"What is so exciting about this role is the sheer scope of work that I’m programming.”

So says new Dome programmer Matthew Cook, who is launching his first full season since joining the team at the Church Street and New Road venue in March.

“My background is across the disciplines, but particularly music, theatre and the spoken word,” he continues.

“The Dome has got everything, from quite obscure, challenging theatre to really populist stuff.”

Matthew has previously worked in London venues including the ICA, in The Mall, as the venue’s music programmer, and the music curator at the Whitechapel Gallery in Whitechapel High Street.

“I was very privileged to work at those places,” he says. “They are quite niche audiences, nowhere near the breadth and scope of the audiences in Brighton. Here we have just as much an obligation to provide challenging, stimulating work as we do to entertain.”

His first challenge was to learn what the Brighton audience wants, and to do so he has immersed himself in the city. “I’m from London but have moved to Brighton for the job,” he says. “You have to be part of the community if you want to programme for it. I’m learning more and more about Brighton, thinking about what the city needs and wants.

I wouldn’t want us to be guilty of underestimating the public. Hopefully we can provide something for everyone.

“I do like the fact we can take risks, because a large amount of the Brighton audience are creative. It is a pleasure to programme for an audience which is so open to new ideas. But I wouldn’t say any particular demographic has been neglected.

“It feels like there has been no stone left unturned previously, and it is important for me to curate events for all ages – diversity is important for us.

“I was fortunate enough to be inspired by music and arts, so it’s important for me to be able to do that for other younger people.”

One aspect of the Brighton Festival which Matthew was impressed by in May was the Dome’s links with other venues and the collaborative nature of the three-week event.

This is something he wants to continue to explore, but he is keeping tight-lipped about who will follow Brian Eno as next year’s guest curator.

“Brian was very involved in lots of different areas of music, and the festival reflected his tastes, passion and history,” says Matthew.

“It was an absolute honour to be there in the same room as the man himself – we were all a bit starstruck!”

Matthew is also keen on providing shows with a participatory nature, one of which is the Ukulele Day on Saturday, December 18.

“What we are trying to do with the Dome is to inspire as well as entertain, so the audience are not just spectators,” he says. “The Ukulele Day will have workshops, a mass ukulele singalong and jam.”

He has also expanded the talks programme, which has always been a popular feature of the main festival but rarely found its way into the Dome’s general programme.

“I’m passionate about literature,” he says. “We are working with Brighton-based New Writing South, who are bringing authors and writers to us.

“This season we have Clare Short in conversation with the Egyptian writer Nawal El Saadawi, and Fay Weldon talking about what has inspired her over the years. She has said she will be analysing five pieces of work from across the disciplines which have informed her work and made her the writer she is.

“We are definitely expanding our literature programme with the Women Writers Festival later this year.”

Another aspect of the Dome’s work is artist development, as seen in the Platform series during the Festival.

“It’s something we have been working on solidly for the last six months,” Matthew says. “It is very important to lay down the foundations of culture in Brighton and work with developing artists – to help them to fully realise their work and invest time and money into it.

“The In Process In Performance programme is an opportunity for the public to look at how people’s work is developed, how it comes into being.

But again it is participatory – people don’t just come in a passive way and witness the performance, they are integral to the process by giving feedback. It’s a very forward way of programming.”

Matthew hasn’t exhausted all avenues with his autumn programme, and promises more participatory events next season. “There’s plenty of surprises to come,” he says.

* Visit www.brightondome.org for more information and to book