From 24-27 October, Brighton Dome’s inaugural annual Comedy Festival will fill the venue’s three historic event spaces with stand-up, improv, clowning, workshops and the world premiere of a 20th anniversary exhibition from cult cartoonists and animators Modern Toss.
Building on the success of Brighton Dome’s year-round comedy programme, which is supported by Mayo Wynne Baxter, a packed Festival line up offers something for comedy fans of all generations. There are performances from Nish Kumar, Maisie Adam (pictured) and Gen-Z comic Finlay Christie, Ghosts, Stath Lets Flats and Sewing Bee star Kiell Smith-Bynoe and family friendly double act Shelf. Taskmaster contestant and bestselling author Fern Brady, stand-up doyen Paul Foot and TikTok star (and celebrity backing singer) Christopher Hall are also on the bill. Reflecting the venue’s accessibility and inclusivity, all performances will be live captioned by a team of stenographers, led by comedy specialist Claire Hill, in an in-person UK comedy festival first.
Modern Toss’s brand-new exhibition The First 8000 Days celebrates 20 years of the artistic duo’s illustrations and paintings and comes to Brighton Dome Comedy Festival ahead of a UK tour. Free to attend, the exhibition will include token-operated art, inflatable fly balloons, stone sculptures and the opportunity to be sketched by the artists themselves in the Portrait Booth. Additional events include a late-night screening of classic Modern Toss films and new material, plus a Q&A with the duo’s own Jon Link.
A special Festival edition of Brighton’s biggest comedy night, Live at Brighton Dome, known for showcasing emerging artists alongside huge names, is headlined by writer and comedian Sara Pascoe in the iconic Concert Hall. The night will also include a performance of Modern Toss’s Periodic Table of Swearing by Indie choral collective Jam Tarts. For the first time, a teen-friendly version of the show, Live at Brighton Dome Bleeped, will take place simultaneously next door in the refurbished Corn Exchange, with TikTok supervillain’s assistant Daniel Foxx at the helm.
Elsewhere, the UK’s first – and funniest – refugee comedy collective, No Direction Home, join the line up for one of their first performances outside London. Fresh from Edinburgh, Alfie Brown, Sophie Duker and Rob Auton will perform acclaimed stand-up sets, while clown and Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee Julia Masli will attempt to solve audience members’ problems in a show described by The Guardian as ‘healing hilarity’. The award-winning Kiri Pritchard-McLean and Edinburgh favourite Spencer Jones (pictured) will also stop off at Brighton Dome on their UK tours.
From the end of September, children and young people from across the community will be able to practise their stand-up in free Brighton Dome comedy workshops, run in partnership with Komedia Productions, ahead of demonstrating their skills during Brighton Dome Comedy Festival at The Young Comedians Comedy Show. Younger children can express their wild side in Phil Kay’s interactive Gimme Your Left Shoe and there is also another chance for families to see Shelf’s Brighton Festival sell-out The Kids’ Show, packed with sketches, songs and silliness.
Brighton Dome is the south coast’s premier multi-arts venue. A recent major refurbishment project, to restore and protect the Grade I and Grade II listed Corn Exchange and Studio Theatre, supports an even wider and more accessible programme of events for audiences and community participants.
Rosie Crane, Comedy Producer at Brighton Dome, said: "I am beyond excited to be launching this brand new comedy festival. With events and shows for all tastes and ages, every inch of our beautiful building will be filled with laughter and silliness of all kinds. Come draw your own daft portrait, watch the funniest show you’ve ever seen and hopefully leave with both your shoes. It’s going to be epic.”
Jason Edge, Marketing Director at Mayo Wynne Baxter said: “We are delighted to support the Brighton Dome Comedy Festival. Laughter is a powerful antidote to the stresses of everyday life, and we believe in the importance of supporting events that bring joy and community together. As a firm committed to serving the people of Brighton, we recognise the value of cultural initiatives like this Festival in enhancing the city’s vibrant spirit. We look forward to sharing in the laughter and entertainment that this event will undoubtedly bring.”
For more details visit brightondome.org
Maisie Adam picture by Matt Crockett
