For our production of Romeo and Juliet, 150 people across Coventry helped create the show; for our next project, Nanny of the Maroons, we aim to make it 1000.
Nanny of the Maroons, our next large-scale community created show will open at the Belgrade in Spring 2027. Inspired by stories from within Coventry’s Afro-Caribbean community, it is an uplifting tale of courage, determination and the quest for freedom. What the public see on our stage will be the culmination of a two-year journey that has engages with 1000 people from Coventry through all stages of the creation process.
What is community co-creation?
Our approach to co-creation goes far beyond a tradition of warmth and welcome. The starting point is recognising the important role our communities play in making the Belgrade what it is. The process begins with listening. We work to make communities feel comfortable in sharing the stories that shape their lives. Then we find new, inventive ways to bring these stories to life together.  That process improves educational outcomes, develops new talent, enhances skills and creates new career paths.
Your donation will help make possible:
- A community choir project linking choirs across Coventry that will inform the final production and feature as part of the on-stage community ensemble.
- Outreach workshops that unearth and develop relationships with emerging local talent and place them on our stage as part of the cast.
- Community workshops to share the power of storytelling and develop ideas to be included in the production.
- A comprehensive education programme designed in collaboration with local teachers with workshops for Coventry primary schools in areas where there is limited access to arts engagement.
- A film about the creation of Nanny of the Maroons from our award-winning Digital Media Academy, providing an opportunity for young people to develop their filmmaking skills.
Please support our co-creation fund. Your support helps ensure we can reach more people across the Coventry, increasing opportunity, and changing lives.
Donate to the Belgrade
Help to enrich thousands of lives through the power of theatre by supporting our work. All donations are appreciated, whatever the value.
The Belgrade, a unique theatre for a unique city
By sharing the city’s diverse stories, the Belgrade brings people in Coventry together.
We’re proud to be home to communities with cultures, heritages and languages from all over the world and a history that dates to the Middle Ages. The stories we share reflect this diversity and this city’s continual reinvention over the years.
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.
Everything we do is with, by or for our communities. ‘Made in Cov’ is more than a slogan, it’s our reason to exist.
