BELGRADE THEATRE COVENTRY AND CHINA PLATE ANNOUNCE NEW PARTNERSHIP

Belgrade Theatre, Coventry and China Plate are delighted to announce a major new partnership which will see China Plate supporting the Belgrade on the delivery of future productions, including Nanny of the Maroons, which is due to open in Spring 2027.

China Plate

This partnership marks the next step in the Belgrade’s ambition to become a truly People-First organisation, with co-creation at the centre. Building on the success of their first co-created production Romeo and Juliet earlier this year, the Belgrade continues to champion a model of theatre-making that places communities at the heart of the creative process.

Belgrade Theatre and China Plate have already enjoyed a successful creative relationship, having co-produced Casey Bailey’s Please Do Not Touch, which premiered at the Belgrade in Autumn 2024 and will embark on a national tour in Spring 2026.

Through this new partnership, the organisations will deepen their shared commitment to developing innovative, inclusive and community-led approaches to theatre-making, creating space for new voices and stories to flourish both in Coventry and on stages across the UK.

Belgrade Theatre Artistic Director Corey Campbell and Chief Executive Laura Elliot said of the partnership “We are thrilled to be joining forces with China Plate as we roll out an ambitious series of large scale co-created productions over the coming years, created with, by and for Coventry residents.  Their work aligns holistically with the Belgrade values and ambition and this partnership will support us in maximising the potential of our home-produced work as a Stage for Coventry”Co-Artistic Directors of China Plate Paul Warwick and Ed Collier said “We’re delighted to be working with the Belgrade Theatre, an organisation whose mission aligns closely with our own, to develop new producing models that make genuine space for co-creation as part of ambitious productions of scale. To begin this work on the Nanny of the Maroons project, an idea that literally emerged from the Belgrade’s work in the community, is super exciting.”

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For further information and interviews please contact:  Arabella Neville-Rolfe for ANRPR on 07815025364, arabella@anrpr.co.uk  Max Pollard for ANRPR on 07803344477, max@anrpr.co.uk                     

NOTES TO EDITORS 

THE BELGRADE  

As the largest theatre in Coventry and a leading regional producing theatre, the Belgrade has a broad, varied programme.

Popular musicals and entertainment sit happily alongside progressive, critically acclaimed new drama. Our two spaces, B1 and B2, stage exciting productions and events for families, couples, individuals, first timers and confirmed theatregoers.

As a publicly subsidised independent charitable trust, we also support health and education and build skills and talent in the region. Everything we do is with, by and for our local communities. 

Some of our productions are fresh takes on well-loved stories. Others explore new ground – and have never been told before. To them all, we bring warmth, openness and collaboration, creating new community connections and encouraging different perspectives. By sharing the city’s diverse stories, the Belgrade brings people in Coventry together. We call this co-creation.

Led by CEO Laura Elliot and Artistic Director Corey Campbell, the Belgrade is realising its ambitious plans to build on the Theatre’s rich history of inclusion. Born out of the post-Second World War spirit of peace and reconciliation and named with gratitude for the Serbian capital’s gift of timber to build a new theatre, the Belgrade has offered a warm welcome to visitors since 1958.

Whether you’re visiting the Belgrade for a show, a business event, or simply for tea, cake and a chat with friends, this unique sense of welcome is still unmissable.

CHINA PLATE

China Plate is a theatre producing studio based in Birmingham and working across the UK. As an arts charity, we help people to make creative projects happen – from theatre shows, to audio anthologies, to bus stop galleries.

Our mission is to develop a new model of creating and producing theatre that opens up the way performance is made, who makes it and who it’s experienced by.

We seek to work as part of creative communities, outside of and within the arts, which include artists, organisations, freelancers, community groups, participants, and audiences.

Through our Training & Development programmes we support the next generation of producers, nurture artistic practice, commission work, increase access and widen diversity. 

For more information, please visit: https://chinaplatetheatre.com/