With the return of the recently refurbished Corn Exchange and Studio Theatre alongside the historic Concert Hall, Brighton Dome’s autumn season hosts an eclectic mix of inclusive, accessible events featuring acclaimed productions and artists from across the UK and beyond.
Hailed as ‘exceptional’ by The Guardian, the new musical from Breach Theatre, After the Act, is co-produced with Brighton Dome and considers the impact of Section 28 on real lives through a lens of pride, protest, humour and an original, 80s synths-packed live score. Elsewhere, comedian, performance artist and cult favourite, Lucy McCormick brings her critically acclaimed cabaret Lucy & Friends to Brighton, connecting with audiences the only way she knows how: via a chaotic and hilarious mix of pole dancing, cat impressions and clairvoyance.
The ever-evolving performance-installation Of All the People in the World, praised as ‘ingenious’ by the Daily Telegraph, uses grains of rice to represent human statistics and tell unexpectedly moving stories about the planet’s 8.2 billion inhabitants. Talawa Firsts – an annual celebration of the most exciting new Black British theatre makers and writers – comes to Brighton for the first time, staging a comedy-drama double bill that explores the subjects of hospitality and modern relationships.
Award-winning, interactive VR adventure In Pursuit of Repetitive Beats invites audiences to step back in time to the heart of the 1980s acid house scene, with rave culture further explored in a lunchtime talk from BIMM Music Institute lecturer and music journalist James Kendall. Orchestral Qawwali Project, led by singer Abi Sampa and composer Rushil Ranjan, will transcend musical boundaries with their seamless blend of Western orchestral and choral traditions, Indian Classical and Sufi Islamic music, fresh from sold-out performances across the UK and Middle East.
Nigeria’s celebrated QDance Company will explode onto the stage with their exuberant Re:Incarnation, an ode to Nigerian culture through a fusion of movement, music, fashion and art. World-renowned flamenco guitarist Paco Pena’s Dance Company presents Solera, which sees the raw talent of a new generation of young dancers tempered by the elegant, understated mastery of Pena’s playing and in Afrique en Cirque, Canada’s Kalabante Productions delivers a charming, high-energy combination of circus, dance and music inspired by daily life in Guinea.
The brand new, inaugural Brighton Dome Comedy Festival has a fully BSL-interpreted line up, including improv from Taskmaster’s Kiell Smith-Bynoe, stand-up from Brighton-based Maisie Adam and refugee comedy collective No Direction Home making one of their first appearances outside London. In a UK comedy festival first, a teen-friendly version of Brighton’s biggest comedy night, Live at Brighton Dome, will take place simultaneously to the grown-up edition and for younger children, Phil Kay’s Gimme Your Left Shoe will give everyone a turn in the limelight.
In the music programme, Making Tracks is an artistic residencyfrom the Scottish Highlandswhichbrings together world class musicians from all corners of the globe to showcase collaborations inspired by the natural world. Sunday morning Coffee Concerts return in an opportunity to experience high quality chamber music from across the centuries, from Bach and Beethoven to a new commission from acclaimed Scottish composer Electra Perivolaris, in the surrounds of the beautifully refurbished Corn Exchange. Also returning to Brighton Dome this autumn is Blue Camel Club, the biggest learning-disabled club night on the south coast.
Mesmerising folk quartet CALAN perform tracks from their highly anticipated new album, Nefydd, which uses harp, guitar, fiddle, accordion and song to bring to life stories from Welsh folklore. Leveret, a collaboration between three of England’s finest folk musicians Andy Cutting (button accordion), Sam Sweeney (fiddle) and Rob Harbron (concertina), promises consummate musicianship, compelling delivery and captivating spontaneity.
For families, the enchanting Stories of a Watersprite explores an underwater world in need of change and The Glass Slippers re-imagines Cinderella with new twists and turns. Inspired by this season’s family shows, children and families can also attend Playmakes arts and crafting sessions, which encourage creativity through collaging, puppetry and model making.
With a history spanning more than 200 years, Brighton Dome is an extraordinary space in which to bring the arts alive. A recently completed major capital refurbishment project, to restore and protect the Grade I and Grade II listed Corn Exchange and Studio Theatre, supports an even wider and more accessible programme of events for audiences and community participants.
Selected Listings
Theatre
Stan’s Café: Of All the People in the World
A beautifully simple performance that converts human population statistics into a landscape of labelled rice piles, in which one grain equals one person. Numbers once abstract and difficult to grasp are given physical scale and gain a powerful emotional kick.
Brighton Dome Corn Exchange, 7-11 September
Talawa Firsts Double Bill
Comedy-drama from the UK’s most exciting new Black writers and theatre makers. Bougie Lanre’s Boulangerie chronicles acclaimed poet Kareem Parkins-Brown’s years working in the hospitality industry, attempting to make ends meet as a Black, working-class artist. Love in Gravitational Waves by writer, rapper and record-breaking beatboxer Testament follows Bronwyn; a woman who decides to exclusively date men who have the opposite views to her.
Brighton Dome Studio Theatre, 15-16 October
Breach Theatre: After the Act
A funny, camp and unapologetically queer musical – and a clear-eyed exposure of Section 28, which banned the “promotion” of homosexuality in schools. This new show from Breach Theatre, following their hit production It’s True, It’s True, It’s True, has a joyously exuberant original live score to accompany the inspiring, sometimes heart-breaking, real-life stories of teachers, students and activists impacted by the legislation.
Brighton Dome Corn Exchange, 8-9 November
You Aren’t Doing it Wrong (if No One Knows What You Are Doing)
Artist and theatre-maker Rachel Blackman dives headlong into a car crash of perfectionism, imposter syndrome and non-award-winning moments in this interactive, raw and funny solo show. Part confessional, part invocation, this is a collective celebration of our right to fail.
Brighton Dome Studio Theatre, 6-7 December
Comedy & Cabaret
Disabled + Disobedient
Hosted by Brighton Dome In-House Artist Erin Enfys, Disabled + Disobedient brings together an eclectic line up of the best deaf, disabled and neurodivergent talent in Brighton and beyond for a full-throttle, genre-bending celebration of defiance and creativity.
Brighton Dome Studio Theatre, 17 October
Brighton Dome Comedy Festival
The first of a brand-new annual Comedy Festival. Traditional stand-up performances sit alongside improv, storytelling and art installations, with events and workshops for participants of all ages. This year’s performers include Nish Kumar, Fern Brady, the UK’s first refugee comedy collective No Direction Home and Ghosts actor Kiell Smith-Bynoe.
Brighton Dome, 24-27 October
Lucy & Friends
A queer cabaret spectacular from acclaimed comedian and performer Lucy McCormick, featuring a chaotic mix of pole dancing, cat impersonations, a clairvoyant and some quick reworking of social policy.
Brighton Dome Corn Exchange, 1-2 November
Ginger Johnson Blows Off
Comedian, crash mat and winner of Drag Race UK Ginger Johnson swaps her stilettos for safety goggles and takes a death-defying leap from the runway to the real world. Bursting with stunning looks and cunning stunts, this is a hilarious new show about taking risks, pushing yourself and living up to expectations.
Brighton Dome Corn Exchange, 15 November
Music
Mariza
One of only two UK dates this year from the world-renowned Portuguese fado singer. Expect remarkable singing, charismatic stage presence and a powerful blend of traditional and contemporary song forms.
Brighton Dome Concert Hall, 20 September
Coffee Concerts
In the surrounds of the beautifully refurbished Corn Exchange, Sunday morning Coffee Concerts provide an opportunity to hear some of the world’s best classical music, performed by a mixture of renowned ensembles and up and coming new musicians. This season includes prize-winning young violinist Charlotte Spruit, London Symphony Orchestra’s Principal Oboist Olivier Stankiewicz and the internationally acclaimed Atenea Quartet.
Brighton Dome Corn Exchange, various dates Sep-Dec
Making Tracks
Following a residency in the Scottish Highlands inspired by musical traditions and the natural world, Making Tracks presents 8 exceptional artists from the UK and around the world for a showcase of diverse music and new collaborations.
Brighton Dome Studio Theatre, 4 October
Blue Camel Club
Blue Camel Club is a highlight in the social calendar for learning disabled people from across Sussex. It’s a place where friendships are made and re-kindled, information is shared, support networks are strengthened and everyone is welcome.
Brighton Dome Corn Exchange, 7 October
Leveret
A collaboration between three of England’s finest folk musicians Andy Cutting (button accordion), Sam Sweeney (fiddle) and Rob Harbron (concertina), each regarded as exceptional performers and masters of their instruments. Relying on mutual trust and musical interaction, the trio create new settings of their repertoire in the moment of performances that combine consummate musicianship, compelling delivery and captivating spontaneity.
Brighton Dome Studio Theatre, 10 October
Orchestral Qawwali Project
Since their formation just 3 years ago, this ensemble has sold out concert venues around the world and amassed millions of online listeners. Led by composer Rushil Ranjan and singer Abi Sampa, they breathe new life into centuries-old traditions by seamlessly blending Western Classical, choral, Indian Classical and Sufi music.
Brighton Dome Concert Hall, 19 October
East City Films: In Pursuit of Repetitive Beats
This VR experience brings to life the anticipation, trepidation, excitement and euphoria that was 1980s Acid House. Interactive and multi-sensory, it features the stories of the promoters, police officers and rave-goers whose rivalries and relationships drove a revolution in music and society.
Brighton Dome Studio Theatre, 5-24 November
CALAN
The mesmerising Welsh folk quartet perform tracks from their highly anticipated album, Nefydd. Ancient tales of Welsh mythology are meticulously brought to life through the enchanting melodies of harp, guitar, fiddle, accordion and song.
Brighton Dome Studio Theatre, 29 November
Afriquoi
Formed in 2011 out of London’s cultural melting pot, UK afro supergroup Afriquoi create uplifting, dancefloor-friendly music. With members ranging in age across 3 decades, originating from Africa, the Caribbean and the UK, Afriquoi is fusion music in the best sense of the word, bringing together a vast depth of musical knowledge, culture and life experience.
Brighton Dome Studio Theatre, 14 December
Dance & Circus
QDance: Re:Incarnation
This fusion of dance, music, fashion and visual art is an ode to the riches of Nigerian culture, from ancient Yoruba philosophy to the rhythm and spirit of the country’s hyper-vibrant youth culture.
Brighton Dome Concert Hall, 1-2 October
Paco Pena Dance Company: Solera
World renowned Flamenco guitarist Paco Pena’s Solera marries artistic wisdom with the fearlessness of youth, for a performance that is both quiet and celebratory, soulful and full of life.
Brighton Dome Concert Hall, 15-16 November
Kalabante Productions: Afrique en Cirque
A high-energy acrobatic journey to a Guinean village, set to the sounds of live Afrojazz and traditional West African instruments.
Brighton Dome Concert Hall, 28-31 December
Children & Family
Stories of a Watersprite
A gentle and multi-sensory dance and puppetry production that explores a pond teeming with life – and other less welcome items. The show invites young audiences to use their imagination and to believe that regardless of how little they are, they can still make a difference.
Brighton Dome Studio Theatre, 29 September
The Glass Slippers
A re-imagining of Cinderella through songs, dancing and magic, with some new twists and turns to make young children chuckle and encourage them to let their real selves shine through.
Brighton Dome Studio Theatre, 20 October
Luna Loves Library Day
Luna and her dad take an adventure amongst the library shelves in this new musical for families, based on the book by former Waterstones Children’s Laureate Joseph Coelho and illustrator Fiona Lumbers, with music and lyrics by children’s musician David Gibb.
Brighton Dome Studio Theatre, 30-31 October
Playmakes Arts & Crafting
Before select shows in Brighton Dome’s family programme, young children and their grown ups can attend an arts and crafts session for collaging, model making, puppetry and more. All materials provided.
Various locations & dates, Sep-Dec
Film & Talks
In Conversation with Tim Minchin
Musical comedian Tim Minchin discusses his new book You Don’t Have to Have A Dream: Advice for the Incrementally Ambitious with journalist Helen Lewis, sharing his thoughts and advice for how we can combat apathy and do something meaningful for ourselves and the world.
Brighton Dome Concert Hall, 3 September
Tim Peake: Astronauts – the Quest to Space
The awe-inspiring endeavours of pioneering astronauts will be brought to life, with extraordinary archive material and footage matched only by Peake’s unparalleled storytelling.
Brighton Dome Concert Hall, 8 September
Ocean Film Festival
Dive into the world of marine life and wild seafaring voyages with a new collection of the world’s most incredible ocean films.
Brighton Dome Concert Hall, 18 September
Sandi Toksvig: Friends of Dorothy
Toksvig celebrates the publication of her new novel, Friends of Dorothy, with an evening of silly stories, profound truths, fascinating facts, readings from the book and a quick-fire Q&A.
Brighton Dome Concert Hall, 25 September
An Audience with Robert Lindsay
Star of Citizen Smith, My Family, Hornblower, and Anything Goes, Robert Lindsay shares an intimate look into the experiences and stories behind some of his most iconic roles.
Brighton Dome Corn Exchange, 27 September
For more details visit brightondome.org
The post What’s On at Brighton Dome this Autumn appeared first on The Classical Source.
