The Brighton Fringe brings over 4,000 performances across 168 venues to the city every year, and, with the Brighton Festival and The Great Escape music festival running at the same time, May is the month when Brighton shakes off the chill of winter and becomes its bright and beautiful best.

But now the madness of the Brighton Fringe is over, the rest of the year can feel a little empty in comparison. For anyone who waits all year to binge on theatre, comedy, cabaret, and anything else you can fit on a stage during the Fringe, here is a list of just some of the best theatres in Brighton that can satisfy your theatre cravings all year round.

The Rialto Theatre

The Rialto is a fairly new addition to Brighton’s very own Theatreland, having opened in 2014 in their Grade II listed Gothic home right in the centre of Brighton.

The Rialto stages an eclectic mix of theatre from local companies along with a busy schedule of events and music all year round, in addition to their exciting Fringe schedule during May.

With its glamorous Gothic exterior and Art Deco bar, the Rialto is a special retreat from the madness of central Brighton, playing an important role in boosting local theatre talent in a city that is already densely populated by creative souls.

Here’s what’s coming up:

The Duck

25-26 June, 2019.

A one-woman play exploring life after a late diagnosis of autism through memory.

Yukon Ho! (Tall Tales from the Great White North)

17 July, 2019.

Yukon-born Jen brings a solo theatre show combining dance, comedy, and physical theatre to tell her story of life in the wild and snowy Yukon territory in Northern Canada.

The Shark is Broken

24, 25, 27 July, 2019.

Written by Ian Shaw, son of Jaws lead Robert Shaw, The Shark is Broken is inspired by Robert Shaw’s diaries to reveal the stories behind one of Hollywood’s greatest blockbusters.

Brighton Open Air Theatre

Brighton Open Air Theatre (or BOAT) is an award-winning venue truly making its mark on Brighton’s vibrant theatre culture. Now enjoying its fifth year showcasing top quality theatrical productions, the stories that play out on BOAT’s grassy stage are just as brilliant as the story of how the theatre came to be.

Brighton playwright Adrian Bunting was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer aged just 47, and passed away just a few weeks later. However, those weeks saw the realisation of a personal dream of his: to build an open air theatre for all of Brighton to enjoy.

After establishing BOAT as a charity, Adrian’s friends saw the ambitious project to fruition, and turned a neglected bowling green in leafy Hove into a charming theatrical space. Almost exactly two years after his death, Brighton Open Air Theatre’s house opened, and has been delighting theatregoers ever since.

BOAT offers a distinctly romantic way to experience theatre, and is unlike any venue throughout the city. It has cultivated a very relaxed atmosphere and audiences are welcome to spread out cushions and blankets and dish out picnics and prosecco before settling into a show.

Opening its doors from May to September every year and run by brilliant volunteers, you can really make the most of the Brighton summers by taking in theatre, music, comedy, and even circus performances, with many Shakespeare productions enjoying the magic of the venue tucked into its lush surroundings.

Here’s what’s coming up:

Romeo and Juliet

13-16 June, 2019.

This production of Romeo and Juliet renews the most famous plot in the world with modern characterisation, choral song, and live music.

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)

19-20 June, 2019.

National Production Co. bring a mad race through Shakespeare’s 37 plays, with tragedy, comedy, and history all rolled into one crazy performance.

The Merchant of Venice

26, 27, 28, 29 June, 2019.

The Brighton Shakespeare Company bring a fresh take on Shakespeare’s tragi-comedy set amongst the winding canals of Venice with gender-swapped characters, with one performance offering a Q&A with the company after the performance.

New Venture Theatre (NVT)

A not-for-profit theatre that is entirely run by its members, New Venture Theatre has been bringing theatre to Brighton audiences for over seventy years. Since its founding in 1947, New Venture has grown from a nomadic theatre company to a firmly centred company close to central Brighton.

New Venture Theatre offers professionally directed amateur theatre, performance education, affordable performance spaces, and invaluable opportunities to enthusiastic Brightonians wanting to get involved in theatre both on-stage, backstage, and front of house.

Here’s what’s coming up:

Elephant’s Graveyard

14-22 June, 2019.

Set in 1916, George Brant’s play tells the story of a small Tennessee town becoming home to the greatest circus show in the world with a mix of legends and historical fact exposing humankind’s need for spectacle.

Short Play Festival 2019

19-27 July, 2019.

New Venture Theatre hosts a night of four short plays by writers connected to NVT. Each year the Festival promises an evening of diverse, high quality writing, and is a treat for anyone who wants to engage with a rich collection of new writing.

Lois Zoppi

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