This summer, Belgrade Theatre will host two revivals of sell-out Coventry UK City of Culture 2021 shows. May Queen makes its highly-anticipated return from Mon 27 June – Fri 1 July, and The Allesley Silas takes centre stage from Sat 23 – Sat 30 July.
May Queen boasts a Midlands-based team, with director Balisha Karra and actress Yasmin Dawes returning to the production following last year’s success. Karra directed the 2021 production in her capacity as Co-Artistic Director of the Belgrade for the City of Culture year. May Queen’s writer, Frankie Meredith, also hails from the Midlands, and is particularly passionate about championing Midlands stories and artists.
The play follows sixteen-year-old Leigh, who has just been crowned Coventry’s May Queen. She’s buzzin’, as is the rest of the city. But during Cov’s festivities, our Queen is inevitably toppled. Find out if Leigh can face up to the events of that hot May Day…
The Allesley Silas is based on George Eliot’s beloved novel Silas Marner, and is adapted for the stage by Coventry playwright Alan Pollock (One Night in November). Directed by Olivia Dineley, with music composition by Rebecca Applin and design by Abby Clarke, the creative team are all Coventry-based artists.
The professional cast features Adrian DeCosta, John Bennell and Amy Kakoura. Community cast members include Liz Geuken, Daljit Kaur, Julie Macdonald, Sonia Tranter. Of last year’s community cast, three went on to secure agents, and two now appear in the restaging as professional cast members.
Set in the village of Raveloe – a fictional version of Allesley itself – and featuring the local Rainbow pub, The Allesley Silas is a classic tale of hope, redemption and the unshakeable power of the human spirit.
This year’s restaging of May Queen is presented by the Belgrade Theatre in association with Coventry City of Culture Trust, and The Allesley Silas is co-produced by the Belgrade Theatre and From the Heart Theatre, in association with Coventry City of Culture Trust.
