Throughout June and July the Belgrade presents a summer programme celebrating the Theatre’s work across belonging and wellbeing, creative engagement, the creation of new work, talent development and pathways into employment, as well as its role as a valued civic space for Coventry and the wider region. The Belgrade Theatre Coventry will mark Refugee Week 2026 with a Refugee Week Family Day on Saturday 20 June delivered in partnership with Coventry Refugee and Migrant Network.

As part of the day, three artists with lived experience of displacement will showcase new work through a series of temporary installations across the theatre. Commissioned by the Belgrade Theatre and developed in collaboration with community groups through a programme of creative workshops, these installations will share stories, experiences and perspectives inspired by the themes of Refugee Week. The family day includes performances, talks, and stalls from local organisations alongside a host of fun family focussed activities. Entry is free. 

On Friday 3 July and Saturday 4 July, the Belgrade will present Marooned its Hubs Summer Sharing, showcasing original short productions, created and performed by 50 young people aged 11-15 and 15-19, alongside the Theatre’s outreach Hub from Nuneaton. The groups have used the story of Jamaican freedom fighter, Queen Nanny as a starting point for creative exploration, examining themes of leadership, resistance, the power of the imagination, and change, to offer a unique perspective on the world young people are growing up in today. Marooned continues the creative conversation between the Belgrade’s next major production, Nanny of the Maroons and Coventry's communities. Tickets are free and bookable in advance. 

The Belgrade’s Theatre Hubs are its in-house programme of weekly drama workshops, running during term time. The Theatre currently runs five Theatre Hubs for young people aged 5-19, alongside an Over 60s Hub and termly Adult Acting programmes. Across the Hubs, participants learn theatre skills, explore new and different forms of performance, engage with career opportunities in the arts, gain access to the inner workings of a regional producing theatre, and work with professional artists to create high-quality theatre.

On Friday 10 and Saturday 11 July, the Belgrade Ensemble 25/26 will present Mr Burns, a post-electric play, the final stage of this year’s intensive development journey for the Belgrade Theatre’s flagship early-career training programme. Created to invest in emerging talent from Coventry and the wider region, the Ensemble gives young artists the opportunity to train and create within a professional producing theatre environment.

In Mr Burns, a post-electric play, after the collapse of civilisation, a group of survivors attempt to reconstruct an episode of The Simpsons from memory. As the years pass, that act of collective remembering transforms into myth, ritual and performance. Funny, unsettling and unexpectedly moving, the play asks what stories survive when everything else falls away. Tickets are free and bookable in advance. 

From Friday 18 - Saturday 25 July, the Belgrade’s annual See It First programme returns, presenting new work in development, workshops and conversations between artists and audiences.

Taking place in The Jag, the Belgrade’s creative workshop and performance space, See It First will once again position the Theatre as an artistic hub for the region, championing new work, unearthing new stories and connecting artists with audiences. Further details of shows and workshops will be announced shortly.

The Belgrade also continues to work with local schools through Big School, the Theatre’s longstanding Year 6 transitions programme, which tour local primary schools until Friday 26 June. An original theatre-in-education programme combining live theatre performance with participatory activities and exploration, Big School is designed to support pupils as they prepare for the move to secondary school, supporting them to explore their feelings about transition and equipping them with useful strategies for the next stage of their education.

Together, the summer programme reflects the Belgrade’s ongoing commitment to placing creative engagement, community connection and talent development at the heart of its work, supporting people across Coventry and the wider region to access, shape and participate in the cultural life of the city.