Birmingham Rep is one of nine local arts organisations to receive funding from a new programme from the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation.

The Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation, founded by the composer to support the arts, culture and heritage for the public benefit, has announced a new programme of place-based funding, specifically targeted to support arts projects in the city of Birmingham and the surrounding area.

Birmingham Rep is one of the arts organisations selected and the money will subsidise two new backstage apprenticeship roles, Theatre Technician Apprentice and Scenic Maker Apprentice, targeted at young people from diverse backgrounds traditionally under-represented in the theatre industry.

Over the coming years, this new programme will commit over £500,000 to the West Midlands area across 11 key projects. The programme works in close partnership with the recipient organisations to raise awareness, widen access and encourage participation in talent development initiatives for young people across the area.

This is a new venture for the Foundation which, since 2010, has donated over £25million in grants, and nearly 400 performing arts scholarships to talented students in financial need. This includes the Music in Secondary Schools Trust (MiSST), established with funding from the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation. In academic year September 2025 - 2026, 14,885 children will receive free musical tuition and instruments as part of MiSST Andrew Lloyd Webber Programme. The

Foundation also continues to fund Get Into Theatre, a platform seeking to break down barriers and broaden access to careers in theatre.

Recruitment for the two apprenticeships are in progress, and the successful candidates will be announced shortly.

To find out more about Birmingham Rep visit the website at birmingham-rep.co.uk