New season

From cutting-edge new theatre to celebrated performance, Brighton Dome brings high-quality productions to its historic event spaces this autumn.

On the Corn Exchange stage, Once Upon a Time in Sokoto (November 17-21), by celebrated Nigerian-born poet, playwright and artist Inua Ellams tells the epic story of a beautiful but unlikely friendship between an enslaved woman and her former master. It is presented by Touring Together, a brand-new nationwide initiative Brighton Dome is part of that is committed to bringing bold new theatre to audiences across the country.

Pushing the form of documentary theatre and dance, Woodhill (October 9-10) uses choreography and music to tell the true story of the deaths of three men at HMP Woodhill and their families’ fight for answers.

The Studio Theatre has performances fresh from Edinburgh, including Man or Bear (October 7), a darkly comic play about fear and friendship inspired by a viral meme and Crush (September 29-30), which follows the meet-cute of two Somali teenagers in an eating disorder clinic, alongside Fire Fire (October 12), a brand-new play about climate change, taking big risks and discovering shared purpose. Nation (November 12-14) is a fable about national identity, while award-winning performance artist Louise Orwin embarks on a loud, unpredictable and funny helter-skelter nosedive through the TikTok universe in FAMEHUNGRY (November 27-28).

Local artists appearing at Brighton Dome across the season include East Sussex based choreographer Ben Duke’s Lost Dog Dance company, whose Juliet & Romeo (November 12-14) is a humorous and heartfelt dance duet that reveals the real story of Shakespeare’s most famous couple.

Brighton’s AFLO. the poet’s spoken word nights Status Flo (October 5 and November 2) bring together award-winning poets and the city's freshest voices, with October’s event marking Black History Month and November’s themed around Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month.

African Night Fever’s Family Day Take Part (November 7) honours the city’s diaspora communities through workshops, performances and global cuisine. In celebration of Brighton’s comedy scene, Brighton Dome Comedy Festival (October 16-25) has partnered with Komedia this year to bring audiences even more laughs in October.

In classical music, autumn sees the start of new event seasons from Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra, who have performed at Brighton Dome Concert Hall for nearly 100 years, London Philharmonic Orchestra and Sunday morning Coffee Concerts, plus performances from Katherine Jenkins and Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra.

A host of contemporary music stars also play at Brighton Dome, including Embrace (November 17) on a 30-year anniversary tour, all-female collective Les Amazones D’Afrique (October 2) and US rappers Earl Sweatshirt and MIKE (September 3). Big-name comedians such as Phil Wang (November 27), Chris Ramsey (November 13) and Lucy Beaumont (December 3) perform new stand-up routines, while Celebrity Traitors star Joe Marler (November 5) records an episode of his podcast live at the venue and naturalist Chris Packham (November 22) and wordsmith Susie Dent (December 6) discuss their specialist subjects.

For families, immersive storytelling brings much loved characters to life, including the stage version of beloved CBeebies TV show In the Night Garden (September 12) and Your Toys (October 28-November 1) by Lewes-based company Slot Machine Theatre, which uses puppetry skills to create a cast from toys belonging to children in the audience across the October half term. Later in the year, Rabbit & Rey and the Lost Things (November 22) follows the funny and heart-tugging quest of Rey and their fiercely loyal bunny companion to find all the things they’ve ever lost. Throughout autumn, interactive Crafty Kids workshops in Brighton Dome’s Anita’s Room offer opportunities for children and their grown-ups to get creative, with all materials provided and the mess tidied up afterwards.

Elsewhere, the familiar becomes unexpected in a series of events from LGBTQ+ artists. Award-winning cabaret artist Fatt Butcher’s Congregational (October 30) turns choral music on its head with a thumping series of newly composed hymns blending house and trance with gospel and classical, in a service that pays tribute to the dancefloor. Acclaimed dance duo Thick & Tight, known for their distinctive mix of choreography, mime, theatre and drag, present a variety show crossed with a biology lecture in Natural Behaviour (October 13), a queer look at what it means to be natural or unnatural.

Throughout December, Brighton Dome invites audiences to immerse themselves in the festive spirit and celebrate with friends and family at Ceilidh the Musical (December 15-20), Christmas concerts and singalongs from Brighton Festival Chorus (December 13), Brighton Gay Men’s Chorus (December 12) and Choir with No Name (December 15), organ-accompanied karaoke with Brighton’s own Ida Barr in Organoke (December 18) and Duck Pond (December 23-8), a spectacular circus reimagining of Swan Lake from acclaimed Australian company Circa. For young families, Little Red Hen (December 22-24) is an energetic adaptation of the fable about an industrious chicken and her lazy farmyard friends, using puppetry, live music and comedy.

For more details visit brightondome.org