A new musical directed by staff and alumni from Birmingham City University will celebrate the 160th anniversary of the first ever recorded match of lawn tennis which took place in the West Midlands.

The performance, titled Fairlight, aims to tackle the lack of gay representation in the sport by reimagining the origins of lawn tennis in a queer context and shining a light on the absence of any openly LGBT+ professional male players in the modern game.

The musical focuses on the relationship between the founders of lawn tennis, Birmingham-born Harry Gem and Auguro Perera- the son of Spanish immigrants.

The two unlikely friends met through a mutual love of sport. In 1859, they regularly played their new invention 'lawn racquets' at Fairlight, Auguro's Edgbaston home. The first recorded match was played there in 1865.

The first part of the musical will be showcased at Edgbaston Archery & Lawn Tennis Society, the oldest lawn tennis club in the world, later this month, followed by a tour of the full performance at grass court tournaments in the summer of 2025.

Birmingham local and recent Royal Birmingham Conservatoire (RBC) graduate Tej Brindley, alongside John Thacker, queer singer, actor and writer from Manchester, will star in the musical.

Tickets for the 6pm Saturday 20th July performance are available here.