Fancy yourself versatile like Will Smith? A comedian like Frank Skinner? Or a songbird, like Claire Sweeney? Well, your opportunity to shine sits on your doorstep. Celebrated as “one of the most creative cities in the UK” it’s widely accepted that “Brighton offers a creative cool that is hard to beat”.
Just by being a student of Sussex University, there is instantly enough to get your creative juices flowing. One society offering a chance to get onstage is the Sussex University Drama Society (SUDS). Welcoming any fellow thespians, this busy company stages 12 main plays each year, 5 being performed this term. Upcoming fundraisers ‘I Can’t Believe it’s not Published’, involving new work being read by the company, a Halloween murder mystery event and ‘Shakespeare’s Shorts’. Watch out for their notices around Falmer House.
Fancy something a bit more musical? SMUTS (Sussex Musical University Theatre Society) provides you with a chance to sing, dance and act your heart out. The company stages one musical a year, the production week being in February. Fundraisers and social events also enable others to get involved with the society, whether this is a Christmas Cabaret or a good old-fashioned night out!
Taking a step away from Uni, Brighton is rife with Arts companies beckoning you to join them. Brighton Little Theatre is a “busy and lively theatre company” with its own venue for performances and rehearsals. By joining you are automatically informed of forthcoming auditions taking place. Upcoming performances include Blood Brothers in November and Dracula set for a December opening.
Unsure of your acting ability? Why not attend acting classes run every Monday night by the New Venture Theatre Company? This gives you the chance to engage with a play and learn how to grow in confidence onstage. Joining the company means acting in productions, helping backstage or even serving at the bar in the interval, so you’d really be able to get involved.
However, if it’s musical theatre that gets you tingling, why not check out musical companies in Brighton such as Brighton Theatre Group? Or, for a more classical style of voice, the City Theatre Company? Being just one of Brighton’s amateur operatic societies. Check out their websites for further information, and pick up a copy of the ‘What’s on’ in Brighton magazine on your travels (most self-respecting pubs have these floating about!). For those of you reluctant to be tied into a company, why not try taking part in one of the countless ‘Open Mic’ nights in and around town? Budding stand-up comedians, here’s your chance to test the waters.
And finally, if you don’t do anything else this academic year, make sure you come to Brighton’s free all-night arts festival, White Night, on 30 October 2010. With the town bustling with creativity (even the post-boxes being knitted coats for the night) you’ll be sure to get fired up and inspired enough to be tweeting like a songbird in no time.
