The Big 5-0 Show

Join us for a night of celebration as the Arena Theatre marks a milestone moment with The Big 5-0 Show!

Over the past fifty years, the Arena Theatre has become a home for emerging and established artists, unforgettable performances, and bold ideas. Now, in this one-of-a-kind anniversary event, we’re bringing together the artists who have shaped that legacy - and are simultaneously shaping the future work - of the venue.

A showcase of creativity across theatre, dance, spoken word and more - The Big 5-0 Show will celebrate the artistic excellence of Associate Companies, Associate Artists and Partners that has made both themselves and the Arena Theatre a vital part of the cultural landscape for Wolverhampton and beyond.

Jaivant Patel Company

Associate Company Jaivant Patel Company (JPCo) is a multi award‑winning international arts organisation founded in Wolverhampton in 2006. Led by its visionary Artistic and Creative Director, Jaivant Patel—an unapologetic Queer British‑Gujarati dancemaker—the company creates bold contemporary work rooted in lived British‑South Asian experience and inspired by the rich diversity of South Asian dance traditions.

A trailblazer on both the UK and global stage, JPCo stands at the forefront of contemporary dance, amplifying LGBTQ+ South Asian voices and exploring the intersections of race, gender, sexuality, faith, and spirituality. Through movement, storytelling and innovation, the company challenges convention and opens space for representation, reflection, and transformation.

Based in Wolverhampton and connected nationally and internationally, JPCo is deeply rooted in Black Country communities and in South Asian and British cultural life. With strong local foundations and a global outlook, the company is a powerful connector—bringing together diasporic communities, cultural heritage, and artistic practice to create work that resonates far beyond the stage.

Katy Sterran

Associate Artist, Katy Sterran, is the Artistic Director of Flexus Dance Collective - partnership organisation of the Arena Theatre. From the West Midlands, Sterran founded FDC in 2003, building its profile on her vision to provide high-quality provision for creativity, training, performance and engagement, nurturing the talent of dancers throughout education, early careers and the professional sector.

Sterran’s choreographic career spans over two decades, developing a reputation for innovative theatrical, cross-art form works that challenge what it means to engage and connect with Contemporary Dance in the 21st Century. 

Sterran is passionate about her work with Young People, holding over 20 years of outstanding practice in Education and the Dance sector, building a national reputation for her ability to inspire, empower and push the possibilities of Youth Dance, achieving Professional standards out of young artists. 

Sterran Dance Company - FDC’s bridging company - will be presenting an excerpt of Lie Par L’Histoire. Inspired by John Edgar’s Breton Tales After Dark, the dance theatre work draws on Celtic heritage & Breton culture, bringing to life folklore of 19th-century Brittany in stories of morality, mortality & belief. Through storytelling, contemporary & social dance, live music & song, Lie Par L’Histoire explores the enduring power of stories to shape our moral compass, transcending time, class & culture. 

Dave Pitt

Black Country born and bred, Dave Pitt is an award-winning playwright, performance poet and storyteller. Dave’s work with the Arena Theatre began in 2014, becoming an ever-present contributor and supporter of the venue’s Arena Collaborative Theatremakers nights before participating as a writer in the 14/48 Wolverhampton speed theatre festival the following year. The convention is for Dave Pitt to say how he’s a performance poet, playwright, a third of the Poets, Prattlers and Pandemonialists, Arena Theatre Associate Artist and Lively MC and then go on about winning awards and stuff. But conventions are just there to make you feel comfortable and sometimes it’s nice to get out your comfort zone, ay it? So let’s get out of our comfort zone.

Fran Richards and Charis McRoberts

Announced as Associate Artists for our 50th year in 2026, Fran Richards and Charis McRoberts will be presenting an extract from their 2025 Arts Council funded project and performance Can Yow Remember? - a verbatim style show which captured the memories and lives of individuals across the Black Country living with dementia. Over the course of interactive workshops throughout 2024 and 2025 which were filled with laughter, creativity and heartfelt storytelling, Fran and Charis worked to capture cherished memories as participants revisited and shared special moments from their lives. Can Yow Remember? serves as a lasting tribute to the voices and experiences of those living with dementia, their families, and their carers, and is a joyful celebration of the lives and heritage of the Black Country.

Fran Richards is a dynamic creative practitioner & theatre director with over a decade of experience leading arts-based projects & directing productions across the UK. She is passionate about using creative expression to engage young people & communities. As an Associate Artist with Calathea Arts, Fran recently directed Eco-Ball (Arena Theatre, NEC Birmingham) & Wise Women (Ludlow Fringe, Midlands Tour). She is the Senior Practitioner for the Wolverhampton Grand Theatre & Arena Theatre’s Youth Theatre, where she has led & directed many large-scale productions in both venues over the past 10 years.

Charis McRoberts is an internationally acclaimed writer & creative based in Stafford. She is Co-Director of local theatre company Calathea Arts. Previous audio work includes Four (Rural Media, BBC Arts), Ballynahinch (United Kingdoms, BBC Radio 4) & The Raven’s Call (Tinderbox, BBC Radio Ulster). Charis has been commissioned as a writer across the UK & Ireland by companies & theatres including the Commonwealth Games, BBC, Lumo TV, Birmingham Hippodrome Theatre, Shakespeare’s Birthplace Trust, Belgrade Theatre Coventry, The Wolverhampton Grand, the Birmingham Museum, c21 Theatre Company & Kabosh Theatre. She believes theatre should be used as a vehicle for change.

Mosaic Disability Theatre

For 15 years, Mosaic Disability Theatre Company has been a vibrant and much-loved part of the creative community at Arena Theatre. Meeting every Wednesday, the group has provided a welcoming and inspiring space for adults with disabilities to explore performance, creativity, confidence and friendship through theatre. Overseen by Wendy Harper alongside staff from Wolverhampton Council Adult Services, Mosaic have become an important voice within Wolverhampton’s arts scene, celebrating inclusion, individuality and the power of storytelling.

Over the years, the company has built a reputation for creating performances that are heartfelt, entertaining and deeply rooted in community spirit. A highlight of the theatre calendar is their annual appearance in Festive Frivolities at the Arena Theatre, where audiences look forward to Mosaic’s performances every Christmas season. Their energy, humour and warmth have made them firm favourites with audiences, and their productions continue to showcase the talent and dedication of every member involved.

Tonight’s performance, The Black Country Alphabet, continues that celebration of regional identity and community heritage. Mosaic will be performing an extract from Weer Yow Bin, bringing their unique style, humour and spirit to the stage once again. Their contribution promises to be both entertaining and moving, offering audiences a chance to experience the distinctive character and creativity that has defined the company for the past decade and a half.

Michael Southan

Michael Southan is a playwright and poet from Wolverhampton in the West Midlands, and his work with the Arena Theatre began as a supporter and sharer for the venue’s Arena Collaborative Theatremakers evenings before becoming a member of the Arena Theatre Advisory Board in 2024. Michael has just been awarded Arts Council England funding for R&D for a new theatre piece, YOU SHOULD BE DANCING, which draws very much on his own experience as a person with Cerebral Palsy who uses a power chair. For The Big 5-0 Show, Michael will be presenting his own 10-minutes of joyous spoken word