England’s largest multi-arts festival, Brighton Festival, has been blessed by good weather this weekend for the traditional opening event, the children’s parade.
The Festival has indoor and outdoor events across Brighton and Hove until 27 May which cover comedy, poetry and spoken word, music, theatre, dance, circus, art, film, literature, debate, exhibitions and a programme of family events.
This year, Brighton-based visual artist and 2013 Turner Prize nominee David Shrigley is the Festival’s guest director.
New work from Shrigley features in the Festival alongside world and UK premières from a range of international and national creatives.
Amongst the theatre events are:
- National Theatre of Scotland's multimedia production Adam, based on the true story of a young trans man and his journey to reconciliation, directed by Cora Bissett with a score composed by Olivier award-winner Jocelyn Pook, sung by a virtual choir of trans and non-binary individuals from around the world.
- Brighton Festival commission Problem in Brighton, a new alt rock/pop pantomime, written and directed by David Shrigley.
- Kneehigh's acclaimed ode to Marc and Bella Chagall The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk directed by Emma Rice.
- The world première of I Wish I Was a Mountain, re-imagined from Herman Hesse's classic fairy tale by Glastonbury Poetry Slam Champion Toby Thompson for family audiences.
- The UK première of British/German arts collective Gob Squad’s Creation (Pictures for Dorian). Inspired by Oscar Wilde's novel, it looks at vanity and asks why we crave the eye of the beholder.
Contemporary circus includes the award-winning début from Fauna and Lexicon from NoFit State which for this show has taken inspiration from circus heritage and traditions with storytelling, live music and physical performance.
For two weekends, Your Place brings free performances and activities to Hangleton and East Brighton from visiting artists alongside local artists and community groups.
There is a programme of music events which includes Calixto Bieito: The String Quartet's Guide to Sex and Anxiety in which The Heath Quartet and four actors present a montage of melody and madness, a double bill of Malcolm Middleton and Scottish musician Iain Shaw and an overnight choral sleepover experience, The Voice Project's Arms of Sleep, created by directors Sian Croose and Jonathan Baker featuring music by Helen Chadwick, Orlando Gough and Jonathan Baker. This has been co-commissioned by Norfolk & Norwich Festival and Brighton Dome & Brighton Festival.
Dance events include Grand Finale by Hofesh Shechter co-commissioned by Georgia Rosengarten with Sadler's Wells, Théâtre de la Ville-Paris / La Villette-Paris and Brighton Dome & Brighton Festival and the UK première of Blaas (Blow) from Dutch theatre-maker Boukje Schweigman who has collaborated on the work with visual artist Cocky Eek and performer Ibelisse Guardia Ferragutti, to create a ballet of abstract configurations.
Amongst the Brighton Fringe events are:
- London based comedian Henry Café’s It’s Gameshow Time! where group therapy meets '90s kids' TV meets celebrity charity gameshow as celebs compete to become UN Goodwill Ambassadors and prizes include nasal hair strimmers.
- Marx In Soho. Written by Howard Zinn, this one-man show set in Soho, New York, is a defence of Marx’s life and political ideas. Marx is played by Bob Weick—world première.
- The Last Straw from London-based theatre company People Show is a dark, comic two-hander that looks at communications overload and guessing at what might be true in a world of fake news. Conceived and devised by Gareth Brierley, Fiona Creese, Nigel Edwards, Rob Kennedy, Emma Tompkins and Jessica Worrall and performed by Gareth Brierley and Fiona Creese.
Sweet Venues adds two venue partnerships to the existing Sweet Dukebox and Sweet St Andrews. These are the Werks and the Duke of Wellington pub.
Adrian Marks’s Waiting For Gandalf is amongst the shows at Werks. It comes from Brighton-based charity Mankind and, although not featuring any Hobbits, this play looks at what makes an unexpected hero. Lord of the Rings fanatic Kevin is performed by Chris Neville-Smith.
Sweet Venues also hosts, amongst others, Lucky Dog Theatre’s Laurel & Hardy Cabaret and comedians Yuriko Katani, Heidi Regan, Roy Hutchins and Mike McKeon.
Check web sites for information regarding access and age suitability.