FACES FROM BIRMINGHAM’S PAST
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There’s a staircase at Birmingham Rep that thousands of people must have walked up without ever giving much thought to the woman behind the photographs lining its walls.
Paul Scofield is there. Albert Finney. Ian Richardson. Derek Jacobi. Some of the biggest actors to pass through one of Britain’s great producing theatres, captured by a photographer whose own story is every bit as compelling as those of her famous subjects.
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Her name was Lisel Haas (pictured, below), and a major project at the Library of Birmingham is finally bringing her remarkable life – and an archive spanning 258 boxes – properly into view.
Discovering Lisel Haas, running at the library until December 12, explores the work of a German-born Jewish photographer who escaped Nazi persecution and rebuilt her life and career in Birmingham from scratch.
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Born in Mönchengladbach in 1898, Haas was no amateur when she arrived here. She had already established a successful photographic career in Germany, but as the Nazis tightened their grip on the country, she was forced to leave in 1938.
She came to Birmingham with her partner Grete Bermbach, following later, both faced with the formidable prospect of starting again in a new city, country and language.
And start again she did.
Haas established a portrait studio in Moseley, photographing generations of local families in an age long before everybody carried an extraordinarily capable camera around in their pocket. Professional portraits marked moments, milestones and people worth remembering, and Haas became part of that process for Birmingham families.
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But it was her relationship with Birmingham Rep that produced some of her most immediately recognisable work.
For more than two decades she photographed the theatre’s productions and performers, building an extraordinary visual record of its mid-century history. Those photographs of Scofield, Finney, Richardson and Jacobi remain on display at The Rep today, meaning Haas’s work has been hiding in plain sight.
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The archive she left behind goes much further, though. Photographs sit alongside letters and personal documents, connecting one woman’s life to much bigger stories about Birmingham, migration, European history, theatre and the lives of women in the 20th century.
“Haas was a professional photographer who came to Birmingham at a time of huge upheaval and rebuilt her career here,” says Iris Bertz, of Bertz Associates, which is leading the project with the Library of Birmingham.
“Her work connects Birmingham to European history, theatre, migration, women’s lives and the hidden stories that sit inside archives until someone opens the box.”
There are, quite literally, plenty of boxes to open.
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Despite the archive having been held in Birmingham for years, it is only now being formally catalogued for the first time. Photographic artist and archivist Clare Hewitt is leading that painstaking process, turning an enormous physical collection into something researchers and the public can properly navigate.
“Cataloguing an archive is not simply an administrative process,” she says. “It is a way of making material visible, searchable and meaningful.”
And the project isn’t simply about imposing a modern interpretation on Haas’s life from behind a library desk.
Community organisations including Dolphin Women’s Centre, LGBTQ+ social group Pink Sou’westers and women and non-binary photography network Luna are helping interpret the collection and shape cataloguing priorities.
It matters because archives aren’t neutral things. What gets recorded, how it is described and which parts of a life are considered significant all influence the story eventually told about that person.
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In Haas’s case, that means understanding not only a substantial photographic career, but the context in which it happened: a Jewish woman escaping Nazi Germany, rebuilding a professional life in Birmingham and living here with her female partner.
The exhibition itself combines selected photographs and material from Haas’s collection with newly commissioned responses from five contemporary artists: Anu Gamanagari, Gibson Kochanek Studio, George Eksts, Laura Chen and Rebecca Orleans. There’s also a new book featuring essays and written responses to the archive, while talks and archive exploration events will continue throughout the exhibition, including during Birmingham Heritage Week.
And Haas’s adopted neighbourhood will gain a permanent reminder of her story too, with a blue plaque planned for her former Moseley home and studio.
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Perhaps the loveliest thing about the whole project is that it doesn’t really constitute a discovery at all.
Haas’s photographs have been hanging at The Rep. Her archive has been sitting at the Library of Birmingham. The portraits she took presumably still survive in family albums and homes across the city.
She was already here.
What Discovering Lisel Haas does is join those fragments together and put the woman who took the photographs back into the picture.
Discovering Lisel Haas is at the Library of Birmingham until December 12, 2026. Entry is free.
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THE TRADER TURNED TASTEMAKER
Birmingham isn’t exactly short of quality markets. But when Brindley Artisan Market returns to Central Square a week today (Thursday, August 27), there’s serious pedigree behind the offering because one of the people choosing the traders knows exactly what it’s like to be standing on the other side of the stall.
Part of a series of Brindleyplace markets running since May, the event has been created to bring local independents into the heart of the estate, giving the Brindleyplace community and wider public another reason to spend time in Central Square. The August edition is being delivered in collaboration with market organiser Charlotte Jenkins and her company, Blue Moon Markets, alongside street food specialists Easy Streat Markets.
Charlotte began trading as an illustrator at markets in 2021, before moving into organising them towards the end of 2023. That experience has shaped the ethos behind her events – and given her a pretty good idea of what independent makers actually need from the person running the show.
“I really pride myself on being a very personal organiser, especially to my traders,” says Charlotte. “You’ll go to some markets and you don’t even know who’s organising it. Putting on a day that will do their work justice is important to me.”
It also means she understands just how much graft has happened before a single vase, print or piece of jewellery reaches the table.
“You appreciate the work that goes into it – the work that actually goes into even bringing these products to a market,” she says. “For me, a big part of my ethos is that I focus on the traders. I feel a responsibility; not only for them to have a successful day, but also for them to have a nice one. It makes the experience for both traders and visitors so much better.”
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The August 27 market, running 11am to 3pm, brings that independent spirit into the heart of Brindleyplace, with locally produced food and drink sitting alongside a sizeable helping of handmade creativity.
Expect fresh breads, cakes, sauces and drinks alongside paintings, prints, ceramics, jewellery, skincare, stationery and other things you definitely didn't know you needed until approximately three seconds after seeing them.
“If you need a painting on your wall, we’re the place to come to,” says Charlotte. “We always have a lovely mix of ceramicists, so if you need a vase or a planter or even a mug, they’re all handmade. We’ve got lovely jewellery designers too.”
Brindleyplace was Charlotte’s first outdoor market location, and its position brings an unusually broad crowd. “It’s actually really nice because we get such a mix of people,” she says. “Workers to and from work that need a break come down and have something to eat and have a browse, then people that are just there to enjoy Birmingham. It’s just a really nice, vibrant mix.”
Behind the scenes, Charlotte says, the markets are very much a collaborative effort, with the Brindleyplace team providing the well-managed, safe, clean environment in which the independent traders can do their thing, while trusting Charlotte’s experience when it comes to curating the stallholders.
She says "Brindleyplace trusted me to bring a fantastic line-up of artists and designers. I think it’s a great way of not only championing the small businesses that come and trade, but also the small businesses putting the markets on.”
The result, she says, is a market where the emphasis remains firmly on the people behind the products. “It’s always buzzing. Everyone’s very supportive. Even if they don’t buy something, people are very appreciative of everybody there.”
And August isn’t the end of it. Brindley Artisan Market is part of an ongoing programme of events at Brindleyplace, with another market following on September 24. Separately, Midlands Record Fair brings its own market to the estate on Saturday, August 29 at which Charlotte will also be bringing arts and crafts goodness with Blue Moon.
Brindley Artisan Market is at Central Square, Brindleyplace, on Thursday, August 27, from 11am to 3pm.
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FOLK: FINAL CALL
Bab, the countdown is very on for Moseley Folk & Arts Festival with less than a month to go until Birmingham’s most wholesome family-friendly festival.
They make a return to the sloping glades of Moseley Park for their 20th Anniversary (Sept 4 to 6) pulling out all the stops with this year's line-up.
Headliners include Kingfishr (coming off the back of a massive sold-out tour!), Super Furry Animals and The Dead South, Johnny & Lillie Flynn, The Wonder Stuff, Jane Weaver, Big Special and even more.
A stacked music line-up, plus an arts programme put together with Brummie heavy hitters Glee Club Birmingham, Close Up Comedy & Birmingham Comedy Festival.
The weekend gets even better with circus performances from Circus Raj, retro gaming with Dead Pixels, Fox Cub nature play, weaving and spinning workshops, graffiti and comic book workshops, a brand new wellness area to keep you relaxed and so much more to keep you and the little ones entertained.
The full schedule is confirmed, so get planning. Limited tickets available, especially for Saturday with Super Furry Animals. Book
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FIVE QUID CLASSICS
If you’ve always fancied giving classical music a whirl but the prospect of sitting through a lengthy concert while pretending to know your Elgar from your elbow feels a touch daunting, the CBSO has you covered.
Its new First Listen series at Symphony Hall consists of three informal, hour-long concerts designed specifically for orchestral newcomers. Better still, tickets are just £5.
Each starts at 6pm, has no interval and comes with a guest presenter to explain the music, its background and the human stories behind it – essentially taking away any sense that you’re supposed to know what you’re listening for.
First up is Elgar’s Enigma Variations on September 29, conducted by Stephanie Childress and introduced by saxophonist and radio presenter Jess Gillam.
Then comes Beethoven’s mighty Eroica Symphony on February 16, followed on April 28 by Schubert’s beautiful, brooding and famously unfinished Eighth Symphony, alongside Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier suite.
Five pounds to hear a full symphony orchestra at Symphony Hall? That’s some introduction. Looks like you're fresh out of excuses. Tickets
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FROM HAND
TO BRAND
How does a one-person creative practice end up working with a major manufacturer? And what can big business learn from the people actually making things by hand?
Those questions are at the heart of Craft & Industry, a panel discussion and evening reception at Birmingham City University’s STEAMhouse on August 27.
Hosted by the Crafts Council in partnership with BCU, the event explores what happens when individual makers meet mass production – and how collaborations between the two can benefit everyone involved.
The panel brings serious experience. Former Alternative Flooring creative director Lorna Haigh has overseen collaborations with Liberty Fabrics and Zoffany; Louisa Knapp of British Wool connects designers and brands with locally sourced fibre; while acclaimed textile artist and designer Margo Selby combines hand-woven artworks (like the one pictured) with designs for industrial production.
It runs 5pm to 7pm, followed by complimentary refreshments and the chance to meet makers and industry professionals. £8
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REVIEW: HIGH SOCIETY
‘You’re sensational’, or so one of the songs from the famous show goes, and that is an apt description of this lavish production, which really sets the bar for touring shows in terms of set, costumes and general production.
The cast are pretty darn sensational too. The famous stars of the film version, Grace Kelly, Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby are a tough act to follow, but Julien Ovenden, Freddie Fox and Brum’s very own Helen George (of Call the Midwife fame) give it a hell of a go, with a notable turn from Carly Mercedes Dyer, who we all fell a little bit in love during her rendition of ‘I’ve got you under my skin.’ Talking of tunes, this classic keeps ‘em coming, and the full live orchestra really does justice to Cole Porter’s stonking numbers.
The story line follows a big American society wedding of the year which quickly descends into chaos, as old and new flames cross paths with lots of laughs, some brilliant dance numbers and a fair bit of booze thrown into the mix. All in all a big thumbs up from us for this effervescent and classy production at the Alex, it’s only around until Saturday so get clicking on that booking link.
★ ★ ★ ★
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Birmingham Comedy Festival has unveiled its 2026 lineup. Running from Oct 2 to 11, highlights include Daniel Sloss at Symphony Hall, Stevie Martin and Olga Koch at The Glee Club and Laura Smyth and Jason Byrne at the Town Hall. Tickets
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Some of the globe’s best emerging orchestral conductors will descend upon Brum this September as the 6th Evgeny Svetlanov International Conducting Competition makes its UK debut. Held every four years and regarded as one of the world’s leading conducting competitions, the event will take place Sept 3 to 6, with the semi-finals and finals open to the public at Symphony Hall. Book
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Stirchley’s getting a sweet new arrival. Poets Bakery brings Birmingham’s first entirely gluten and dairy-free bakery, deli and coffee shop, with soya-free bakes, vegan options and serious treats. Follow
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The British Oak turns 100 on September 19 with a suitably massive Stirchley knees-up: brewery tap takeover, bowls, Eat Vietnam BBQ, live music and, gloriously, around 100 pints at 1926 prices. Happy birthday, old boozer. More
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Hue And Cry bring their full band to Symphony Hall on Friday, October 16, co-headlining with British soul star Roachford. Expect the platinum-selling duo’s biggest hits, audience favourites and tracks from acclaimed new album Everybody.
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