Following a storm over Birmingham Rep's decision to lease some of its premises for use as a Nightingale Court, Black theatre company Talawa has pulled out of a partnership with The REP that would have seen its Black Joy season take place there in autumn 2021.
Black Joy, which is funded by Arts Council England’s Sustained Theatre Fund, would have premiered on The REP’s three stages in a co-producing relationship that would have presented a major musical production in the 800 seat The HOUSE, and two new commissioned plays in the 300 seat The STUDIO and the 150 seat The DOOR.
A statement from Talawa says the decision The REP has taken to host a Nightingale Court "does not align with Talawa’s commitment to Black artists and communities, the communities most affected by this decision." They believe it has "threatened the integrity of the Black Joy season" and describe the partnership as "no longer tenable under current circumstances".
The company is still hoping to bring the Black Joy season to its target audiences and said "We are exploring our options".
The statement is sympathetic to the position of those who operate cultural buildings, who are "having to make the difficult calls between maintaining the creative and political integrity of cultural buildings, and preserving the jobs of those who work within them" and says "it’s vital that we don’t see buildings close, irreparably harming the cultural fabric of the country."
But it goes on to say: "Our commitment to tackling social and racial injustices is stronger than ever. We stand true to our values. This is what makes us Talawa".
Earlier this year the REP announced job losses in wake of the pandemic, warning that it had lost 80% of its income and its current business model was “unsustainable”. It described its decision to offer space to the Nightingael Court as a financial one, "made in the context of exceptional circumstances".