Brighton Fringe comes to BN1 Arts
Brighton Fringe Festival Performances At BN1 Arts Centre CIC Keeping Ticket Prices Low for High Quality Theatre
Dear Eliza
BN1 Arts Centre CIC Opens Its Season with a Bold, cynical, playful show Dear Eliza. This is a one-woman exploration of friendship under the strain of mental illness.
In a media culture that either villainises or victimises the mentally ill, Dear Eliza navigates the grey area with guts and defiance. Playful, bold, cynical, and admirably candid, this play is very much about confronting unexpressed emotions within relationships and saying out loud what you’d rather keep in your head. It weaponises a ‘been there, done that’ attitude to masterfully balance heartbreak with humour, creating a truly honest tribute to the reality of life as a mentally ill person.
Written and performed by Barbara Diesel, and directed by Helen Parry, Dear Eliza come to the Brighton Fringe Festival following a success tour of the UK. Shortlisted for the Best Newcomer award at the Greater Manchester Fringe Festival in 2023, this show promises to make you laugh, then cry, and then laugh again.
Performances:
Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th May 2024 at 8pm.
Monday 27th - Tuesday 28th and Wednesday 29th May at 8pm.
Discussions of mental illness and suicide.
Features strong language. Recommended 16+.
Reviews:
“She had us hooked on every single word she said… This is a must watch performance.”
“It’s definitely worth seeing this unique and authentic piece of theatre. It brings to the spotlight what needs to be said about the things no one wants to talk about.”
“A hidden gem of the Greater Manchester Fringe.”
How to book:
Book Your Tickets at - https://www.brightonfringe.org/events/dear-eliza/ or by phone 01273 91 72 72.
Photograph by Shay Rowan.
A Man Called Acceptance
An unlikely six, with clashing personalities, arrive for their weekly support group sessions:
There’s Denial, Anger, the Bargaining’s, Depression and of course, the group leader, Acceptance.
Whether it’s 09:00 am or 17:00 pm, in a village hall or a community centre – none of that matters! What matters is why they are here.
When their weekly sessions begin to descend into chaos, filled with fights, mad theories and forgetful participants, we finally uncover why they are all really here.
Written by Daisy Feeney Part Of The BN1 Arts Centre CIC Graduate Development Scheme*
CAST
Elias Osei-Kissi
Tia Chipperfield
Cindy Chawula
Eleasha Lartey
Katie Chivers
Jess Deardon
Performances:
Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th May at 8pm
How to book:
Book Your Tickets at - https://www.brightonfringe.org/events/a-man-called-acceptance/ or by phone 01273 91 72 72.
More information about our Graduate Development Scheme at the bottom of this page.
TAP
Rhythm is everywhere, the ticking of a clock, the pulse of a train, the beating of a drum. Since the dawn of time, mankind has been communicating, speaking and expressing through the language of rhythm. Join TAP as we take you on a percussive journey, hitting, thwapping, slapping and stamping the floor. This is TAP as you’ve never seen it before...
Choreographed and Performed by Simeon Weedall, Lee Payne and Lorraine Le-Blanc
Suitable For ALL Ages
THIS EVENT IS PART OF THE CULTURE CONNEX FESTIVAL SEASON IN COLLABORATION WITH URBANFLO, BN1 ARTS CENTRE CIC, PACE, BRIGHTON FRINGE, BRIGHTON PRIDE & IRONWORKS STUDIOS.
Performances:
Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th May at 8pm
How to book:
Book Your Tickets at - https://www.brightonfringe.org/events/tap/ or by phone 01273 91 72 72.
I Bought A Flip Phone
Charlie is turning 27 and wants this year to be different.
He’s sick of spending so much time looking at other people’s lives instead of living his own.
So he’s bought an old school flip phone as surely that will make him feel better.
Yet it’s still constantly abuzz with messages from his best friend (are they best friends anymore?), his mum, his landlord, that guy that one time and an offer from Vodafone.
I Bought A Flip Phone is about loneliness, spending too much time on your phone and feeling as though you are waiting for your life to start.
Spend an hour with Charlie to make him feel a bit less lonely, please.
Written and Performed by Panos Kandunias
This show is suitable for 16+ (Strong language).
Performances:
Saturday 25th and 26th May at 7.30pm
How to book:
Book Your Tickets at - https://www.brightonfringe.org/events/i-bought-a-flip-phone/ or by phone 01273 91 72 72.
I Wanna Change the World – Do You Wanna Come With Me?
AFLO. The poet has always wanted to change the world, but how? From confusions to conclusions, join AFLO. on this journey.
Join AFLO. the poet as she embarks on her first solo spoken word show. She's always wanted to change the world, but how exactly do you go about doing that? In this show, AFLO. shares musings and confusions from her childhood, through to the illusions and conclusions she's uncovered in adulthood. Now, AFLO. the poet thinks she knows where to find the answer - and she's inviting you to come along with her.
Written and Performed by AFLO.
AFLO. the poet is an award-winning Brighton-based spoken word artist, activist and academic who embraces creative expression to disrupt the status quo and inspire social change. AFLO. uses poetry as a vehicle to address topics like racism and mental health, primarily speaking from her lived experiences. AFLO. also hosts and curates her own gigs with an ever-evolving Brighton-based collective of Black marginalised-gendered artists, 'AFLO. and the Poets'.
This show is suitable for 12+ (some strong language).
Performances:
Thursday 30th May at 8pm and Sunday 2nd June at 5.30pm. AFLO will close the BN1 Arts Fringe Season.
How to book:
Book Your Tickets at - https://www.brightonfringe.org/events/i-wanna-change-the-world-do-you-wanna-come-with-me/ or by phone 01273 91 72 72.
THIS EVENT IS PART OF THE CULTURE CONNEX FESTIVAL SEASON IN COLLABORATION WITH URBANFLO, BN1 ARTS CENTRE CIC, PACE, BRIGHTON FRINGE, BRIGHTON PRIDE and IRONWORKS STUDIOS.
Photograph by Paul Winter Photography @paulwinterphoto
That's Why Mum's Go To Switzerland
In the spirit of airing her dirty laundry in public, Bonnie Oddie tells her story of becoming “A bad mother and a bad daughter at the very same time”. A skilfully told tale of ‘three generations of pissed off women living together under one roof’, which includes social services, secret planning and an eventual trip to Switzerland…This one woman show speaks to the expectations we have of mothers; Attitudes towards suffering, caring, love, old age, sickness, death, smoking weed and the Queen. Written and performed by Bonnie Oddie.
Bonnie originally trained as a dancer/choreographer. She has enjoyed a varied career as a performer, collaborator and teacher. Her choreographic style evolved over time from exploring musical interpretation to working with theatrical narratives. Whilst devising ‘Boxed-I’m-Perfect’ and ‘At the Moment’ with Jacksons Lane Theatre, she discovered she was funny! And created works that were described as ‘Dance Theatre Comedy’. In 2022 Bonnie wrote and performed a short piece for True Story LDN, after which she was encouraged to develop her unique voice as a writer. ‘That’s Why Mums go to Switzerland’ is her first offering as writer/performer.
Directed by Steve Medlin.
This show is suitable for 12+ (some strong language and reference to drugs, mental health and self harm)
Performances:
Friday 31st May and Saturday 1st June at 7.30pm
How to book:
Book Your Tickets at - https://www.brightonfringe.org/events/thats-why-mums-go-to-switzerland/ or by phone 01273 91 72 72.
Instagram:@thats_why_mums
For enquiries contact: eg: office@mandalaproductions.co.uk
'‘A beautiful, unexpected, compassionate, honest and deeply moving piece of work. Oddie flips from hilarious to devastating and back again in a heartbeat. Truly life - and death - affirming.’ Polly Vernon, The Times.
