Is the Old Rep at risk of 'cultural vandalism'?

Glenbrook property say they want the the theatre "to thrive". The public is sceptical.

Dear Patchers — Welcome to your Friday breifing.

Today’s story provides an update on the Save Station Street saga, looking specifically at the potential threat to the city’s beloved Old Rep theatre. There have been some signs of progress to retain the street as a cultural hub — but the Old Rep’s programme is looking very limited, and the lease held by the school that operates the theatre runs out very soon. We’ve found out that Andy Street is meeting with various parties in a couple of weeks to discuss the future of Station Street, but the fight is far from over.

Elsewhere, we have news of a festival that is rumoured to be a scam of Glasgow’s Willy Wonka Experience proportions, an immigration raid on two factories in Tipton and an exciting update for food-lovers across the city. Plus, a couple of (very different) options for ways to while away your Sunday. Have a great weekend.

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Brum in brief

🕯️Night-sky scam? A lantern festival set to take place on June 1 and July 13 has been labelled a ‘scam’ and Birmingham City Council’s trading standards team is investigating, it has been revealed. The £50 ticket event involves releasing hundreds of lanterns into the night sky and has been heavily advertised on TikTok. Lantern Festival UK’s website promises: “It's an experience that will touch your heart and soul.” But concerns have been raised about the company which does not appear to be based at the office listed on its site. More from the Daily Mail here.

🚨Immigration raid: 11 men and one woman, all Indian nationals, have been arrested for immigration offences, including illegal working and breaching of visa conditions, at neighbouring factories in Tipton. A bedding factory and one producing cakes were raided by police with the suspects taken into custody. Four of the suspects were detained pending consideration for removal from the UK while the remaining eight were bailed with conditions. More from Josh Sandiford at the BBC.

🍛Foodie festival: The Birmingham Restaurant Festival returns in August and the first look at the line up has been revealed. Among the first venues to be announced are Michelin-starred Purnell’s, the JQ’s pasta-focused Trentina and Indian favourite Dishoom. Check out the rest here.

🎷Sunday sessions: There are fewer more peaceful sounding ways to spend a sleepy Sunday afternoon than by listening to jaz in the pub. For that, Digbeth’s The Ruin has you covered.

🔦Are you afraid of the dark? If you fancy a more alert afternoon, check out Stories of Murder and Mayhem at the West Midlands Police Museum. Hear tales of the real Peaky Blinders and Birmingham’s connection to Jack the Ripper and scare yourself senseless. Tickets are £15, but leave the kids at home — this one is only for adults.

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Is the Old Rep at risk of 'cultural vandalism'?

By Kate Knowles

“As a teenage theatre nut going to the Rep in the mid-1950s, I can testify to the fact that it gave you an education in world drama,” wrote Michael Billington in the Guardian in 2013. The actor was reporting on the plans for major renovation at the Birmingham Rep on Centenary Square, home to the Birmingham Repetory company of actors. Their original home was the theatre building on Station Street, the one Billington would have visited time and again. Since 1971, it has been a separate theatre, known as the Old Rep. Today it is one of three significant cultural buildings on the street whose futures are uncertain.

As we reported in our article ‘The Phantom Tower of Station Street’ two weekends ago, the developer Glenbrook Property has its sights set on the road and has proposed building a 50 storey residential tower. This could mean the loss of the country’s oldest working cinema, the Electric, and the Crown pub (‘Birmingham’s Cavern Club’), but the public outcry has been massive. A petition by the campaign to Save Station Street, which was launched by Darren John, has 20,500 signatures at the time of writing.

The request is for the government to designate Station Street a Historic, Cultural and Civic Asset, affording its buildings protection from demolition. John believes that Britain’s oldest repertory theatre, the Grade II listed Old Rep, is also “in danger of being a victim of this cultural vandalism”, and Succession star and patron of the Old Rep, Brian Cox, has thrown his weight behind the campaign to save the venue.

The actor Brian Cox. Photo by: WikiCommons.