A 400-year-old ‘unapologetically queer’ tale; a 30th anniversary revival of Derek Jarman’s Blue; and the UK’s first trans+ choir... Explore our programme or read on for landmark moments from LGBTQIA+ voices in this year’s Brighton Festival:
World premieres
A Brighton Festival Commission and world premiere, Galatea is a story of love, joy and the importance of welcoming outsiders. This remarkably resonant story was written by playwright John Lyly over 400 years ago and became the inspiration behind some of Shakespeare’s best-known comedies. A tale of young trans people, shipwrecked migrants, clashing goddesses and fretting parents, Galatea is now the subject of a major collaboration between award-winning theatre maker Emma Frankland; Brighton-based Marlborough Productions; acclaimed Cornish landscape theatre company Wildworks and leading theatre historian, Andy Kesson. This immersive, family friendly production will be performed outside in nearby Shoreham-by-Sea by a vibrant, mixed Deaf and hearing cast in both English and British Sign Language.
In a Brighton Festival Exclusive, vocalist and composer BISHI will partner with the UK’s first professional trans+ choir, Trans Voices, for Celestial Voices {Swargiya Awaz}. Bishi has arranged choral pieces especially for the choir from her recent voice and electric sitar-led album Let My Country Awake and the evening also includes the world premiere of a new piece inspired by Herculine Barbin, the 19th century memoirist whose birth date marks Intersex Day of Remembrance.
Promising a visually stunning and deeply immersive evening, Brighton Festival presents the world premiere of a collaborative performance between local leftfield pop musician Evadney and Berlin based multidisciplinary artist Infinite Vibes. Evadney uses AI technology to explore and perform his experiences of love, sexuality, identity and intersectionality.
A clubbing extravaganza, Our Roots, will celebrate the city’s renowned LGBTQIA+ heritage. Brighton's own legendary club powerhouses UOKHUN?, Polyglamorous and Gal Pals, join together for a wild and vivid night combining pop, disco, house and techno. The event will also feature DJ sets from BISHI and Brighton Festival Guest Director, DJ, musician and broadcaster Nabihah Iqbal, plus visuals from Louis-Jack and Jak Skot, creating a joyful safe space to dance the night away in an atmosphere of inclusivity and respect.
Powerful stories
Artist and filmmaker Derek Jarman’s final film, Blue, was originally released 30 years ago during the darkest days of Britain’s AIDS epidemic, just months before Jarman’s death. Brighton Festival hosts the first performance of BLUE NOW - a special reimagining by director Neil Bartlett. It features actor Russell Tovey, award-winning performer Travis Alabanza, poet Joelle Taylor and writer Jay Bernard delivering Jarman’s powerful words live on stage, accompanied by a new live score by the film’s original composer, Simon Fisher Turner.
Award-winning drag and cabaret satire Abomination: A DUP Opera recalls the moment when, in 2008, Northern Irish politician Iris Robinson created a scandal by referring to homosexuality as an ‘abomination’ on live radio, reigniting the equality debate in Northern Ireland. Abomination redefines opera for the 21st-century as acclaimed composer Conor Mitchell conducts the internationally renowned soprano Rebecca Caine alongside the orchestral forces of The Belfast Ensemble.
A Queer Collision is a thought-provoking and humorous collaboration between dance maker Stuart Waters and actor Willie Elliott, hosted by cabaret artist Ebony Rose Dark. Co-created with blind and partially sighted people, it draws on Waters’ experience as a neurodivergent, queer man living with mental health access needs and features audiological stories embedded with audio description.
In a very special event, Brighton Festival welcomes Munroe Bergdorf to the stage with her life-affirming, heartfelt and intimate book, Transitional. The book explores how we all transition and develop as people, and what binds us, not what separates us. Munroe will share stories of how to heal, how to build a stronger community and how to evolve out of shame and into pride.
Click here to explore this year's LGBTQIA+ events and to buy your tickets.