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Thursday 02 November 2023

This Week Brighton Dome Welcomes Live Performance Back To Its Historic Spaces Following Major Refurbishment

Brighton Dome's Grade I and Grade II listed Corn Exchange and Studio Theatre welcomed the return of live performance this week, following a major capital refurbishment project to restore and protect the buildings for future generations.
Credit Andy Stagg

Watch the specially commissioned short film celebrating the reopening of these historic spaces, featuring one of Brighton Dome's In-House Artists AFLO. the poet.

First on stage until 4th November is Kin, a brand-new production from award-winning physical theatre company Gecko, coming to the Corn Exchange ahead of its run at London's National Theatre next year. 

The show is a powerful reflection on migration, inspired by the journey Artistic Director Amit Lahav's grandmother made from Yemen to Palestine in 1932. 

The Corn Exchange will also welcome Edinburgh Fringe sell out Jordan Gray; genre-defying musicians Penguin Café; and the return of Brighton Dome's much loved classical Coffee Concert series

In December, visionary saxophonist Camilla George brings her hypnotising blend of Afrofuturism, hip hop and jazz to the Studio Theatre; and South Korean dance artist Sung Im Her stages her fearless exploration of power and identity, Nutcrusher. 

The restored spaces will also provide a platform for community events, including musical and spoken word showcases and free family open days, and both will return as core venues for the annual Brighton Festival in May. 

The return of two major performance and community venues signals the importance of arts and culture to Brighton & Hove and adds vital infrastructure to its creative sector. 


State of the art facilities have been installed throughout, including the latest 5G technology, which allows experimentation with live collaboration and performance across multiple locations and platforms. 

A brand-new creative space, Anita's Room, made possible by The Roddick Foundation, will also support local, national and international artists to experiment and create bold new work.

Elsewhere, there is increased seating capacity in the Corn Exchange and new balcony seating in the Studio Theatre. 

The addition of a restaurant, from award-winning B-Corp certified Redroaster and two new bars provides more spaces for visitors to relax.

Andrew Comben, Chief Executive of Brighton Dome & Brighton Festival, said: 

"Brighton punches above its weight as a city and its thriving cultural and creative sector is a huge part of that success. 

"Restoring these wonderful historic buildings to make them more open to residents and visitors, more useful to the city and its artists, more creative and more sustainable has been a labour of love for the project team and all of us at Brighton Dome & Brighton Festival.  

"We have come together believing in the central importance of arts and culture to Brighton & Hove's identity, its economy and its social wellbeing and it is our enormous privilege now to open our doors and share the stories these beautiful buildings hold already and those yet to be written." 

For more details visit brightondome.org

by: Mike Cobley




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Credit Rachel Sherlock

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Credit: Romany Mark Bruce

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Credit: Paul Winter

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Credit: Phoebe Fox

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Credit: Robert Piwko

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