Birmingham’s theatres, backstreets and alleyways are awash with literary and theatrical reprobates this pre-Easter season. See below for some of the highlights. Be warned, these plays feature strong adult content.

Trainspotting at Digbeth’s Rainbow Venues:
Taken straight from Edinburgh’s seediest alleyways and shooting galleries, Harry Gibson’s adaptation of Irvine Welsh’s infamous novel will be swearing, stealing and stabbing its way to the stage at Digbeth’s Rainbow Venues. The stage performance of Trainspotting promises the same hard-hitting, heroin-addled content as the book that inspired it. As a result, the play is limited to those aged 16+. Adult themes, nudity, strong language and drug use all course through the veins of this much awaited production. Even Irvine Welsh claims to have been shocked into submission by it. This event is in association with the mac Birmingham and tickets are selling out fast. Book now to avoid disappointment.
Wed 23 Mar – Sat 2 Apr, Rainbow Venues, Lower Trinity Street, Digbeth, B9 4AG. £15. Tickets: www.macbirmingham.co.uk

Iphigenia at Birmingham Rep:
Currently creating a mini-media cyclone of increasing scale, Gary Owen’s award-winning play uses Greek myth to influence a superbly raw and vivid modern-day tale of drink, drugs and daily drama. But these are the terraced lanes of South Cardiff, not the mythic mountains of Greece. We meet Effie whose story devastatingly evokes the eponymous Greek king’s daughter sacrificed at the feet of a bloodthirsty society. Coming straight from the National Theatre, this production’s starkness, economy, directness and fearlessness help make it glaringly current and relevant. Featuring a fearless and commanding performance from Sophie Melville.
Tue 15 Mar – Sat 19 Mar, The Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Centenary Square, Broad Street, Birmingham, B1 2EP. Tel: 0121 236 4455. 8pm (and 2.30pm matinee Sat 19 Mar). £13.50 See: www.birmingham-rep.co.uk

A Passion for Birmingham at The Old Joint Stock pub and theatre:
This fully interactive celebration of the city and previous sell-out success set in and around this stunning Grade II listed venue is an apt enough pre-Easter offering. A Passion for Birmingham tells history’s best known story of sacrifice, friendship and hope in a contemporary and immersive manner. Previously 2014’s sell-out show saw audiences take to the backstreets, alleyways, secret rooms and stairwells of Birmingham’s Colmore Row, buoyed on the revolutionary spirit of their guides and the surprises around every corner. Back again this year to continue a tradition that reaches back millennia with a team of working and amateur actors from all walks of life in this city. With 3 dates already sold out, act fast to secure your place.
Tue 15 Mar – Fri 25 Mar, The Old Joint Stock theatre and pub 4 Temple Row West Birmingham, West Midlands,B2 5NY,Tel: 0121 200 1892. 7pm, £15 See: http://www.oldjointstock.co.uk