The film opens inside a theatre. Sir Felix Aylmer walks on stage and recites lines from Twelfth Night "If music be the food of love..." (Aylmer had performed those lines in the first performance at the old Birmingham Repertory Theatre fifty eight years earlier). We then cut to an interview with actor Warren Mitchell who appears throughout the film talking about the appeal of theatre and his memories of both acting and visiting the theatre. Some sections of the interview are performed in his 'Alf Garnett' character. We then see one man travelling repertory actor Anthony Roy who is seen selling tickets and performing his one-man show at a small venue. His voice over talks about unfair funding of theatre and his inability to secure Arts Council funding.
We then see the exterior of the Nottingham Playhouse and there is an interview with Conservative councillor Arthur Cave who voted against the original plans for the new playhouse and is critical of funding of the arts. We then cut to another interviewee who defends the role of the Playhouse followed by John Counsell who runs the Theatre Royal in Windsor and a Canadian man who runs the Fortune Theatre in London. We see views of both theatres (Doctor in the House is on the marquee at Windsor). At the Fortune we see the manager discussing a new play with the actor Gerald Harper. There are also shot of other theatres in London's West End including the Royal Court and the Queen's Theatre.
The next section is a series of interviews with actors about appearing in repertory theatre. As well as Warren Mitchell we see Sir Ralph Richardson who talks about his role at the Haymarket in 1926 in Yellow Sands; Noele Gordon on the set of Crossroads; and another unidentified actress. The final section is a series of vox pops outside the new Birmingham Repertory Theatre on Broad Street asking if people visit the theatre.
No credits specified
This reel is a film insert for a programme called Curtain Up that was broadcast by ATV in the Midlands on 20 October 1971. The complete programme as broadcast also included the offical opening of the new theatre by Princess Margaret.