Birmingham's Old Joint Stock Theatre (OJST) has developed a reputation as a hotspot for cabaret, comedy, and (more recently) innovative versions of acclaimed musicals. Passionate about presenting high-quality shows in the venue's small-scale space, Theatre Manager James Edge spoke to What's On about OJST's summer production - cult favourite Be More Chill, which blends teen drama and futuretech - and also revealed what else is on the horizon...

The Old Joint Stock Theatre (OJST) - situated above the Grade II listed Old Joint Stock pub and half hidden in the heart of Birmingham's city centre - is an intimate studio space specialising in fringe theatre. Under the management of James Edge, who has worked there for the past two years, the venue's upcoming in-house programme features a selection of ambitious musical theatre productions.

This summer's offering is Be More Chill (Wednesday 6 - Sunday 31 August), a musical which premiered in 2015 before making its way to Broadway and the West End in the six years following. The show found rising online popularity thanks to its soundtrack, which hit the top-10 charts in the US, as well as winning a Tony award for Best Original Score.

"Be More Chill follows a young guy called Jeremy who is not very popular at school." James explains. "He's not a cool guy; he's a bit of a loner. One of the kids at school tells him about a supercomputer chip - a Japanese pill you can take that teaches you how to be cool. Jeremy takes the tablet and the 'SQUIP' appears, which is this 'computer' character. But being cool's not all it's set out to be..."

The musical's ultimate message is about ensuring that, in the face of self-doubt or negative feelings, the loudest voice in your head is a positive one. And in a world where AI technology is surging forward, the story holds even more relevance than it did in 2015.

"We want to update the show with the character of the SQUIP, so we see that development - to see what happens as it learns about the human race."

The production is one of the Old Joint Stock Theatre's largest musical endeavours to date. With a cast of 10, plus the band, and a limit of So seats in the venue, budgets can be tight when ensuring that the company is paid fairly.

"You have to be really creative with what you do with your set, costume and lighting. We don't have the ability to spend whatever we want. It's such a small space, doing bigger shows is a much higher risk."

However, the limitations of performing in a smaller room, to a smaller audience, is also one of the venue's greatest strengths. As James explains, the intimacy of performance at the OJST makes for a unique theatrical experience: "Instead of presenting a piece of work over the top of everyone's heads, you bring your eyeline down. You look the audience in the eye and take them on that journey from the get-go. And throughout the show, you include the audience as much as possible."

With a wide variety of theatre spaces available in Birmingham, James' aim is to feature highly regarded musicals which perhaps haven't gained enough of a following to fill 1,000 seats, or warrant a major UK tour.

"I wanted to fit into that gap - to produce contemporary musicals that people know, and produce shows that become people's new favourite. We did the UK premiere of The Mad Ones and of First Dates. And through that, people have been coming more and more. We see familiar faces, and people book to see every in-house production now, which is great. I feel an obligation to that loyal audience, to take things further, and keep pushing what we can achieve."

And the OJST is making a name for itself within the wider theatrical community. Over 2,000 people applied for the 10 roles in Be More Chill, including performers who have appeared on West End and Broadway stages.

"Whilst we wanted some people with fantastic CVs in the room, we've made sure some of our cast are people without that experience. We wanted to stay true to fringe theatre, and made sure that at least half of the cast are new graduates, or haven't had that lead role yet. As a fringe theatre, we're providing a platform and opportunity for fresh, upcoming talent."

Looking to the future, the scale of production will increase yet again with Bonnie & Clyde: The Musical, which runs at the venue in October. The infamous outlaw duo have been depicted on stage and screen many times - but James intends to draw their story away from the glitz of Hollywood.

"Their story is not a story of glamour. It was dirty and bloody and uncomfortable. There's a fantastic book called Go Down Together, which is the closest account of what happened, and it's such a great read. We want to make it really raw and visceral. We're considering putting it in the round and really stripping it back.

"We're in a time of contemporary musical theatre. It started with Heathers. Then SIX and Dear Evan Hansen had these massive cult followings ... And two of the shows that developed a cult following in the West End were Be More Chill and Bonnie & Clyde. Hopefully, we'll get our loyal audience coming to see how far we're pushing our inhouse productions, and then a new audience who come because they love the shows."

James hints that OJST's productions are set to become increasingly ambitious - the theatre's two biggest shows yet are scheduled for April and August 2026 - so watch this space! At the end of 2025, the venue is hosting a festive production with a difference. It's A Wonderful Knife is partly inspired by the BBC's record-breaking 1989 screening of Crocodile Dundee, which remains the mostwatched film ever broadcast on Christmas Day in the UK.

"We found a story that mixes It's A Wonderful Life - arguably the most famous Christmas story of all time - with Crocodile Dundee. We've made a story that's cohesive, hilarious and actually heartfelt - and it works. It's going to be barmy. You'll have a croc, wearing crocs, put it that way!"

Producing large-scale musicals in a smallscale venue isn't a one-man job, but it's not far off, when distilled down to the theatre's core personnel.

"I'm grateful for my team, Liam and Emily. We're a team of three and we work very hard between us - with some fantastic freelancers as well. Emily's a fantastic director and producer, and Liam - well, what he can do with trailers and artwork ...

"It means we're a crack team. And we have this theatrical playground for the shows we're creating."

With James and the team's passion for theatre, and their drive to create astonishing shows, it seems like anything is possible. But are there any productions which might be offlimits?

"My favourite show of all time, which couldn't work in our space - and I've spent many nights awake, trying to think of how it could -would be The Hunchback Of Notre Dame. It has a choir of 24 and a band. The music is the most stunning thing I've ever heard, but I think if we had a choir of 24 singing The Bells Of Notre Dame, we may get some noise complaints ... "

Be More Chill shows at the Old Joint Stock Theatre, Birmingham, from Wednesday 6 to Sunday 31 August.

By Jessica Clixby