We are pleased to partner with Brighton Festival as a co-producer on multiple events in the 2017 festival edition. Join us of a wide range of international dance, theatre, debate and poetry during the month of May
The programme includes:
The Public Theater. The Gabriels: Election Year in the Life of One Family
(UK premiere).
Richard Nelson’s The Apple Family Plays was the theatrical highlight of the 2015 Brighton Festival.
Now the Tony Award-winning playwright and director follows up with The Gabriels, a landmark series that follows one extraordinary, imperfect American family in real time, tracking their lives throughout the turbulent election year of 2016. History, money, politics, art and culture are all on the table in this moving three play cycle about a family celebrating, remembering and waiting for the world to change. Each of the three plays can be enjoyed individually, and you can also watch all three in one glorious sitting over the weekends.
Joan Clevillé Dance: Plan B for Utopia
Plan B for Utopia is a playful dance theatre work by Dundee-based company Joan Clevillé Dance. Charismatic performers Solène Weinachter (Scottish Dance Theatre, Gecko) and John Kendall (balletLORENT) explore the notion of utopia and the role that imagination and creativity can play as a driving force for change in our personal and collective lives.
Democracy Debate: What Comes Next?
Following the Brexit vote and the election of Donald Trump, the rise of the right in Europe and the refugee crisis, Western societies are looking more polarised than ever. Is the system capable of tackling the real economic and environmental threats we face? And what comes next? Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee chairs a panel of top thinkers and politicians to debate the future of our political system including Caroline Lucas MP, Diane James, formerly UKIP leader elect and now independent MEP for the South East, the New Statesman columnist and author Laurie Penny, Vice Chancellor, University of Sussex Adam Tickell, and David Runciman, of the University of Cambridge.
Kat Francois: Raising Lazarus
Poetry slam champion Kat Francois is a regular performer on BBC Radio and London’s poetry scene. She brings her critically acclaimed one-woman play following sell out performances at The Roundhouse. Raising Lazarus tells the true story of Francois’ relative Private Lazarus Francois from Grenada, who joined the British West Indies Regiment in 1915 to fight for Britain in the First World War. Charting this young soldier’s journey from the Caribbean first to the Sussex coast, then on to Egypt and East Africa, Francois shines a light on the thousands of West Indian soldiers who volunteered for King and Empire.
Probe: Now You See It
Antonia Grove, artistic director of Brighton-based dance theatre company Probe, presents her brand new solo: co-directed with Sue MacLaine, the piece is full of evocative imagery that features a searing central performance by Antonia herself. Now You See It portrays a woman contemplating her past and reconsidering her strategies for survival. A dialogue between wonder and reason, reality and imagination, small ideas and mammoth consequences, this powerful performance marries straight-talking dance with storytelling, anecdotes and a little bit of magic.
Creative Director Laura McDermott explained, “This programme of events reflects the diversity of our programme here at Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts. We are particularly proud to host the UK premiere of Richard Nelson’s incredibly topical trilogy of plays about the US election, The Gabriels, and, with The Democracy Debate, to provide a space for reflection with brilliant critical thinker about the global political moment in which we find ourselves.”
Spend some time in our venue
Our café-bar will also be open during performance times during Brighton Festival. The bar serves a selection of local beers, wines, spirits and soft drinks. There is also a bespoke cocktail menu – a menu created exclusively for us by mixologist Robert Maynard, bar manager at The Ginger Pig in Hove. The café bar also offers a selection of sandwiches and delicatessen board “sharing platters” (charcuterie, cheese board, seafood and vegetarian or vegan) with local produce sourced from ethical suppliers. For The Gabriels we will be serving America style food including Mac and Cheese and Chilli. Month-long Festival cocktail and fizz offers are also available. See our chalk-board for full details.