The REP’s Discovery Day will give visitors a chance to see how a theatre works on a Backstage Tour. From peeping through the wings on the main stage to finding out how scenery is built visitors will have the chance to see the workings of a producing theatre.

In addition to seeing behind the scenes there’ll be a whole range of exciting activities for children and families. Voice workshops will give people the chance to speak some iconic lines from The REP’s main stage (one of the biggest in Europe), and a fun drama workshop, Act Yourself, will explore making theatre using different languages.

A display of theatrical costumes from recent productions will demonstrate the skill of the theatre’s wardrobe department while kids can enjoy dressing-up themselves, have their face-painted or get a fake, gruesome wound. Taking the theatre’s Christmas production as inspiration there will be Peter Pan themed craft activities and also Peter Pan storytelling in the children’s library of the Library of Birmingham.

Open Theatre, a company that uses nonverbal physical theatre to collaborate with Young People with Learning Disabilities will be giving pop-up performances throughout the day including knockabout comedy with Juke and Lake’s Box of Tricks and the Nosey Parkas. The REP have had a longstanding partnership with Open Theatre for many years to support a more inclusive offer for young people with learning disabilities at the theatre and have worked together to ensure that the Discovery Day is a totally accessible event.

For those interested in working in theatre staff will be on hand throughout the day to talk about apprenticeships at The REP and careers in theatre. And there will be a number of one-off ticket offers and competitions with prizes to be won.

In the afternoon actor Ian McKellen takes to the stage with his one-man show, Ian McKellen On Stage. The show celebrates Ian’s 80th birthday starting with Gandalf and ending with an invitation to act with him on stage. In between there will be anecdotes and acting. Limited tickets are available to purchase for the matinee performance at 2.30pm with all profits benefitting The REP’s £1 million REP FIRST campaign.