Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts

Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts A multi-disciplinary arts space We host residencies for artists to develop new work.

An interdisciplinary arts hub connecting University of Sussex to Brighton & Hove and the wider national and international art community. The Grade II* listed building was originally designed by Basil Spence and has been recently refurbished to include a flexible auditorium seating 348 (or standing configuration 500), studio spaces and a cafe-bar. The public programme includes performances (theatre, dance, live art), film, live music (classical & contemporary), digital practices.

We're proud to be a Cinecity Brighton partner venue once again this year, with three special events as part of the Brigh...
09/10/2026

We're proud to be a Cinecity Brighton partner venue once again this year, with three special events as part of the Brighton film festival.

🎬 I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning
Wednesday 11 November, 6.30pm:

The latest film by acclaimed director Clio Bernard is a bittersweet drama about a group of friends in Birmingham. A tender depiction of friendship which also highlights how working-class lives are compromised by economic and social pressures.

🎞️ Ultimate Thunder
Saturday 14 November, 6pm:

Award-winning documentary following a Leeds punk band comprised of musicians with learning disabilities, Down syndrome and autism as they chase their dream of performing for a festival crowd.

Followed by Q&A with director Ben Brown and Lia Hayes and special guests.

And returning to Attenborough Centre for 2026:

🎥 University of Sussex 36 Hour Film Challenge
Sunday 8 November 2026

Students will be given a prop, a location and a mystery parameter and have 36 hours to make a four minute film. A screening of the films will be shown at 8.30pm - book your free tickets now.

Find out about all of our Cinecity events and book tickets at our website: https://www.attenboroughcentre.com

On Sunday 22 November, Three Score Dance are taking over Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts for a special afterno...
10/09/2026

On Sunday 22 November, Three Score Dance are taking over Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts for a special afternoon of movement, music, connection and joy.

The takeover includes:��

🪢 Performance of JUTE, choreographed by Takeshi Matsumoto which sees Three Score company dancers explore a twenty-metre jute rope with playfulness and imagination, ending with an invitation for everyone to dance together.

🪩 A daytime disco in the bar with live DJ’s. Dance, watch, chat or simply soak up the atmosphere.

🌌Performance of BETWIXT, which explores the strange, vivid terrain of being in-between. Moving between quiet suspension and restless energy, the dancers reveal the tension, humour and unexpected joy that can reside inside uncertainty.

For just £3 more, you can also join an all-ages workshop exploring TSD’s approach and themes from JUTE. Participants will discover new ways of moving together, building connections across generations and creating something as a group.

Find out more and book tickets here: https://www.attenboroughcentre.com/events/5790/three-score-dance-takeover-day

📢 Just announced: Exit North / Steve Jansen / Richard BarbieriOn Thursday 18 February 2027 Attenborough Centre for the C...
08/09/2026

📢 Just announced: Exit North / Steve Jansen / Richard Barbieri

On Thursday 18 February 2027 Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts will host the world premiere of a special live concert bringing Steve Jansen and Richard Barbieri together on stage for the first time in more than three decades.

Rather than a retrospective reunion, the evening reflects the continuing creative journeys of both artists. Richard Barbieri will perform an improvised solo set, incorporating themes and soundscapes from past and current works, while Steve Jansen joins vocalist Thomas Feiner to perform as Exit North, whose acclaimed releases have established the band as a distinctive voice in contemporary atmospheric music.

The concert will culminate with Jansen & Barbieri sharing the stage to perform a brief selection from the body of work they created together following the dissolution of their group JAPAN, bringing a remarkable musical partnership back before a live audience for the first time in over thirty years.

Book tickets here now: https://www.attenboroughcentre.com/events/5788/exit-north-jansen-barbieri

📢 Just announced: We Were HereWednesday 7 October, 7pmWe Were Here is an award-winning documentary by Fred Kudjo Kuwornu...
25/08/2026

📢 Just announced: We Were Here
Wednesday 7 October, 7pm

We Were Here is an award-winning documentary by Fred Kudjo Kuwornu which sheds light on the overlooked presence of African and Black individuals in Renaissance Europe, highlighting their depiction in masterpieces by some of the era’s most celebrated artists.

Before the screening there will be an introduction by filmmaker Fred Kudjo Kuwornu and afterwards there will be a discussion and audience Q&A.

Presented at Attenborough Centre in partnership with Black at Sussex as part of Black History Month UK

Find out more and book tickets here: https://www.attenboroughcentre.com/events/5780/we-were-here

18/08/2026

Peek behind the velvet curtain of The Dirty Work by Jo Bannon with this magical new trailer 👀🪄

Coming to the Attenborough Centre on Thursday 1 October for one very special performance, Jo Bannon invites you to glimpse a world where truth and illusion, performance and reality converge.

Find out more at and book tickets here: https://www.attenboroughcentre.com/events/5761/jo-bannon-the-dirty-work/

Trailer by Ethan Folk.

The Dirty Work is part of Blind Magic: A triptych of artworks exploring the performativity of visual impairment. A film Passing, an installation Sleight of Hand and live performance The Dirty Work created by Jo Bannon.

We’re excited to announce that support for Emptyset on Wednesday 4 November comes from Simon Parris.Simon Parris is a Lo...
29/07/2026

We’re excited to announce that support for Emptyset on Wednesday 4 November comes from Simon Parris.

Simon Parris is a London-based artist, Music Director and DJ, with a background in the art world. In 2025 he scored the film 'The Insatiable Appetite of Lady Jane Grey' directed by Saskia Dixie and put out his debut music release 'heavy night waits on the dawn', to which he's currently working on a follow-up. He hosts an eponymous show on NTS Radio blending and rearranging cross-genre music from "then and now".

Book tickets here: https://attenboroughcentre.com/events/5732/emptyset

Simon Parris photo credit: Sarah Piantadosi.
Emptyset photo credit: Philomène Pirecki.

Peek behind the velvet curtain of The Dirty Work, a new solo performance by Jo Bannon coming to Attenborough Centre for ...
01/06/2026

Peek behind the velvet curtain of The Dirty Work, a new solo performance by Jo Bannon coming to Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts on 1 October 🐇

Blending the trickery of magic with Bannon’s lived experience of visual impairment, The Dirty Work invites you to glimpse a world where truth and illusion, performance and reality converge.

Using delicate choreography and magician’s patter, Bannon unveils the invisible labour that shapes how we navigate the world through a disability lens.

Say ‘white rabbit’ three times, and see the magic unfold before your very eyes!

Book tickets now here: https://attenboroughcentre.com/events/5761/jo-bannon-the-dirty-work?_gl=1*9vpq4e*_ga*MTc5NTk0MjYzMC4xNzY3ODg0NDgx*_ga_D65L05T0VT*czE3ODAzMDI5OTkkbzk1JGcxJHQxNzgwMzA5NjYxJGo2MCRsMCRoMA..

06/05/2026

"We need more theatre like this"

Audiences at Battersea Arts Centre - BAC loved Second Trimester and we can't wait for it to hit Attenborough Centre this Monday 11 May for one very special performance as part of Brighton Festival.

In Second Trimester, trans performance artist Krishna Istha and his mother, Geetha Shankar, confront pregnancy, loss, gender, and the weight of inherited memories.

Using cameras, projections and a bespoke coded interface built for the show, Geetha and Krishna make live choices each night together, constructing a cinematic, Bollywood-inspired epic family saga.

Book tickets now: https://www.attenboroughcentre.com/events/5707/krishna-istha-second-trimester/

30/04/2026

What can audiences expect from Mr Blackpool? 🤔

With just a week to go until opening night, we asked Harry Clayton-Wright what delights await attendees of his theatrical extravaganza, presented as part of Brighton Festival.

Expect cabaret, magic, dance, drag and pyro. This is cultural archaeology and satire at its campiest, presented in lurid technicolor 🌈

Book tickets now here: https://attenboroughcentre.com/events/5698/harry-clayton-wright-mr-blackpool

Presented in partnership with Marlborough Productions

Interview by Sussex University student Ronni Arrowsmith in the ACCA cafe.

Address

/Gardner Center Road
Brighton And Hove
BN19RA

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 4pm
Tuesday 10am - 4pm
Wednesday 10am - 4pm
Thursday 10am - 4pm
Friday 10am - 4pm

Telephone

+441273678822

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