First shows announced for Brighton Festival 2018

Hofesh Shechter: Grand Finale

Brighton Festival co-commission

This latest work from internationally-celebrated choreographer (and Brighton Festival 2014 Guest Director) Hofesh Shechter is a spectacularly bold and ambitious new piece featuring ten dancers. Designed by Tom Scutt with lighting by Tom Visser, Grand Finale is at once comic, bleak and beautiful, evoking a world at odds with itself, full of anarchic energy and violent comedy. Filtering this irrepressible spirit, Shechter creates a vision of a world in freefall, part gig, part dance, part theatre and wholly original.

Produced by Hofesh Shechter Company and commissioned by Georgia Rosengarten. Commissioning partners are Sadler's Wells, Théâtre de la Ville-Paris / La Villette-Paris and Brighton Dome & Brighton Festival

The Voice Project: The Arms of Sleep

Brighton Festival co-commission

An overnight choral sleepover experience created by directors Sian Croose and Jonathan Baker in which audiences encounter a unique dream-like and immersive night of music and stories, sound and images. Guests will be given a bed each and spend the night surrounded by sound and shadows, drifting between sleep and wakefulness. The ethereally beautiful music has been written by Helen Chadwick, Orlando Gough and Jonathan Baker.Co-commissioned by Norfolk & Norwich Festival, Brighton Dome & Brighton Festival. Co-produced by Norfolk & Norwich Festival and The Voice Project. The Arms of Sleep premiered at Norfolk & Norwich Festival 2017.

Calixto Bieito: The String Quartet’s Guide to Sex and Anxiety

The tempestuous relationship between sex, anxiety and music comes to a head in a remarkable new production from one of Europe’s most exciting theatre directors, Calixto Bieito. Music and drama collide as the award-winning string powerhouse The Heath Quartet performs alongside an equally stunning quartet of actors to deliver an unmissable montage of melody and madness. The eight artists will take you on a journey through time to explore how our innermost thoughts battle with our artistic impulses.

Presented by Birmingham Repertory Theatre, in association with Brighton Dome & Brighton Festival and Holland Festival.

Your Place

19-20 May 2018, Hangleton Community Centre and Hangleton Park
26-27 May 2018, Manor Gym, basketball court and playing fields

Two weekends of free performances and arts activities in Hangleton and East Brighton. Delivered in partnership with Brighton People’s Theatre and community steering groups, both weekends will present international and national artists alongside local artists and community groups. Artists, community groups and an artist-in-residence are currently being sought to take part in Your Place 2018. 

Visual artist David Shrigley is the Brighton Festival 2018 Guest Director. Read the full Brighton Festival 2018 Guest Director announcement.

Brighton Festival 2018 will take place from 5-27 May 2018. Full programme details will be unveiled on Thu 15 February 2018.