University News Last updated 12 July
A new musical directed by RBC staff and alumni will celebrate the 160th anniversary of the first-ever recorded match of lawn tennis, which took place in the West Midlands.
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.
Professor of Composition Michael Wolters, who is one of the artistic directors of the project, said: “It’s great that we can celebrate the founding of lawn tennis right here in Birmingham. By focusing on the founders of lawn tennis, we hope to bring a hidden piece of local history to light that nobody seems to talk about.”
The first part of the musical will be showcased at Edgbaston Archery and Lawn Tennis Society, the oldest lawn tennis club in the world, on Saturday 20 July, followed by a tour of the full performance at grass court tournaments in the summer of 2025.
Artistic Director and librettist Alexandra Taylor feels the performance will be an eye-opening experience: “There is a lack of gay representation in modern tennis, particularly in professional male competition.
“Professional tennis should be an arena that is open to all. It’s been almost 160 years since the founding of lawn tennis in Birmingham and I hope our performance will open up this space and show how far we’ve come as a society since then.
“Some of the themes including fear, shame and homophobia are still problems LGBT+ people face today. I hope the performance will show LGBT+ people that their story is more universal than they think.”
The musical will star Birmingham local and recent graduate Tej Brindley, alongside queer singer, actor and writer from Manchester John Thacker.
The performance is supported by Arts Council England, Pride in Tennis, The Lawn Tennis Associations (LTA), Edgbaston Archery and Lawn Tennis Society, Birmingham City University and The John Feeney Charitable Trust, set up by the founder of the Birmingham Daily Mail and supporter of the Arts.
Tickets for the performance on Saturday 20 July are available now from Eventbrite.