Birmingham gets a bad rap, but the UK’s second city actually has a lot going for it. Besides having more canals than Venice, Birmingham is a great city for actors with a thriving arts and musical theatre scene, lots of places to hone your craft, and its own community of creatives.
If you’re thinking about working in musical theatre, Birmingham is a great place to do it – and there are countless reasons why. We lay out some of them and hopefully convince you to give the city that The Lord of the Rings was based on a go.
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At the centre of the city’s professional musical theatre scene is the Birmingham Hippodrome, one of the busiest single-auditorium theatres in the UK. Not only has it hosted major West End tours of Hamilton, Wicked, and The Book of Mormon, but its annual Christmas pantomime is the largest and most successful outside of London. Musical theatre lovers should pay particularly close attention to the Hippodrome. Inside its walls is the UK’s first in-house musical theatre department, which develops talent, puts on new productions, and hosts regular writing groups.
Just down the road, you’ve got theatres like the Birmingham Repertory Theatre (the Rep), which programmes new writing alongside musical adaptations, new musicals, and play revivals. Then there’s the Alexandra Theatre, another key stop on the touring circuit; a steady stream of smaller studio spaces dotted around Digbeth and the Jewellery Quarter; and lots of companies – including the 40-year-strong Women and Theatre – based in the city.
Birmingham has great training programmes if you want to be a musical theatre actor. The Royal Birmingham Conservatoire (formerly Birmingham School of Acting) is a major player, producing graduates who regularly bag jobs in big West End productions, starry films, and theatre jobs closer to home. One such graduate is Khalid Daley, who, since leaving in 2017, has starred in the West End productions of Hamilton and Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. “You’re pushed beyond your limits and out of your comfort zone to the point where you’re just constantly learning about yourself, body, voice, tools, skills, and how to utilise them all the best way you can,” he said of his time training.
In 2024, London drama school Mountview also started a CertHE, two-term course in Birmingham, via Midlands Arts Centre, for students who want to train with them outside of the capital. “By expanding our training beyond our home in Peckham, we are excited to be able to bring world-class training to new students across the country and open up access to the dramatic arts,” principal Sally Ann Gritton said at the time.
BOA is another world-class state-funded school for students between the ages of 14 and 19. It offers a pathway dedicated entirely to musical theatre, which is a BTEC Level 2 course you can study alongside A-Levels if you choose.
There are also countless part-time courses or weekly classes across the city. Youngsters can check out Stagecoach, which trains you as a triple threat, as well as many local dance schools that run classes. The Rep runs Young Rep for ages 3 to 18, and Stage2 Youth Theatre provides one of the most professional training grounds in both musical theatre and acting in the city.
The MAC is a brilliant creative hub that runs regular courses for all ages and could be a great place to build professional connections.
Birmingham has a growing ecosystem of fringe producers and independent companies that are interested in musicals and musical theatre actors. Digbeth, in particular, has become a magnet for creative experimentation. The Blue Orange Theatre is a good place to try out new work and get involved as an actor.
Old warehouses shapeshift into pop-up theatres, and there are plenty of studios you can rent out and use as rehearsal spaces. Theatres such as the Old Joint Stock in the centre of the city also regularly stage Fringe musical theatre work.
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Open auditions happen regularly across the city. The Rep, for example, puts out casting calls for its productions. Facebook is usually a good starting point for finding auditions too. Groups such as West Midlands Theatre and Birmingham/Midlands Actors group regularly post audition updates, and you can ask questions about musical theatre specifically. Don’t forget to check out job boards to keep up to date with local opportunities too.
Just as important as formal auditions is networking. Birmingham is home to lots of hubs where you can go to build up your contacts. Try workshops at the Birmingham Hippodrome or those run by grassroots company Told By an Idiot, such as their regular 1-2-1 surgeries at the Rep; attend industry networking nights; or even stick around after seeing shows to chat with other actors at the bar. If you can get into a press night, you can meet and chat with the cast and creatives there too.
Like any other city, Birmingham is a place for actors balancing two identities. Many combine part-time jobs with creative work, and shows are often built on tight budgets. But with cheaper rents than London and a smaller sector to get your teeth into, it is also a great place to learn the ropes.
Birmingham is a great big city with a creative bent, and there are lots of exciting opportunities. “Birmingham has a proud and distinctive musical heritage, shaped by the rich mix of cultures that make up our city,” said Joanne Roney, managing director of Birmingham City Council, when backing a bid to build a new dedicated centre for musical theatre in the city. Clearly, Birmingham is a city that wants to invest in its musical theatre talent, so if you’re local and keen to develop as a musical theatre actor, you may find there’s no place like home to do it.
