As the summer months draw near, the ability to be outdoors in more desirable weather is more than possible for local residents. Even for activities held indoors, there will be outdoor events for those hobbies to provide an alternative to sitting inside a venue for a few hours this summer.
If you’re keener on films, then Picturehouse will have you covered. Organised by staff members at the Duke of York’s Picturehouse, Picturehouse Outdoor Cinema is an ongoing addition for over a decade to Brighton’s cinema landscape, taking place at Preston Manor South Lawn & Garden.
The benefit of the Outdoor Cinema, according to Sam Harris, a regional marketing executive for Picturehouse’s London and Brighton cinemas, is the increased amount of freedom they have when it comes to going about their showings. As Sam puts it, “It gives us a bit more space to have more fun, it’s not just people turning up for the film, getting their popcorn, and going into the screen, it’s more like event cinema, and everyone there is on the same page and relaxed.”
Outdoor Cinema will have 12 different screenings over two weekends each in June and August. Cult classics, personal favourites, and films from the 1970s to today, Sam ensures that the programming offers films that cater to everyone’s taste. He believes that because of the wider freedom of Outdoor Cinema, “You can have a lot more fun with the programming in that sort of way.”.
Undeniably, the higher temperatures during the summer months can result in higher chances of extreme weather, which could lead to screenings being cancelled. Sam is aware of this, and jokes that “You can’t go to an outdoor cinema in Britain and expect it to be sunny all of the time”. However, depending on the film, it could add to the experience. Sam remembers doing a screening of Top: Gun Maverick a few years ago on an incredibly windy day, and noted “It’s like 4DX, it’s like you’re really in the sky flying.”
Previous showings at Preston Manor have included the likes of Jaws, Mamma Mia, and Rocky Horror Picture Show. Whilst the selection for this year’s offerings at Preston Manor is still undecided, Sam promises that there are “some really fun ideas, there’s going to be some music, some bangers, some old favourites, the lineup is maybe the best we’ve ever done, I hope.”
If outdoor cinema isn’t appealing, perhaps outdoor theatre may interest you. Brighton Open Air Theatre (or BOAT for simplicity) has been at Dyke Road Park since 2015, founded by the late Adrian Bunting, whose vision of an outdoor theatre has lived on through the founding trustees of BOAT. Last year, to mark 10 seasons since opening in 2015, BOAT opened with Adrian’s play ‘Kemble’s Riot’, an Edinburgh Fringe award-winning play.
BOAT themselves are a charity organisation, meaning they don’t get any funding, and instead fundraise themselves each year through ticket sales, donations and profits from the bar. Nevertheless, Tanya Macleod, the operations manager at BOAT since 2018, believes there is a certain kind of magic about the venue. Calling it ‘the theatre that friendship built’, she said, “The site and location are gorgeous, when all the wildflowers and the sun are out, it’s magical, and it’s quite traditional, not just because it’s a Greek amphitheatre, but because we’re part of a touring circuit of companies who arrive, they perform their show and then they go off. It has that village community feel to it that’s quite rustic.”
The longstanding nature of BOAT has meant they have built strong relationships with companies over the past decade. Whilst Tanya understands that some companies might not come back, owing to reasons such as some shows not translating to outdoor theatre compared to indoor theatre, she said: “We’re always encouraging new companies, there’s a lot of handholding, to begin with, whilst they get used to this unique setup. It’s an overview of a giant puzzle, but we want to give everyone a fair chance.”
BOAT’s lineup this year starting from the 2nd of May, as described in their brochure, ‘offers a wide selection of shows, including some old favourites as well as new and exciting productions’. From the likes of Shakespeare plays such as A Midsummer Night’s Dream, to their annual Summer Comedy Festival, where the showing featuring famous comedian Romesh Ranganathan sold out in a record 8 hours, to I Joan, a modern re-telling of the story of Joan de Arc, there is something for everyone this summer.
As the summer draws nearer, perhaps it might be worthwhile to experience a new change of scenery and experience screenings in the warm and sunny outdoors at either Preston Manor or Dyke Road Park. You’re more than likely to end up finding something worthwhile that you won’t regret attending.
https://www.picturehouses.com/outdoor-cinema/venue/preston-manor
Pic: Laura Mukabaa, Brighton Open Air Theatre, 2024 (copyright provided by Tanya Macleod, BOAT)
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