A landmark report has been commissioned into establishing the UK’s first National Centre for Musical Theatre in the West Midlands.

Arts Council England, Birmingham City Council, Birmingham City University / Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, Birmingham Hippodrome Theatre Trust and West Midlands Combined Authority will partner to create a business case for a world-leading facility for musical theatre in the UK. The five partners will work with local, regional and national stakeholders to develop a first-class proposition. This will be informed by a period of consultation with sector and regional partners, as well as examples of international excellence in this field.

The belief is that Birmingham, as one of the youngest and most diverse cities in Europe, can build an international creative ecology around the art form. This will stimulate economic growth, provide new employment opportunities for young people from all backgrounds, and help cement the UK’s position as a leader in a thriving international musical theatre market.

Musical Theatre is of the one of the most financially buoyant art forms in this country. Musicals make up 10% of performances across UK theatres, but account for 21% of tickets sold and 25% of revenue. In the West End, musicals make up 51% of performances and account for over 60% of tickets sold and 61% of revenue (c.£250m).

A National Centre for Musical Theatre would grow skills and training to help to fill the national industry skills gap whilst creating opportunities for young people from the region. It would further enhance the West Midlands as an exciting location to live and work as an artist and create a new cultural destination for the region. With Mercury Musical Developments and Musical Theatre Network both located in Birmingham, the partnership has a strong network of regional expertise to draw on.

Lichfields have been appointed to carry out the business case, alongside a report looking at the infrastructure and location of the project. The aim is to create world leading musical theatre facilities, supporting a new generation of creatives and the desire for the West Midlands to become a region renowned for R&D in the creative industries.

The partners include Birmingham Hippodrome and the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. Birmingham Hippodrome has recently set up the UK’s first venue-based department for New Musical Theatre, committed to creating opportunities for musical theatre talent from the across the UK. The Royal Birmingham Conservatoire Acting School is one of the UK’s highest ranked courses, and this collaboration will see them look to create a dedicated musical theatre course.