Our Place

Our Place is a celebration of creativity, working in partnership with community steering groups to select, programme and produce art projects, performances, and events for their communities, taking place for free in their neighbourhoods. It also provides opportunities for the community to see and participate in free cultural events at Brighton Dome and in Brighton Festival. 

History of Our Place

In 2017, Brighton Festival Guest Director Kae Tempest was inspired to initiate Your Place, a project with the aim of taking the Festival out to the communities of Brighton & Hove, to people who might not otherwise participate in cultural and artistic events. 

In 2019, Your Place transitioned to Our Place with collaboration between Brighton Festival, Brighton People’s Theatre and a dedicated team of volunteers who formed steering groups across Hangleton and East Brighton with the support of local community organisations.  Moulsecoomb and Bevendean joined the Our Place programme in 2021. As of 2025, all of these communities remain on board as Our Place partners. In 2022, in response to demand from the steering groups we began a transition to delivering a year-round programme.

‘Now that we are working towards Our Place activity Year Round, I really feel this is the biggest thing you can do for people in Whitehawk - aside from changing the education and schools - you can put stuff on, educate and engage people through it  - show them beautiful things and help them to see that they can do beautiful things too, and take part in art and music and work with artists - it’s life-changing!’
Maggie, East Brighton Steering Group

Current and Ongoing Projects

Primary School Tours

We programme theatre performances into primary schools across the areas to reach as many children as possible. Last year we worked with Wrongsemble Theatre Company to tour Three Little Vikings a live puppetry performance about cooperation, bravery, and getting your voice heard! The company visited 5 Primary Schools in March 2025 and performed to over 1,000 pupils.

‘Amazing! The set, sound, acting and singing were all so professional. I have had so many comments from staff about how their children enjoyed it. It was such a valuable experience for our children, many of whom come from extremely deprived backgrounds’  Nursery Teacher/Arts Co-ordinator, West Blatchington Primary School

We are currently putting together a tour to schools in March 2026

Library and Community Centre Tours

In partnership with Brighton and Hove Libraries, we present family performances and workshops in community libraries so that families can enjoy some FREE creative activities close to home.

Our most recent library tour took place in  October 2024 when we toured a wonderful musical adaptation of Joseph Coelho’s picture book Luna Loves Library Day to Moulsecoomb, Hangleton and Whitehawk Libraries. It was a beautiful and imaginative story addressing separated families as well as exploring the joy of reading through fantasy and imagination.

‘Absolutely fantastic to bring it to the community - very expensive to take 3 kids to theatre, so what a brilliant opportunity to expose them to something new and different. Really creative, great for their imaginations and encouraging them to enjoy music - thank you! Would be brilliant to have more things like this in Whitehawk - thank you East Brighton Resident

In 2025, we undertook our first community theatre tour, taking PLUCK by Shadows & Strings into Manor Gym, East Brighton, and St Andrew’s Church, Moulsecoomb. This heartwarming puppetry performance with live harp music was a perfect treat for adults and children alike.

Artist in Residence

Each Spring, an Artist or groups of Artists work together with the steering groups to create innovative, accessible artistic projects with community inclusion at their heart. These always culminate in a celebratory Community Fun day during Brighton Festival in May.

This year we are collaborating with Puppet maker, performer and director Darren East (Moulsecoomb & Bevendean) and land artist LEO (East Brighton). You can read more about their projects, as they develop, on the Brighton Festival website: https://brightonfestival.org/getting-involved/our-place/

Audience Club

Through our Audience Club, we provide opportunities for the community to see and participate in free cultural events at Brighton Dome, and in Brighton Festival, as well as across the city. Thanks to support from Brighton & Hove Buses we are also able to offer free bus travel to those who need it.

‘The offer of audience club to residents in the West of the city provides local families with an experience they wouldn't be able to afford or themselves, we know that many local families live in poverty that very few residents in the West would travel to the city centre due to the cost incurred, the combination of free tickets, free travel and the support provided is vital in ensuring inclusive access’
Hangleton & Knoll Project

For more information on any of the Our Place activities and to see how you can get involved, please contact slavka.jovanovic@brightondome.org