Theatre News

PIGHOG LAUNCHES FIRST BRITISH SIGN LANGUAGE POETRY NIGHT

THURS 29 MARCH

NIGHTINGALE ROOM

In an effort to bring poetry in all its forms to as wide an audience as possible, Pighog is holding its first bilingual night for British Sign Language (BSL) poets and English poets.

Taking place upstairs at Grand Central pub, in the refurbished Nightingale Room, the evening will feature sign language poet Donna Williams and English poet Chrissy Williams. The evening is hosted by local poet and painter, Michaela Ridgway, and will be interpreted and includes a bilingual open mic.

Donna Williams is a Bristol-based deaf poet who uses English and BSL. She has performed around the UK including the Edinburgh Fringe and the Albert Hall. Her most recent poems have been published in Stairs and Whispers: Deaf and Disabled Poets Write Back and in issue 69 of Magma magazine. Chrissy Williams is a London-based poet, editor and tutor. She is Director of Free Verse: The Poetry Book Fair and has published four pamphlets and most recently edited Over the Line: An introduction to Poetry and Comics (Sidekick Books, 2015).

Going for over ten years, Pighog is one of Brighton’s most established live poetry nights, running a regular live poetry night on the last Thursday of the month at the Nightingale Room. It publishes original work from a diverse range of regional, national and international voices and is known for discovering new talent and for our unique and distinctive publications.

CHICHESTER FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES DISCOUNT SCHEME FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

Are you aged 16 – 25? Then you have a fantastic chance to access £5 tickets at the acclaimed Chichester Festival Theatre through Prologue, their young person ticket scheme. Prologue members can access £5 tickets for all Festival 2018 shows as soon as they go on sale to the general public on Sat 3 March. Members can book up to two £5 tickets for any performance, so if you’re planning to come with a group make sure your mates are all registered too! The new season is filled with powerful new writing, captivating and intimate productions in the Minerva Theatre, and classic twentieth century dramas in the Festival Theatre alongside fabulous new musical productions. It’s not just shows – there is also a programme

of talks with playwrights, directors and cast members, workshops to get involved in and social events for Prologue members including a Late Night Cabaret.

Chichester Festival 2018 opens on Fri 20 April with Noël Coward’s classic comedy, Present Laughter featuring the hilarious Rufus Hound and runs until Sat 12 May. Sign up to Prologue for free today at www.cft.org.uk/prologue

WORTHING: SUMMER OF CIRCUS

FRI 18 MAY – SUN 1 JULY

Returning to Worthing for the third summer in a row, 2018’s Summer of Circus is especially important as it celebrates 250 years after the art-form was introduced by Philip Astley. This six-week event explores many aspects of contemporary circus, from delicate aerial work, non-stop juggling, stylised acrobats, a mixture of storytelling and dance, and more intricate circus-style performances.

The festival opens with the world premiere of Mimbre’s The Exploded Circus on Fri 18 – Sun 20 May. Aiming to define a new ‘normal’ and rebuild societal expectations, it combines all things orientated with traditional circus tricks. Along the way will also be performances like He Ain’t Heavy, where performer Grania Pickard retells her story of growing up with her disabled autistic brother, incorporating puppetry and physical theatre. While The Giant Balloon Show follows one bizarre man whose head ends up in a gigantic balloon. It will no doubt have the whole family crying with laughter by the end.

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