#RoyalVariety2026 - Sutton Coldfield - 500 Years in the Making

Sutton Coldfield Heritage Network presents the second annual Royal Variety Concert leading up to the 500th Anniversary of Sutton Coldfield’s Royal Charter, back this year with an even bigger show and at Sutton's Town Hall.

There are 161 local people performing for your entertainment - enjoy! #RoyalVariety2026

Sutton Coldfield Chamber Choir

Musical Director Richard Mason

Collaborating on a piece written by Henry VIII himself in 1509 'Pastime with Good Company'

Sutton Coldfield Chamber Choir

There are many choirs in our Royal Town, and this is one of them
Formed in 2001, it performs in local churches and venues within 20 miles of Sutton Coldfield
The choir sing anthems, part songs, short classical pieces and modern arrangements
What is a chamber choir I hear you ask? Well, it is a small-to-medium sized choir with vocally experienced singers who often sing a capella i.e. ‘of the head’ meaning without an accompanying instrument such as a piano
Their musical director, Richard Mason, who runs many other choirs is a former music teacher who established a music scholarship programme in a nearby state secondary school
The choir is celebrating their 25th birthday this year.

Bold Writers: Fionnuala Kelly, poet and chairman

The ‘Six Women’ poem was especially written for tonight by Fionnuala
- - Performed by Script Musical Youth Theatre Company from Mere Green
  - And with a real-life Henry VIII in the room! With his bestie Bishop Vesey too!

Script Youth Musical Theatre Company, Mere Green

Musical Director: Tim Rice / Ian Beardsell

Giving us a history lesson on Henry VIII’s six wives – divorced, beheaded, died, divorced beheaded, survived!

Script Youth Musical Theatre Company

When this event was being planned months ago, the production team couldn’t believe their luck when it was discovered a local youth musical theatre group were preparing for their summer show ‘Six-Teen’ – a musical theatre show about Henry VIII’s six wives, adapted for teenagers to perform
Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived!
The SIX wives of Henry VIII take the mic to remix five hundred years of historical heartbreak into a Euphoric Celebration of 21st-century girl power!
Joining forces with Central England Concert Band to perform ‘Six’ and singing ‘Ex-Wives’, the past meets the present in a jubilant celebration of empowerment, sisterhood and resilience!

No Direction, Shenstone

Musical Director: Dave Ellison

One Direction unavailable so we've booked their stand-ins, a 60s boy band of retirees!

Boy Band- Good Company Singers

Next up, our producer had a typo and misspelled the name of this next performer incorrectly on the booking sheet – so no One Direction, but better still No Direction
This band have been performing for 8 years around Sutton Coldfield
Have raised £16,000 in that time for local charities
They perform for dementia, cancer and other groups locally
They call themselves a boy band with an average age of 78
In 2mths time, half of the band will be over 80
Age is just a number however – harmonies are however to die for!

Nicolaus Copernicus Polish Saturday School, Wylde Green

Their debut performance of traditional Polish song and dance

M. Copernicus Polish Saturday School in Birmingham

Another area of the world has a King Henry VIII too – Poland. In the 1300s. Who knew.
Sutton Coldfield is lucky to host this school – continuing Polish language, culture and traditions for children, grandchildren and even great-grandchildren in the English Midlands – after it relocated from the Polish quarter in Birmingham.
The Polish community has been in and around Birmingham for many years with major emigration waves during and post-World War 2 and on Poland’s accession to the European Union in 2004.
Birmingham’s Polish School was established in the city’s Polish Quarter in 1950, relocating to Bishop Walsh Catholic School in 2011 after outgrowing the Polish Millennium House site.
Today, although not a performing arts school (they are a language and culture school preparing students for GCSEs in Polish), they have created a fantastic performance for you.
As well as traditional poems and tongue twisters, they are performing a song that the School’s children and young people wrote themselves.
From Wylde Green, please welcome with their musicians Danuta and Pawel…dobry wieczor (phonetically doh-bray vee-eh-choor (good evening)), the Nicolaus Copernicus Polish Saturday School!

Dance & Beats, Mere Green

Dance and Beats

Boys HipHop dance group

There are very few boys’ dance schools around, yet they add to the diversity dance
Still relatively uncommon despite Billy Elliot, Strictly Come Dancing and despite the physical and psychological fitness and strength it provides growing boys and young men
One local dance school has grown a group of young boys who enjoy Hip Hop
Aged 4 – 11 years old
Dancing to the Black-Eyed Peas ‘Imma Be’, from Mere Green, the boys have been enjoying working hard on their dance skills!

Advanced Contemporary Girls

This group of girls have been invited specially by their teacher to perform this type of advanced choreography
Many of them have been dancing since very small, hence their high level of experience
Dancing to Sign of the Times by Harry Styles (swoon), there are some very advanced and challenging moves in their performance!

StreetKatz Theatre Company, Boldmere

An adult theatre group for those with learning disabilities, teleporting Henry VIII via Tardis into Sutton Park!

Street Katz Theatre and Film

In Highbury Theatre in Boldmere we have an adult theatre company for those with additional needs which is dedicated to providing a safe and welcoming environment for them to participate in performing arts activities
This group of marvellous adults are wonderful to work with both on and off the stage, enjoy learning their craft and sharing it with others
Jane and Nick run 3 groups in this theatre company with varying additional needs
The older people in the audience may well be transported back in time by some of the music in this piece – but you won’t be the only one: King Henry VIII is too… in a tardis
Performing to a range of TV theme tunes (we’ll leave you to guess them), Sutton Coldfield Heritage Network are delighted to welcome to the stage, from Boldmere, Street Katz Theatre & Film Company

Royal Sutton Coldfield Youth Orchestra, Moor Hall

Musical Director: Kristal Deakin

Celebrating their 10th birthday this year on the back of their Christmas concert a sell-out

Royal Sutton Coldfield Youth Orchestra

Now twice the size as when it started as part of the adult Royal Sutton Coldfield Symphony Orchestra, and one of three youth orchestras in Sutton, this group are celebrating their 10th anniversary this year
They play a wide range of music which at their sell-out Christmas concert in December included A Yellow Submarine – I mean why not, they LOVED it
Run by experienced musicians and teachers, they focus on developing musicianship, learning music theory, and most importantly having fun making music together
There are two groups on stage today: the Youth Orchestra for all ages and abilities, and the Youth Ensemble to stretch the more advanced musicians
Directed by Kristal Deakin, a local music teacher, and with musicians Martyn, Robyn, Julia and Catherine, please welcome the Royal Sutton Coldfield Youth Orchestra

Ultimate Bhangra and The Beats Circle, Wylde Green

Performing jointly on a special G-Funk mix with The Beats Circle dhol drum ensemble and collaborating with CECB on the well-known Panjabi MC piece Mundian Te Bach Ke ([Girls] Beware of the boys), in Feb 2026 were UK Bhangra Dance Champions

Ultimate Bhangra

This school of dance have classes all around the West Midlands and we are lucky to have one in Sutton.
Parm, their lead teacher, grew up with his father’s interest in the dance form
At age 16 he started competing after being largely self-taught, learning the history of the moves from his father, and now teaching the more traditional form of Bhangra dancing
Nowadays, Parm’s dance teams regularly compete in and win UK bhangra dance championships
The group about to perform has advanced and learner dancers, ages 7-18. The school also runs adult classes in Sutton Coldfield
The dhol drum team, The Beats Circle, are based in Sutton with an age range of 9 through to adult

Central England Concert Band, Streetly

Musical Director: Martin Sleaford

Growing their presence in the Town, last concert a sell-out

Central England Concert Band

Directed by Martin Sleaford, a local musician and teacher, you’ve heard them a few times in the concert so far
Central England Concert Band, based in Streetly, originated in Longbridge as the Black Watch Concert Band in the 60s and have migrated to different localities literally in a diagonal line across the city
We are hoping they won’t migrate any further north as they’ll end up in fields between Aldridge and Lichfield!
Coming from a background of outdoor band stand gigs, the band are increasingly performing in indoor concerts – largely based on audience feedback. There is certainly a demand for what they do
Their penultimate piece, the Greatest Showman, was chosen as it celebrates diversity – displaying differences from skin colour and disabilities to unique body features

#RoyalVariety2026 Artistic Director: Martin Sleaford

Martin, a music graduate of Coventry University and Sutton Coldfield resident, is a professional musician, teacher and conductor.

Aside from his private tuition school, he is a peripatetic music teacher in Warwickshire schools. He also conducts community ensembles and professional shows around the West Midlands.

#RoyalVariety2026 Compère: Paddy Silke

Paddy is a Sutton Coldfield resident, community organiser and a football radio commentator.

He runs a weekly men’s mental health walking group in the Royal Town that encourages conversation, connection and wellbeing through shared walks. Paddy is passionate about bringing people together and supporting positive mental health within the local community.

Big thanks!

We are grateful to Sutton Coldfield Charitable Trust for funding the event - which is intended to showcase local performers for local people, raise awareness of the upcoming 500th Anniversary of the Royal Town's Charter bestowed in 1528, and to raise funds for two special musical commissions for the 2028 celebrations.

Sutton Coldfield Charitable Trust

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