Birmingham Rep is one of just three venues to be shortlisted for this year’s Most Welcoming Theatre title at the 2025 UK Theatre Awards.
The annual UK Theatre Awards celebrate the creative excellence and outstanding work seen in theatres across the UK.
Other nominees for 2025 include Royal & Derngate and Shakespeare North Playhouse.
The winner will be selected at the UK Theatre Awards ceremony which takes place in London later this year, on Sunday 12 October.
Shortlisted venues are judged against their commitment to accessibility, outreach projects and interactions with theatregoers, staff, freelancers and the local community.
It has been an exciting 12-months for the Birmingham producing theatre, which has seen them achieve record attendance figures, multiple sold-out productions and engage with thousands of people of all ages from across Birmingham and the wider region through their extensive Creative Learning and Talent Development programmes.
The venue continues to pioneer new opportunities to improve access to arts for people across Birmingham and the West Midlands including hosting an Access Forum and partnering with Nimbus Disability to improve service for their access visitors, providing free tickets for young people and low-income households.
Their year-round engagement programme provides creative opportunities for young people, refugees and asylum seekers, community groups and local artists and creatives.
In a joint statement, Birmingham Rep’s chief executive and artistic director, Rachael Thomas and Joe Murphy, respectively, said: “We are committed to making our venue open to all and a place where everyone feels welcome.
“This nomination reflects a whole Team Rep effort, everyone here truly cares about providing our visitors, audiences and participants unforgettable experiences and ensure creative opportunities are available to as many people as possible across our diverse communities.
“We are thrilled to be shortlisted for the Most Welcoming Theatre and want to thank our audiences, supporters and incredible team who make The Rep such a welcoming theatre for everyone.”
The UK Theatre Awards is an annual event in UK Theatre’s calendar celebrating the creative excellence and outstanding work seen on and off stage across the UK.
2025’s UK Theatre Awards ceremony takes place on Sunday 12 October.
