In her latest blog Fiona Allan reflects on the importance of telling new and different stories in theatre, and how part of her role is to ensure the best productions are brought to Birmingham.

I went to a performance the other weekend that really made me stop and think. It was a new version of Giselle, reinterpreted by a choreographer from South Africa – her name is Dada Masilo – and the premiere performances took place in the Dansens Hus in Oslo. She has stripped the story back to bare bones, used a new score that blends electronica with a mash-up of some of the original classical score, and it is performed by her company of predominantly black South African dancers.

Dada plays with gender roles too; her understudy as Giselle is a man, and the Wilis – spirits of heartbroken virgins – are both male and female dancers. As Dada says, both women and men can be equally afflicted by love lost. The result was storytelling that is fresh and vivid, Giselle’s heartbreak so real that I could feel the pain myself in the pit of my stomach, and the revenge in the second act all the more sweet for it. I am hopeful we will persuade her to bring the show to the UK in the next couple of years as I’d love Midlands audiences to see it.

Story-telling is key to any theatrical experience, and some of my all-time favourite shows are those that tell these stories from an alternative viewpoint. Christopher, the central figure in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, is a boy who sees the world very differently to most people. In War Horse, Joey’s story reveals the horrors of WWI from the eyes of a horse. Both shows are unforgettable experiences that will stay in your mind for a long time and I can’t wait for them to return to our main stage – the former this July and latter in October 2018.

Much of our programme in the Patrick Centre, the Hippodrome’s 200 seat studio, this year stems from the notion of retelling stories in new ways. A new circus and street dance interpretation of The Jungle Book, and a comedy/dance retake of Dracula are just two of the productions to be enjoyed this summer (recommended for ages 8 plus). We’ve tried to make ticket prices as low as possible with some great discounts to ensure the Patrick Centre experience is an accessible way to see something new and different, and a great place to introduce younger audiences to theatre.

I am very lucky indeed that my job takes me far and wide to see brand new premiering shows like Dada Masilo’s. My commitment to you is to bring a selection of the best of these back to Birmingham for everyone to enjoy.

P.S Just on the subject of telling stories in interesting ways:  Betroffenheit from Sadlers Wells and the television adaptation of Mike Bartlett’s play King Charles III are both currently available on BBC iPlayer, and well worth a night’s viewing at home.