished that post to become the Assistant Stage Manager after 5 months. More about him later.

Once it had been decided that a permanent theatre was to be built there was a 10 month gap between the last production of the Pilgrim Players and the opening on 15th February, 1913.

* The Birmingham Repertory Theatre by T. C. Kemp, Cornish Brothers Ltd, 1943

Another book used to assemble this summary was:

A History of the Birmingham Repertory Theatre by Bache Matthews, Chatto & Windus, 1924