Anita's Room
Anita’s Room, Brighton Dome’s brand-new dedicated creative space for artists to research, experiment and create bold and courageous new work, is now open and accepting applications for use.
About Anita’s Room
Anita’s Room, Brighton Dome’s brand-new dedicated creative space for artists to research, experiment and create bold and courageous new work, is now open and in use every week by artists and community practitioners.
Part of the newly-refurbished Grade I and II listed Corn Exchange and Studio Theatre, Anita’s Room is fully equipped with a lighting grid and mixing desk. The space can accommodate up to 40 people within its main space, office and kitchen areas and is suitable for a range of activities, including: research, development, writing, rehearsal, workshops, retreats, experimentation, music making and community group work.
Reflecting the importance of arts and culture in Brighton & Hove, Anita’s Room is designed to support works in progress, alongside occasional small scale sharings, workshops and events. Performers and creatives from across the area will have the opportunity to undertake undertake a one or two week-long residency in the space, allocated via a simple online application process. Applications are welcome from individuals and groups across all artforms and at all stages of their career. The space will also be made available to Brighton Dome’s associate artists, in-house artists, and national and international visiting performers. Priority in our Open Call will be given to artists who are working without regular funding.
'A light, peaceful spacious room for clear and thinking and creative work. Lovely break out rooms and kitchen space too. It's great to feel a sense of belonging and to rehearse in a space where you are surrounded by other creative projects. It's finally here and I hope many local artists can find solace and inspiration here.' - Tanushka Marah
What can you use the space for
Research, development, writing, rehearsal, labs, retreats, experimentation, small sharings or invited visitors, music making, singing, working with invited groups of community performers/makers.
Anita’s Room is not intended as a ‘messy space’ and is not expected to be used for visual arts or crafts in the main, although we recognise there may be multi artform or genre defying practitioners whose use of the room may incorporate these elements.
Anita’s Room can be used for recording, but we are a working venue and therefore cannot guarantee complete silence in adjacent spaces during residencies. Brighton Dome is unable to provide recording equipment.
Anita’s Room is not available for regular use or hire.
Anita’s Room does not have a sprung floor so is not intended for dance rehearsal unless the guest user is confident their dance practice will be safe without a sprung floor.
Commercial rate equivalent for the space is £280 for 10-6pm usage and this figure can be used as in-kind match funding for funding applications.
What you can expect from us
If you are offered space you will need sign a contract and tell us all the details about how you will use the space. You will then be connected with one of our Producers who will be your contact. On the day they will welcome you to the space and give a short induction for safe usage.
If your use of the lighting rig is more complicated than the simple set up you will need to cover the cost of one of our technicians to operate the tech at £15 p/hr and this must be booked 6 weeks in advance due to our staff rotas.
What we expect from guests in Anita’s Room
After the induction you will be responsible for the safe use, cleanliness and tidiness of the space. You will be responsible for the equipment and if using the space after the rest of the building has closed, you will be responsible for locking up and setting the alarm which requires additional training.
We will ask everyone who uses the space to contribute time to future decision making on applications and/or sharing their residency experience on social media and/or providing feedback and a public record of your time in the space (a paragraph, photo, video etc).
Who can apply and how to apply
Any artist or creative with a BN postcode. We may later widen the radius after the first review of applications.
Open Call paused until August 2024
We have had a great response to Anita’s Room with applications for all sorts of activity, from digital projection mapping work to new writing for early years, to dance rehearsal and more.
We had expected applications would predominantly be for residencies 6 months or more away but the open call has revealed more demand for residencies in the next 6 weeks-6 months. This means the Anita’s Room diary has filled up and we need some more time to manage the administration of supporting the residencies. So we’ve taken the decision to pause the open call and we will re-open in August 2024.
Sorry if this means you will need to wait to apply. It’s important that we adapt the way this brand new space works as we learn more about demand and the time commitments required to running the space well.
We will share an overview of the artists supported to date shortly, and we thank you for your patience and support.
Apply to use Anita's Room
To apply for a one or two week residency in Anita’s Room please fill out this Residency Application form.
We expect to offer mostly 1 week residencies to give as many people the opportunity to access the space as possible, however in some cases we may agree a two week residency if there is a good case for it e.g. a well developed plan for creating a new work that requires a two week run of time.
Applications can be made on a rolling basis for dates within the upcoming year, there is no deadline but the panel will meet to review applications on a quarterly basis and make a decision within 3 weeks. Our panel of artists/creatives and Producing staff will review the applications, trying to accommodate as many as possible and we will give brief feedback if you aren’t successful.
Decision making weeks
w/b 12 Feb 24 for weekly residencies from June 24 to March 25
Applications received after 11 Feb will be reviewed in the next meeting
w/b 20 May 24 for weekly residencies from June 24 to June 25
Applications received after 19 May will be reviewed in the next meeting
w/b 19 Aug 24 for weekly residencies from Sept 24 to Sept 25
Applications received after 18 Aug will be reviewed in the next meeting
w/b 18 Nov 24 for weekly residencies from Dec 24 to Dec 25
Applications received after 17 November will be reviewed in the next meeting
Examples of usage
- script writing and reading by a collective of writers
- R&D for a new creative time
- sprint session for digital practice
- song writing and rehearsal – please note amplified music would only be possible if it wouldn’t conflict with other performances or events in the building
- use by a collective of artists who will each lead one day focusing on their own practice
- lab hosted 1 artist or a group of likeminded artists with invited national or international collaborators
- rehearsal of a new play
'In early September we used Anita's Room to hold auditions and rehearsals for a staged reading of my work, to be performed in the Concert Hall for Heritage Open Day. A big, quiet, flexible space with a tidy little kitchen and its own breakout room, Anita's Room allowed us all to focus on the creative task at hand because it had everything we needed. It sits on top of the renovated Brighton Dome Gallery Bar, so it's also very light - big windows look down into the bar and a great golden horse floats just outside. It was a delight to come in each morning and know that this space was ours. It's not easy finding space in central Brighton for rehearsals and the energy I would have spent looking for something suitable I could pour instead into working with others to shape my piece for performance. Anyone needing an attractive, central, multi-use, quiet place to write, read, talk or rehearse should seriously consider applying to use it. Having access to Anita's Room gave me a feeling of belonging. Like this venue belonged to me, and my work could belong in it.' - Dulani Kulasinghe, writer
Anita's Room kindly supported by The Roddick Foundation
Anita’s Room is named in memory of activist, entrepreneur and founder of The Body Shop, Dame Anita Roddick. It was made possible following a generous grant from the Roddick Foundation, a family-run philanthropic organisation dedicated to the support of visionary organisations and individuals demonstrating exceptional creativity, entrepreneurial spirit and courage.
