Brighton Open Air Theatre

Brighton Open Air Theatre (BOAT) was the vision of local playwright Adrian Bunting, who died in 2013 and left his vision to a group of friends. This is his legacy for the city he loved. “Everything’s better outdoors. Join us under the stars.” Since its opening in 2015 BOAT has gone from strength to strength and is now well established as part of Brighton & Hove’s cultural landscape.

 

2020 has presented us with a lot of firsts, and this Christmas, BOAT has decided to go one further. For the first time ever, BOAT is producing in-house not one, but two Christmas productions, in rep. These outdoor, socially-distanced and Covid-compliant shows last one hour each and play for two and a half weeks leading up to Christmas. BOAT encourages visitors to wraps up warm, bring blankets, umbrellas and something dry to sit on, and treat yourself to a mulled wine at the bar before settling down to enjoy the show. These may very well be the only Christmas shows in Brighton this year, so whether it’s a gorgeously re-told classic fairy-tale, or a musical deconstruction of the traditional pantomime, there’s something for you at BOAT this Christmas.

 

Will Mytum, General Manager at BOAT and producer/director, said: “We at BOAT are delighted to be able to offer two Christmas productions to the Brighton public this year. As an outdoor venue, producing work is far more viable for us than for many others at the moment, and with a dearth of festive options this year, we’re thrilled to be able to offer both a magical version of The Snow Queen and a pantomime like you’ve never seen before.

 

We are delighted to be partnering with VisitBrighton’s Never Normal campaign, and are extremely grateful to Arts Council England for partially funding the project. At a time of great uncertainty, we hope that our Christmas shows can offer a glimmer of hope and normality, both for our audience and for the professionals we’ve been able to employ.”

 

These productions are supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England, and sponsored by VisitBrighton’s Never Normal campaign.

 

People can book tickets at www.brightonopenairtheatre.co.uk