Theatre highlights for Brighton Festival 2025 include actors Meera Syal & Himesh Patel and reinventions of classic stories
Our sensational theatre and performance programme includes multi-artist showcase and Brighton Festival Exclusive Brown Girl in the Ring featuring our Guest Director Anoushka Shankar, Meera Syal CBE and Indira Varma, Nikesh Shukla’s world premiere of Wembley starring Himesh Patel and Nikesh Patel and ingenious re-workings of Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest and Shakespeare’s Hamlet.
Stepping into the ring
On Saturday 3 May, the now sold-out exclusive edition of Sweety Kapoor’s Brown Girl in the Ring comes to the Brighton Dome Corn Exchange, co-hosted by Sweety and Anoushka Shankar.
Audiences will see Meera Syal CBE debut sections from her highly anticipated memoir; Indira Varma perform poetry from prize-winning writer Mona Arshi’s still-to-be-released third collection Mouth, inspired by the women of Greek tragedies; plus new work from international poetry sensation Nikita Gill; music from multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter BISHI and jazz royalty Asha Puthli; an appearance by broadcaster Anita Rani and a special performance from Anoushka herself!
A powerful world premiere
For the first time in the Corn Exchange on Monday 5 May, Nikesh Patel and Himesh Patel perform Wembley, written together with acclaimed novelist Nikesh Shukla in the aftermath of last year’s riots across the UK. This powerful performance piece wrestles with the the writers’ place as brown men in this country, addressing the limits of representation politics, the rage that rests in all of us and asks how we can do better: for ourselves, for all marginalised communities and for the soul of the UK.
A modern take
Take a seat to see your old favourites re-imagined. Multi-award-winning theatre director and her company Wise Children bring North by Northwest to the Theatre Royal Brighton 14-17 May. In a riotously funny production featuring six shape-shifting performers, a 1950s soundtrack and a lot of hats, this inspired show has bucket loads of glamour, romance, jeopardy and a hearty sprinkling of truths.
And from Peru, theatre company Teatro La Plaza and their cast of actors with Down syndrome reinvent Shakespeare’s Hamlet from 9-11 May in Theatre Royal Brighton. The 5-star show explores the play’s main monologue, ‘To be or not to be’ from the viewpoint of people who have historically been excluded by society, with the play’s original text woven with stories from the actors’ own lives in a visionary blend of drama, comedy and rap. Come along for a truly amazing and unique production.
Big ideas
The Gummy Bears’ Great War is an epic tale in miniature form. From Italian director and writer Angelo Trofa, a cast of two performers manoeuvre hundreds of real gummy bears, who have declared war against the dinosaurs, in an ingenious, tragicomic exploration of the absurdity of war. Who will win? Come and find out 7-12 May in Brighton Dome Anita's Room. A table top performance for audiences of 30 at a time.
From across the pond and beyond
The US-based, award-winning singer and composer Aditya Prakash presents a new gig theatre show based on his 2023 album ISOLASHUN from 21-24 May in the Corn Exchange. In multimedia production ROOM-i-Nation, Prakash uses Indian classical music in the Karnatik tradition, video projection and storytelling to explore his experiences of growing up in Los Angeles; with themes of identity, belonging and navigating two worlds.
Brighton’s own
Local youth theatre group ThirdSpace premieres new play, Earth Teeth, 4-5 May at Brighton Dome Studio Theatre. Against overwhelming odds, a group of friends turn to the Earth for help. Fast paced, thought-provoking and darkly comedic, the show reflects on the responsibilities and power young people have to bring about change in a world they did not create.
Brown Girl in The Ring supported by Dishoom Permit Room
Hamlet and The Gummy Bear’s Great War supported by The Pebble Trust
ROOM-i-Nation supported by the Bagri Foundation
