Theatre Royal Brighton’s Out of Hours events
Open all hours
The fun continues after the final curtain at Theatre Royal Brighton’s Out of Hours events
Theatre Royal Brighton’s justifiable reputation as one of the country’s leading playhouses is well known and is a source of great pride to many in the city. Within the last year alone, for example, Theatre Royal Brighton has previewed four plays which have gone on to huge success in the West End and has staged a number of international smash hit musicals.
What is less well known is some of the creative activity which goes on in areas of the Theatre other than the main stage and which has gained in popularity in recent years.
Designed to appeal particularly to adults and children who may not be regular theatregoers, Out of Hours events involve smaller scale performances and participatory experiences.
“Five very shiny stars to Theatre Royal Brighton for opening its doors to small companies with interesting new theatrical projects” – Latest 7 Magazine
The unique feature of these events is that they are held in areas of the building which are not generally open to the public; under the stage, the dressing rooms and the actors’ “gulp” bar have all recently provided the setting for performances. Audiences enter and leave the Theatre by Stage Door, thus enhancing the sense of surprise and excitement at being truly behind the scenes.
The next season runs from Wednesday 23 April to Sunday 4 May and includes new events created especially for Out of Hours by Brighton based companies. Herringbone Arts take families on a tour down memory lane with their life size puppet of an actor looking back at her life on the stage; Fight or Flight Productions give a new twist to the classic tale of an understudy’s chance for stardom and Trailblaze Theatre create a Murder Mystery evening with a difference.
The Theatre also has a thriving children’s club, Skip’s Club, which is free to join and holds regular after school and family workshops, tours, and open days. Skip, the club’s mouse mascot, always proves a major hit when he makes a personal appearance!
Theatre Royal Brighton Young Writers, in association with New Writing South, supports sixteen writers aged 16 to 25 with workshops and mentoring from a professional playwright. The writers will showcase a series of short pieces inspired by and presented in unusual places around the Theatre as part of Out of Hours.
For more mature audience members, the Thursday Matinée Club offers a talk by the director or member of the cast of that week’s performance and the opportunity to ask questions over a cup of tea and cake in the elegant Royal Circle Bar, before seeing the show. Recent Matinée Club sessions have been hosted by crime writer Peter James and actors Liza Goddard, Rula Lenska and Alistair McGowan. Membership of the club is free.
For further information about any of the activities, please contact Jackie Alexander, Development Manager jackiealexander@theambassadors.com 01273 764415
