The founder of Outdoor Places Unusual Spaces (OPUS Arts), Caroline Davis, talks producing Birmingham Royal Ballet’s next ballet, Luna, and her ambition to keep our city full of joy and wonder

BEEN THERE, DONE THAT

I’ve been a producer in the city for more than a decade, working first at Birmingham Hippodrome before setting up OPUS when I was pregnant in 2018. I’ve had the pleasure of working on lots of brilliant city events, the 2012 Cultural Olympiad and Birmingham Weekender. In 2022, I was the executive producer for Motionhouse’s site specific spectacle Wondrous Stories that opened the Cultural Programme of the Commonwealth Games and the event director for the festival sites that took over the city.

IT’S WHAT I DO

I am currently producing Birmingham Royal Ballet’s next full-length ballet Luna, the final part of Carlos Acosta’s Birmingham Trilogy which includes City of a Thousand Trades and Black Sabbath – The Ballet. This involves a huge amount of coordination to bring complex productions like this to life with five brilliant female choreographers, creatives plans and schedules. I manage budgets and contracts but mostly I manage relationships. I take a lot of joy from working with creative people and particularly love telling stories of this great city we live in.

WHAT I’D LIKE TO SEE

My ambition is to keep this city that is home full of joy and wonder. Although I am currently working on my first theatre production with the ballet, you will generally find me outdoors bringing the public realm to life through interventions. I am currently completing my studies in cultural leadership and my ambition is to continue to grow our reach from the city nationally as we are starting to do now, to internationally… watch this space!

BIGGEST SUCCESS

Keeping sane while running multiple projects and raising a fierce but kind daughter… sure other people can relate!

BIGGEST LESSON LEARNED

I believe everything happens for a reason and on sliding doors mentality. You have the power to decide if you are walking through or walking away, and making legitimate decisions without regret.

WHAT I LIKE ABOUT BRUM

The inspiring women that live and work here. There are so many talented pioneers and hardworking women that work hard to make a life in this melting pot of Birmingham. Luna explores more of this in an abstract manner – picking out themes around overcoming adversity and female empowerment. We are so lucky to have the ballet here where we can see such stories explored on beautiful big stages.

DOWNTIME

My downtime is spent at other events and in the theatre, and now sharing that with my five-year-old daughter. I have set myself a task of a musical a month in 2024 – realising how much joy the artform still brings me and how lucky we are to have the regional theatre offer that we do – Hamilton was top but we currently have an excited five-year-old listening non-stop to Aladdin. I am not complaining!