About us
The Nightingale is a multi-art form performance venue supporting 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 is indebted to the ongoing support and commitment of Drink In Brighton, who continue to make this vision possible.
Situated above the Grand Central Bar beside Brighton station, The Nightingale’s first incarnation was as part of the busy station’s hotel. As an arts venue we are pioneering the idea of bringing back to life a series of the hotel’s characterful spaces to use as a canvas for the imaginations of artists and audiences. We offer artists the opportunity to contextualise their work, animating the rooms of this historic building – the ‘dressing room’, the ‘dining room’, the ‘smoking room’ and the hotel kitchen. In turn we offer audiences the chance to encounter innovative and unique work in these distinctive spaces throughout the building.
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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LIBERTY MARTIN: Press and Marketing Manager
Liberty trained specifically in Small-Scale Theatre Practice at the Guildford School of Acting and graduated with a degree in Professional Production Skills in 2010.
Her undergraduate work focussed on the political and artistic value of work made on, and intentionally for, the Small-Scale, and culminated in an exploration of the changing role of the dramaturg. Liberty offers marketing and publicity support for Small-Scale and Fringe Theatre, combining experience in copywriting, print design, and public relations with a passion for creating and supporting new performance.
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