On 28th June drama students from Stagecoach Performing Arts were rewarded with a surprise visit during their rehearsals.  Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands, turned up to watch them rehearse a new play written by local playwright Ian Henery.  Also in attendance were Birmingham Television, corporate sponsors Xin Marketing and Red Moon Brewery and Irene Chu, the Chief Executive of the Birmingham Chinese Society.    The students were rehearsing the first in a trilogy of plays for China West Midlands 2020 that explore and deepen the connection between the West Midlands and China.  The key messages that China West Midlands 2020 want to convey are deeper understanding and mutual prosperity arising from cross culture and cross border collaboration.  China West Midlands 2020 hopes that the project will enable Birmingham and the West Midlands to grow in trade and investment opportunity with China as well as increase visitor numbers to the region.   Cultural partners are the Birmingham Chinese Society, a registered charity who were awarded the Queen`s Award for Voluntary Service in 2005 and a host of other awards since.   "We are pleased to support Stagecoach" said Irene Chu, Chief Executive of the Birmingham Chinese Society.  We are the community organisation serving the Chinese community in Birmingham and the West Midlands since 1988.  We are delighted to be the cultural partners for Stagecoach.  We hope the project will be meaningful to the Chinese and British community".   The trilogy of plays for China West Midlands 2020 entitled "Home" starts with a story based on the sacrifices of the Chinese Labour Corps during the First World War and continues with a second story around the 1940s/50s with the third play set in contemporary Britain.  The trilogy will explore ideas of family, sacrifice, place and time from Chinese and British perspectives in the socio-economic context of 3 significant periods of history.   2It`s fantastic" said Andy Street, mayor of the West Midlands "that students from Stagecoach Performing Arts are exploring the theme of home for China West Midlands 2020.  For many people in the West Midlands home is in 2 places - where one was born and grew up and where they are living and working now.  I am committed to making every community feel at home in the West Midlands and projects like this really do help in bridging the gap between different continents and cultures".