Celebrate International Women's Day at Brighton Dome

Brighton Dome will mark International Women’s Day 2016 with a week-long, specially selected series of performances and events featuring some of the most incredible female artists around, including acclaimed broadcaster Sandi Toksvig (8 Mar), comedian Katherine Ryan (5 Mar) and theatre maker Victoria Melody (5 Mar). The venue will also play host to a special retrospective from Brighton Dome’s flagship outreach project Miss Represented (4 – 9 Mar), a special New Writing South event in which Twelve Angry Women (4 Mar) mark the 60th anniversary of the seminal movie Twelve Angry Men and International Women's Day: Open House (5 Mar); a day-long marketplace of performance, art and debate in collaboration with Brighton Women’s Centre. 

Taking place in every nook and cranny of the cafe-bar, Founders Room and Corn Exchange, International Women's Day: Open House (5 Mar) is Brighton Women's Centre and Brighton Dome's annual celebration of International Women' Day. A marketplace of ideas, workshops and artisan gifts is at the heart of a free programme of art and debate. Enjoy stalls, talks, tasters and specially commissioned work reflecting on the issues raised throughout the day. Our cafe will be open as usual and lunch will be provided by The Real Junk Food project on a pay what you feel basis.

Comedian, novelist, actor, broadcaster, university chancellor, MC and (inter)national treasure, Sandi Toksvig (8 Mar) heads to Brighton Dome on International Women’s Day to celebrate the launch of the Women’s Equality Party with a special fundraising show. Sandi Toksvig Live! Politically Incorrect will be a uniquely witty evening of stand-up, stories and fascinating facts. The tour will raise funds for the UK’s fastest growing new political party the Women’s Equality Party, which Sandi co-founded. All profits from the shows will go to fund the Party’s work. Sandi will entertain audiences solo for the first half of the evening, and in the second she will introduce them to some special guests and the compelling ideas behind this exciting new venture.

Having recently made a heartfelt speech at her little sister’s wedding, comedian Katherine Ryan (5 Mar) came to realise what she’s left behind in her native Canada. In a brand new show, she reflects on what she left behind in a search of her inner Kathbum. Star of Sky 1’s new Bring The Noise, BBC’s: Hair, Live At The Apollo, QI, Mock The Week, ITV’s The Jonathan Ross Show and Channel 4’s 8 Out Of 10 Cats, the razor sharp Ryan heads to the city following sell-outs at the Edinburgh Fringe, the Melbourne Comedy Festival and prestigious Oddball Comedy Festival.

Victoria Melody, creator of the critically acclaimed one-woman, one-dog hit Major Tom returns with a unique study of the international business of human hair in Hair Peace (5 Mar). Created in collaboration with two-time Obie Award-winning and Drama Desk nominated director Rachel Chavkin, this unique performance delves into Victoria Melody’s own anthropological research into the industry of human hair extensions, revealing the serendipitous expeditions that included a meet with hair dealers in rural Russia, a real life baddie, a Celebrity Big Brother contestant, the most expensive wedding to have ever taken place, forensic crime scene investigations and hair, lots and lots of hair.

On the 60th anniversary of the seminal movie Twelve Angry Men, twelve women sharpen their pens and write about what makes them angry. And they are fuming! Come see and hear the results (4 Mar) - an outraged fusion of script, poems, art and music - in a rehearsed try-out performance. Contributors include Yasmin Ali, Suhayla El Bushra, Belona Greenwood, Sara Clifford, Rowena Easton, Bryony Lavery, Sarah Naomi Lee, Jo Neary, Carole Leeming, Edana Minghella, Deanna Rogers and Chris Taylor.

Brighton Dome’s flagship outreach project Miss Represented – a scheme that works with young women from across Brighton who have stories to tell and thoughts to share – continues to go from strength to strength. Their most recent show Home:Life explored feelings around the notion of home, investigating the challenges of being young and in the care system, or young and homeless. Following the success of the show, the girls will be taking a retrospective look back across all the Miss Represented performances and exhibitions, together with some new additions around 'Being Female' (4 – 9 Mar).