Our Story
The Nightingale is dedicated to supporting artistic development. Emphasising our passion for excellent work made for small spaces, we proudly present theatre performances across New Writing, Performance and Dance, and support the development of performers and their practice. An artist-led organisation, we provide a professional and supportive environment for artists to create and present their work.
The Nightingale’s first incarnation was as a busy station hotel and inn in the early 1900s. Over the decades a theatre space evolved over the pub, where radical theatre began to find it's home. In 2004 Alister O'Loughlin and Miranda Henderson, working in partnership with Inn Brighton, opened The Nightingale Theatre in refurbished form over the Grand Central bar. Between 2010-2014 the current team brought back to life the hotel’s characterful spaces - the pub, the dining room, kitchen, hotel bedrooms - as a canvas for the imaginations of artists, offering audiences the chance to encounter innovative work in the distinctive spaces throughout the building. In April 2014 the building will enjoy a grand refurbishment by Fullers brewery, and will find a new incarnation as a pub and entertainment venue. The Nightingale will continue to flourish away from Surrey Street, continuing the programmes of artist development and performance throughout the city, with a commitment to the idea that Theatre Can Happen Anywhere.
THE TEAM
STEVEN BRETT
Artistic Director and Programmer
Steven has worked across a broad and varied spectrum of job descriptions within the theatre.
He began his professional career as a dancer with Nederlands Dans Theatre and Rambert Dance Company where he remained beyond his on-stage career as a rehearsal director and then Associate Artistic Director under Christopher Bruce. He then moved to the British Council where as Drama and Dance Projects manager for Western Europe, Latin America, Southern Africa and Australia and New Zealand he instigated projects of varying scales across dance, new writing, live art, site specific performance and most other theatre genres. In 2008 he joined Pacitti Company as Executive Producer where he produced SPILL Festival of Performance, the UK’s largest artist-led festival of liveart and experimental theatre. He sits on Scottish Arts Council’s specialist advisory panel for dance, has mentored several choreographers, sat on steering committees for Dance UK, run a series of educational programmes with Rambert Dance Company with schools and created and hosted their schools performance matinee, the template for which is still in use. He is currently employed as a part-time producer for dreamthinkspeak, the UK’s respected and renowned site-responsive theatre company.
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KATE GOWAR
Programme Manager
Kate has worked as a dance artist, commissioner and curator of new dance work before ‘retiring’ from a performance career in 2005.
She co founded Ricochet Dance Company, a dancer-led company, in 1989 and served as Co Artistic Director and Dancer with the company for sixteen years until 2005, commissioning forty original dance works from seminal choreographers. During this period, Ricochet achieved national and international acclaim for its performance and educational programmes, winning many awards for its innovative work. Kate has expertise as a director, curator of work, performer, teacher, fund-raiser, and administrator. She has instigated many projects and large-scale residencies for participants of all ages and abilities, and has assisted many artists in the development of their own work in capacities such as ‘movement adviser’, ‘outside eye’, and assistant/rehearsal director. Kate served on the Boards of Protein Dance Company 2002-2005, and Dance East National Dance Agency 2001-2005, and graduated in 2009 with a first class degree in archaeology at the Institute of Archaeology, University College London.
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JANINE FLETCHER
Assistant Programme Manager
Janine is a choreographer, devisor and performer with an interdisciplinary approach to the creation of performance work.
Her artistic practice has developed through a creative dialogue with theatre practitioners, dancers, live artists, comedians, film/video artists, aerialists and innovators in contemporary cabaret performance to inform and evolve the context and processes of her work. She trained at The Northern School of Contemporary Dance and then completed a BA (hons) in Dance and Visual Art led by Professor Liz Aggiss at The University of Brighton. Janine is currently co-artistic director of comedy dance duo The Two Wrongies (Associate Artists at The Basement), a performing member of Prodigal Theatre’s The Urban Playground Team (parkour/dance) and a freelance choreographer. Over the last year Janine has toured internationally with The Urban Playground Team, worked in collaboration with creative producer Karen Poley (Bicycle Ballet) to choreograph ‘The Dance of Cycling’ (an outdoor show inspired by cyclists personal stories) and worked as choreographer on writer/performer Sue MacLaine’s recent show ‘Sid Lester’s Big Night In’. The Two Wrongies created their new show ‘World of Wrong’ and this will be touring in 2011.
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NIONE MEAKIN
Press and Marketing Manager
Nione has worked in communications for more than ten years, primarily as a journalist, but latterly managing press, PR and marketing for arts and cultural organisations.
With a background in news and features, she has written for publications including The Guardian and The Independent and reported for regional newspapers including The Argus, Brighton and The Oxford Mail.
Before joining The Nightingale Theatre team, Nione worked as a press officer for Brighton Fringe, managed press and PR for Otherplace Productions’ venues Upstairs at Three and Ten and The Warren and was press consultant for heritage organisation The Regency Townhouse.
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