We’re excited to return next May with boundary-breaking contemporary dance from Hofesh Shechter Company and innovative theatre from the critically-acclaimed Wise Children.
Led by the internationally celebrated choreographer Hofesh Shechter OBE, Double Murder is a thrilling performance of two distinctly contrasting pieces for our times. With a sarcastic nod to our ever-growing indifference to violence, the first piece, Clowns unleashes a whirlwind of choreographed anarchy, asking how far are we willing to go in the name of entertainment. In the second part, The Fix, offers a human, raw and compassionate moment where violence, tenderness and hope are laid bare through an achingly beautiful cinematic lens, accompanied by the epic sounds of a Shechter-composed score.
Hofesh Shechter said:
“I am very excited to bring Double Murder to Brighton Festival’s opening weekend on 7 and 8 May. It’s been two years in waiting and coming back to Brighton Dome Concert Hall is a special moment for us all - the theatre has a deep-rooted connection to my company and my work, a connection I am eager to share with audiences again through Clowns and The Fix. We live in a very different time now, yet those first sparks generated within the creation studio in 2019 - the sense that hope was our most valuable currency, has never left us. We experienced powerful things in the studio, and now we are putting it raw on stage in order to share and preserve that power and reignite that hope.”
Wise Children present Emily Brontë’s epic love story Wuthering Heights, adapted and directed for the stage by Artistic Director Emma Rice into a powerful and unique theatrical experience. Shot through with live original music and dance, actor and performance artist Lucy McCormick plays iconic character, Cathy, together with Ash Hunter as Heathcliff who will lead an ensemble cast of performers and musicians in an intoxicating revenge tragedy retold for our time.
Emma Rice, Artistic Director of Wise Children, said:
“Brighton, here we come! The Yorkshire Moors are about to meet the salty sea air of Brighton as Wise Children’s Wuthering Heights comes to the Festival. We can’t wait to bring this elemental and thrilling show to one of our favourite audiences - and to be part of the wonderful Festival is the cherry on top. Spring by the sea? What could be better”
Andrew Comben, Brighton Festival Chief Executive added:
“It’s such a thrill to have two of the UK’s most exciting artistic companies bringing their critically acclaimed performances to Brighton Festival next year. We know audiences are going to love seeing Hofesh Shechter back in Brighton, following the cancellation of their appearance in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, we can’t wait to see them here again. And Emma Rice’s major new stage adaptation of Wuthering Heights is a must-see for theatre lovers who will enjoy this new musical interpretation.”
Brighton Festival 2022 runs from 7 to 29 May, with guest co-directors the Syrian architect and author Marwa al-Sabouni and Brighton-based theatre artist Tristan Sharps. We’ll be announcing the full programme on Wed 16 Feb 2022.