THE BAG
birmingham art guide / november 2025
hello! welcome to the november BAG. i had a little break in october which meant i missed putting out this delightful picture of emily jo gibbs’ conker bag from the v&a. here it is anyway - there’s a chance you might still see a conker in november, after all. read on for more things you might see in november…
what’s on
theatre
mark thomas’ ordinary decent criminal is at the belgrade from tuesday 4th to saturday 8th.
malvern’s feast festival runs from the 8th-16th. there’s a chance to see a show in the world’s smallest theatre alongside plenty of other shows and workshops, including complicite’s can i live.
pound road productions’ new play the good landlord is touring venues around the midlands throughout november, in collaboration with acorn renters’ union.
graeae theatre’s bad lads tells the true story of boys detained at the medomsley youth detention centre in the 1980s. it’s at warwick arts centre on tuesday 11th + wednesday 12th.
on thursday 13th, mohit mathur is at the mac with his show dial 1 for uk about an indian man’s journey to england. the mystery collaborator mentioned in the blurb is theatremaker phil willmott.
two greek myths are musically reimagined in half man half bull at the hippodrome on saturday 15th + sunday 16th.
theatre re’s the nature of forgetting is at warwick arts centre on tuesday 18th + wednesday 19th, and it seems to come recommended by sarah jessica parker, if that holds any sway?
sutara gayle’s show the legends of them is at the belgrade on friday 21st + saturday 22nd.
you can catch some early ideas at two scratch nights this month; writer’s block is at the hippodrome on wednesday 19th, and draft includers is at the victoria on wednesday 26th.
film
square eyes, the mac’s annual festival of tv, takes place over the first two weeks of the month. brum on the box on saturday 8th is a collection of clips from birmingham’s televisual past, presented by our own sam nicoresti.
on the 8th and 9th, soul city arts are screening documentary in search of bengali harlem.
on tuesday 11th, power station is screening at the mockingbird, charting two artists’ attempt to make their street energy self-sufficient.
soulemayne’s story, the acclaimed film about a guinean man seeking asylum in france, is at the mac on saturday 15th.
kontinental ‘25, on at the mac from monday 17th-wednesday 19th, is an absurd social satire about a guilt-ridden romanian bailiff. also it has dinosaurs in it.
from wednesday 26th to friday 28th, queer east are screening three films at uob.
dance
throughout the month, fabric have a season of international and local dance under the title THIS IS DANCE, with an exciting variety of shows.
on tuesday 4th departure, a performance by movement artist masumi saito and composer an-ting which reimagines the funeral ceremony, is at warwick arts centre.
music
on tuesday 4th, artists haseebah ali and seema mattu are at pan-pan delving into south asian music from the archive. if you want to have a full musical day, you can catch a free gig by aayushi at lunchtime at symphony hall too.
to mark 50 years since shostakovich’s death, the conservatoire are presenting shostakovich and his world, a week of recitals and talks exploring his chamber music. if you can’t get enough (same), you can also hear shostakovich’s 7th symphony at warwick arts centre on sunday 2nd, or his final symphony at symphony hall on wednesday 19th.
on friday 14th, bonfire radicals are playing at the bramall music building on the uob campus.
fiddle player ruth lindsay is giving a workshop on traditional fiddle techniques at cotteridge friends’ meeting house on saturday 15th.
namesbliss brings his hypnotic storytelling to the hare and hounds on tuesday 18th.
grand union folk club is back at centrala on saturday 22nd with a lovely line-up from up and down the country.
on sunday 23rd, bcmg present neel kamrul’s the story of maya, a new composition for voice, traditional bangladeshi instruments and chamber orchestra.
on tues 25th, bcu have a public lecture by early music professor stephen rose.
visual arts
a new exhibition of sculptures by japanese ceramicist takuro kuwata opens at the start of the month at the mead gallery, continuing until the spring.
art of the palestinian poster continues at miah until saturday 15th, and on that day there’ll also be a tatreez cross-stitching workshop at miah.
waiting ‘til next year for another year is at ikon gallery from the 7th-16th, sharing work from the ikon’s art in prisons programme. meanwhile, resistant forms, the first major exhibition of guyanese-british artist donald locke’s sculptures, will continue at ikon until february.
the legacy centre’s roots festival on saturday 15th will include an exhibition of congolese artist rhode bath-schéba makoumbou’s paintings and sculptures, along with talks, workshops and performances.
the mac’s new exhibitions open on friday 21st and will be up until february. hardeep pandhal’s saag and fish fingers is a homecoming for the brummie artist.
a range of exhibitions continue at the herbert gallery until january as part of the coventry biennale.
languages of intimacy is on at the birmingham school of art until the end of the month, spanning explorations of indonesian indigineity, sickness and care.
reading + writing
jon berry, writer of who killed oswald grey?, will host a community conversation at the gap on saturday 8th, exploring the life and death of the last man to be sentenced to capital punishment in birmingham. part of balsall heath second saturday.
professor luke kennard gives his inaugural poetry lecture at uob on thursday 13th.
on thursday 20th, anarcho-flâneuse morag rose is at voce books speaking about her new book the feminist art of walking.
miscellaneous
it’s an irresistibly busy digbeth first friday this month, with exhibitions, open studios, opera workshops, book launches and more. eastside projects will be sharing a new community-led cultural plan for digbeth alongside their exhibitions, with performances and readings alongside.
opportunities
on thursday 13th, jaivant patel and the wolverhampton grand theatre are holding an open session for artists who are interested in being involved in south asian heritage month next year.
for directors
the rsc are looking for an assistant director for their production of the resistable rise of arturo ui. deadline nov 16th.
for actors
the rep are holding a free audition technique workshop with acting tutor katie meekison on saturday 15th. first come first served so sign up soon.
for writers
the hayati poetry residency is open for applications until nov 19th.
scratch nights draft includers and writer’s block are both open for submissions. deadlines nov 5th and 10th respectively.
for artists
ort gallery have a callout for two artists for their deliberation artist residency. deadline nov 20th.
thanks for reading. if you enjoy the BAG, please tell a friend! see you next month,
anna x