#50Days is on sale!

It is December 1641 and King Charles is about to be formally challenged by a handful of MPs and radical commoners. Through propaganda and shrewd political manoeuvring, the nation is about to be plunged head first into a conflict that pitted neighbour against neighbour and shattered the very core of our constitution. With parallels to Brexit, questions about the monarchy, a grime soundtrack and a little bit of fake news, #50days is a version of British history told through the eyes of underrepresented Brits of today.  

#50 days tells the story of the 50-day period that led up to an outbreak of the 17th century British Civil Wars. Set to a Grime score, the show gives young people a chance to interpret the narrative of a time when this country was politically fraught, in the shadow of a plague, and felt well and truly divided. Does this sound familiar?

Thabo Stuck, writer and creator of #50 Days, when asked why people should come and see this show said: “Often we need to go back in time to understand the present - so much of our current political discourse is rooted in the seventeenth century. We hope #50Days will welcome new audiences and reinvigorate existing musical theatre lovers. Grime is the soundtrack of modern day Britain, so why shouldn’t it be present in our musical theatre spaces?”

A brilliant group of creatives were brought together for the show’s debut showcase as part of MT Fest 2021, Turbine Theatre London, and it is at the UK’s biggest showcase of new music theatre, BEAM 2023, in Oxford Playhouse, following a Development Darkroom week in 2022 at Royal & Derngate Northampton, supported by China Plate, MMD & MTN and Birmingham Hippodrome. The production at Birmingham Hippodrome will be its first full performance, with a large company of enthusiastic and skilled young performers. 

Following the announcement of Birmingham Hippodrome’s vision for a national theatre of new musicals, Creative Director of BYMT, Emily Gray said: “BYMT is delighted to be working in partnership with Birmingham Hippodrome, as we share a commitment to creating new music theatre and amplifying underrepresented voices. At BYMT, we work with brilliant music theatre writers and composers and their stories need to be shared with audiences and given chances to develop; this initiative at Birmingham Hippodrome will help to grow the musicals of the future. Following a successful run of ‘Our Girls Our Game’ at Easter we will be returning to the venue with a new grime musical, ‘#50Days’ in September and look forward to future collaborations.”

Written by Thabo Stuck

Music by Darkstar and Duramaney Kamara and Amir Saleem

Directed by Nyasha Gudo

Musical Directors are Nadine-Rose Johnson & Kevin Sable

Choreography by Melody Sinclair

1 - 3 September 2023

Tickets on sale at Birmingham Hippodrome!