Brighton, Brighton Festival, Brighton Life, Uncategorized

Martha Bolt’s pick of Brighton Festival ’24

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As the line up for this year’s Festival is unveiled,
our Arts Correspondent picks her hot tickets

“The whole city is like a thought experiment” said Frank Cottrell-Boyce, this year’s Guest Director at the launch event for the Brighton Festival, as he explained why he loves Brighton. He spoke about rebellion, and that “people tend to run away to Brighton’, and gave a glimpse of the Festival to come when he claimed that “we need some hope” and that Brighton is one of the few places that “Looks to the future”.

The Festival launch began with a performance from the Carnival Collective – “30 years and still banging” as they say – who appeared onstage with drums and blue and pink sparkling outfits. As the familiar rhythmic sounds began, I was transported to a high energy vision of the event itself. The Collective director was pointing towards the crowd, with people laughing and cheering as the second song began and it was hard not to move along with him, swaying backwards and forwards in my seat in time with the beat.

After, there are a few speeches however the most notable was Brighton Councils leader, Bella Sankey who talked about visiting Brighton Festival as a child and words were being thrown around such as “Eclectic Celebration” and “Great Showcase”.

Cottrell-Boyce and Nadia Shireen, fellow children’s author and co-presenter of their hit podcast “The Island of Brilliance” took to the stage and introduced three of their favorite acts that will feature in the Festival: “The Perfect Show for Rachel”, “Carnesky’s Showwomxn Sideshow Spectacular” and “The Brighton Table Tennis Club”.

“The Perfect Show for Rachel” is a show controlled fully by Rachel who is a theatre loving, 33-year-old, disabled care home resident and sister to Flo who is the artistic director for Zoo Co & Improbable. The show was developed with Rachel to create a show on her own terms. As explained by Flo on stage, Rachel has her own custom built tech booth which she uses to control what happens on stage at certain times. This show, which received a five-star rating from The Guardian, is definitely a must-see.

“Carnesky’s Showwomxn Sideshow Spectacular” Is an outdoor circus, theatre event that comes from the imagination of award-winning performance maker Marisa Carnesky. The show is made-up of a queer, non-binary and female cast who will perform stunts, tell stories and wow us with their skills. The show’s inspiration comes from the heritage of British working-class female circus performers and is, they say, a perfect representation of colorful and weird and wonderful Brighton.

“The Brighton Table Tennis Club” – that is, the real Brighton Table Tennis Club based at the Fitz in Kemptown – explained how they plan to break the world record for the most consecutive different players in one game of table tennis. This free event seems to be jam packed with several activities including a mega table built up of several normal sized tables and an opportunity to watch paralympic gold medalist Will Bayley.

I am particularly looking forward to:

THE CHILDREN’S PARADE: For all ages, The Children’s Parade is a must see. Packed with colour and wonder, it will be hard to miss parading through the street on the 4th of May to officially kick the festival off in all its glory!
https://brightonfestival.org/whats-on/Kot-the-childrens-parade/

KAE TEMPEST: A modern day emotional spoken word artist, who beckons listeners with words of personal experience and depth all while being accompanied by “through the body” music that is bound to give you goose bumps.
https://brightonfestival.org/whats-on/XKX-kae-tempest/

Fri 10 May, Brighton Dome Concert Hall

FAYE WEBSTER: An indie artist sensation who brings love songs such as “Right Side of My Neck” and the TikTok sensation “Kingston”, will melt your heart live from the Brighton Dome Concert Hall. Part of “The Great Escape”
https://brightonfestival.org/whats-on/XOx-faye-webster/

Fri 17 – Sat 18 May, Brighton Dome Concert Hall

THE MAKING OF BERLIN: This film, theater and live music hybrid comes from Yves Degryse to display a portrait of the city of Berlin. The show made it to de Standard top ten productions of the year and was described as “Overwhelming from start to finish”.
https://brightonfestival.org/whats-on/XK3-the-making-of-berlin/

Fri 10 – Sat 11 May, Brighton Dome Corn Exchange

THE WONDER PANEL: The wonder panel is hosted by guest director Frank Cottrell-Boyce and features childhood hero’s Joseph Coelho, Cressida Cowell and my personal favorite, Author of the much love Ottoline series, Chris Riddle.
https://brightonfestival.org/whats-on/XXB-the-wonder-panel/

Sat 11 May, 11am, Brighton Dome Concert Hall

TEENAGE MEN: Brought to you by hit comedy duo, “Shelf” inspired by when the two were mistaken for teenage boys, features anecdotes, songs and the all-important, Instagram algorithm.
https://brightonfestival.org/whats-on/XKQ-shelf-teenage-men/

Sun 19 May, Brighton Dome Studio Theatre

THE NIGHT ALPHABET: Performed by the award-winning poet Joelle Taylor and directed by acclaimed theatre director Neil Bartlett, The Night Alphabet is an investigation into violence, resilience and women’s stories.
https://brightonfestival.org/whats-on/XKL-the-night-alphabet/

Fri 24 – Sat 25 May, Brighton Dome Studio Theatre

OOZE MACHINES: As far as the free events go, this is the one to see. The exhibition has been created by Physicist Dr Libby Heaney and focuses on the seductive and repulsive world of all things goopy.
https://brightonfestival.org/whats-on/XOd-ooze-machines/

Sat 4 May – Sun 30 June, Phoenix Art Space

100 MILES OF STRING: Created by artists Lucy Cran and Bill Leslie, 100 Miles of String is an interactive, outdoor exhibition where audiences can wound string around large objects, creating complex shapes and patterns.
https://brightonfestival.org/whats-on/KoC-100-miles-of-string/

Sat 4 – Sun 26 May 2024, Royal Pavilion Gardens (North Lawn)

GROUND: Production company “Trigger” have put together a three-course meal designed to explore the tangled histories of patenting plants. The experience is led by the voices of Indigenous and traditional knowledge holders and is locally sourced. https://brightonfestival.org/whats-on/Ko7-ground/

Sat 4 – Sun 26 May, Earthship Brighton From £25

For more about this year’s Brighton Festival, go to https://brightonfestival.org/

Brighton, Brighton Centre, Brighton Life, Elf, Elf The Musical, Musicals, Pantomime, theatre, Theatre

As long as you’ve got your Elf

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Nadia Abbas reports on a new production of Elf at the Brighton Centre

Every Christmas, people around the world rewatch the beloved Hollywood hit Elf. Buddy’s lovable and energetic character, the picturesque New York setting, and the sense of family and nostalgia make this film a festive favourite. This timeless tale will be brought to life on stage for Brighton residents to witness as Elf the Musical will be performed at the Brighton Centre in January. This musical promises to capture the magic of the Elf story whilst also including new and exciting features such as aerial cirque stars, an indoor snowstorm, and much more! It will be the perfect New Year treat.

Jon Conway Productions is bringing Elf the Musical to the Brighton Centre from the 5th-6th of January 2024. It will feature a star-studded cast, including West End actor Steven Serlin, who will play Buddy the Elf. ‘Birds Of A Feather’ actor Charlie Quirke will play Buddy’s New York pal, Charlotte Hall will play Buddy’s love interest Jovie, and Barry Bloxham stars as Buddy’s dad. This musical is suitable for all ages, and it will have hilarious comedy, terrific costumes, and lively original songs by Matt Sklar and Chad Beguelin. Charlie Quirke, actor, said: “Our dance routines have loads of people, they are really big, really in your face, it’s quite eye-catching. There’s a fair bit of everything in this musical.”

This musical will follow the Elf film storyline, but there will also be some thrilling interactive elements to make it a spectacular stage production. This includes arming the audience with two hundred inflatable snowballs during the famous snowball fight scene from the film that they can throw at each other and the actors. Jon Conway, Elf the Musical producer, said: “We never quite know how the snowball fight is going to go; sometimes you get kids who get really carried away, and they jump out of their seats, and they run up and throw the snowballs all over the place!” There will also be a flying sleigh with Santa inside that flies over the cast. Jon Conway, said: “Every few minutes something happens that you don’t quite expect.”  

This musical is working with the charity Laughter is the Best Medicine by raising money for underprivileged children and giving them free tickets to the show. Three hundred of these children are coming to watch the Brighton performance. Jon Conway, said: “If you can’t do good at Christmas, when can you?” Jon Conway Productions is also an ambassador for the charity KidsOut and regularly works with them.

This musical is being performed in other locations throughout December, including Bournemouth, Manchester, and Newcastle. Brighton is the last performance. Charlie Quirke said: “In that first week of January, people are still trying to hold onto that festive season and spirit. Elf is based around Christmas, but it’s also a really nice family show.”

Tickets cost between £26.50 and £55.50 and can be purchased from the Brighton Centre’s website. 

To find out more, visit  https://brightoncentre.co.uk/whats-on/2024/elf-the-musical/

Brighton Life, Montpelier Villa Women, Women's football

Skip Kelly – Hope Hawkins – Dec 2023

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Recently at a game that had all been decided but for the final whistle, I was keen to share the knowledge I had acquired about the opposition and pointed to one of the players and revealed they had played in an FA Cup quarter-final. Hoping that this would give our team some solace in being on the receiving end of a team with some well-established pedigree, I was instead stunned into silence when one of our substitutes responded. “So what? so have I.”

This same person was responsible for ruining Christmas a few years ago when, as the opposition manager as well as their goalkeeper, they masterminded a 1-0 win over Montpelier Villa. It wasn’t a great day. I wasn’t happy. That all changed when we needed a goalkeeper. I put all that in the past, forged a new relationship and since then I’m pleased to say we’ve had some more Hope in our lives. 

“I feel special,” said Hope Hawkins when I said I wanted to interview her. Hope belongs to the generation of female footballers who’ve thrived and played at the highest level despite all the barriers and obstacles. 

“I remember playing football with my cousin who was football mad. There wasn’t a fence between his and the neighbour’s back garden so we used to use all of it as a big football pitch and breaking all my aunt’s plant pots and we also had to make sure we didn’t disturb my uncle’s pigeons. He was a couple of years older than me and he never went easy on me so he taught me a lot.”

Hope does humilty well. When I point out that she played at the Withdean Stadium in an FA Cup Quarter-Final against Arsenal, managed AFC Varndeanians there as well as hosting ourt recent FA Cup exit, she said “it’s also where I fractured my ankle,” 

Despite winning multiple leagues and cups with Brighton and sharing the pitch with a star-studded Arsenal side that included former England captain Faye White, Hope said she doesn’t get excited by winning trophies. 

“Winning leagues and cups is nice but when I think of my best memories it’s the friendships I have made that have lasted years although I remember the first team I joined was an all-boys team with my cousin, I wasn’t allowed play any matches because I was a girl even though I was one of the best players there,” she said, allowing the humility to slip for a second. “They let me play a friendly at the end of the season and I took a free-kick. It hit the crossbar. I was devastated it didn’t go in.”

Hope played for Hollingbury Hawks, Brighton, Rottingdean, and was player-coach

at AFC Varndeanians before reverting to a player once more at Montpelier Villa where she recently announced her retirement but as she points out, this will be the third time she attempts to retire. On this occasion it has come on the back of doctor’s advice but as always Hope has not taken too well to being told what she can’t do and has arguably defied expectations for longer than she should have for the benefit of her team. 

Hope made a brief cameo in the game I mentioned at the beginning of the article. The injuries sustained over a long career of always putting the team first finally catching up with her and although it wasn’t known at the time, this was the last time Hope would play football. 

Despite all, the enthusiasm and love for the game shines through. Hope struggles to contain her delight in describing the makeshift football pitch she shared with her cousin surrounded by pigeons and plant pots. For Hope, it’s never been about the trophies, the stadiums, famous players she’s played with and against. It’s been the lifelong friendships that will outlast all football careers but more importantly than that, it’s been about proving people wrong. 

Brighton Life, Co-op, Conservation, Latina, Seven Cellars

Seven Cellars / Latina v The Co-op

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A long time ago in a faraway land – well, in these pages last April – we ran a story about how the Co-op – yes, the caring, sharing Co-op, the place we all used to bank so we could avoid the rapacious capitalists like Barclays and NatWest… that very same Co-op – was looking to take over Seven Cellars and Latina and create a very big Co-op on the Dials. Sorry, that should have read “another very big Co-op on the Dials”. These shops are an integral part of our community and while we all occasionally go to the Co-op – go on admit it. Maybe when you book Red Snapper and forgot to take a bottle – how many Co-ops do you need? The Dials vibe is of independence, of the personal – let’s keep it that way. 

You have to search for good things to find in stories like these, but one maybe is how it pulls the community together. Local resident, lovely Emma Thomas (quick round of applause) has been pivotal in this and has written this letter. Please read and circulate. And sign.

Dear neighbours,

I am writing this letter to you because our neighbourhood needs you. We are asking for your kind help to support local shops and restaurants in our community. 

Independent shops are the lifeblood of Seven Dials – they give our neighbourhood its distinct character and a lovely feel. They are also vital to living a more sustainable and environmentally-friendly future and one that reflects the dreams and hard work of ordinary people living and working in local communities – rather than large corporations cashing in.

As you may have heard two local small businesses are at risk as the Co-op supermarket chain has bought the lease to their buildings and has threatened them with eviction. 

We already have a huge co-op down the road. This means historic shopfronts dating from as early as 1841 could be destroyed. Unless we act it means that we will lose two much-loved local businesses – the Latina Café, which serves delicious Portugese food and The Seven Cellars wine and beer shop. A lot of love, care, sweat and tears have gone into these businesses, and they are popular with residents and tourists – it is devastating for their owners to invest so much hardwork and money and be forced out by big business in this way.

WHAT WE CAN DO AS A COMMUNITY?

Some residents have already been showing they care by boycotting the small grey co-op on the Seven Dials roundabout and also by putting up this notice in their AirBnbs and guest rooms – so tourists who visit the area can also decide if they want to help to make a difference.

There’s a petition you can sign here (put your phone camera over the QR code… 

Please also write to the CEO of the
Co-op and tell him to get his hands off our lovely Seven Dials.

Matt Hood, Managing Director Co-op

1 Angel Square Manchester M60 0AG

He’s also on Twitter and LinkedIn. Just saying…

Bright Start Nursery, Brighton bschools, Brighton Life, Brighton schools, Conservation

Bright Start Nursery

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In late October, Brighton & Hove City Council announced plans to cut and relocate Bright Start Nursery in North Laine, a much-loved nursery known for its experienced, caring staff. It’s been in the Old Slipper Baths building at Barrack Yard since 1989 and is used by several families in West Hill. My own daughter may lose her place if the move goes ahead.

 The Council tried to close the nursery last year, but it was saved for the 2023/24 year by a community campaign. This time, the Council are trying to close the nursery by the back door, and have come up with plans to move the nursery into the Tarner Family Hub. 

The proposals would decimate the nursery, scrapping provision for under 2s, reducing the number of spaces by about 70%, and reducing the hours and weeks the nursery operates. 

“It seems bizarre that the Council is cutting one of the few affordable childcare services in the city centre at a time when many parents are struggling to find affordable childcare,” another parent commented to me. 

The Council plans to move the nursery by September 2024, which means the plans are being rushed through. There will be no consultation with the community, and parents are only being offered the opportunity to shape the “operating model” at the new location.

 It’s also unclear if there has been a proper examination of alternative options. One possibility might be to relocate the nursery into St Bartholomew’s School, which would help keep both children and schools in the area. 

A group  of parents at the nursery have launched a campaign – “Save Bright Start” – to try to save this important service. We are calling on the wider community to support us by writing to the leader of Brighton & Hove City Council, Bella Sankey, and the Chair of Children, Families and Schools Committee Cllr Jacob Taylor expressing their opposition to the plans. We have also launched a petition to call on the council to save these services. This can be accessed through the QR code. 

Ed Armston-Sheret

Everything you ever wanted to know about life in Brighton (OK, and Hove)