THE WARREN Wagner Hall, Russell Place, Brighton

Co-artistic director of Otherplace Productions Nicola Haydn: “Translunar Paradiseis one of the main reasons we branched out and created a second venue for the Brighton Fringe.

“The company Theatre Ad Infinitum has been coming to us since 2009: they brought us The Odyssey and [Argus Angel-winner] The Big Smoke. This show wouldn’t fit into the Upstairs At Three And Ten.

“It’s an incredible piece of theatre, accompanied by a live accordian player using mask and movement. When we saw it in London, I thought it was one of the most beautiful pieces of theatre I had ever seen. We knew we had to get a bigger venue and bring it to Brighton.”

Translunar Paradise: Tuesday, May 15, and Wednesday, May 16, 8pm, 6pm early show Wed, £14/£11.

UPSTAIRS AT THREE AND TEN Steine Street, Brighton

James Turnbull from Otherplace Productions: “Churchill's Children is set in the Old Steine during the Blitz.

“It’s about people who are running away from the bombing and those who stay.”

The play was written by Lita Doolan, who has previously won awards from the Oxford Theatre Company, Oxford Playhouse, Oxford University and Daily Information.

It focuses on a group of boarding school chums who escape evacuation to play parlour games in the blackout.

Churchill’s Children: Friday, May 11, to Sunday, May 13, 3pm, £9/£7.50.

THE HURLY BURLY The Green, York Place, Brighton

Artistic director Mella Faye Punchard: “Birdy is by the Hurly Burly resident theatre company.

“It is the most epic thing we are putting on – the rest of our programme is quite family-orientated. This is more of an after-hours thing incorporating physical theatre and live music, with mechanical installations from Circus Kinetica.

“It’s basically a fairytale about self-realisation, portrayed through three clowns. There’s a black comedy element to it.

“We have been given some Arts Council funding to include food – for some performances there will be three courses, making a real dining experience.”

The Hurly Burly tent, which has previously appeared at Glastonbury and Bestival, will be making its Brighton Fringe debut this year.

Birdy: Saturday, May 5, Saturday, May 12, Friday, May 25 and Saturday, May 26: 6.30pm, also at 9pm on May 25 and 26, £8/£6.

THE MARLBOROUGH THEATRE Prince’s Street, Brighton

Manager and director of The Pink Fringe Tarik Elmoutawaki: “Bette Bourne stars in A Right Pair [with Paul Shaw]. She was a radical drag queen performing in the 1970s with cabaret group Blue Lips.

“Brighton playwright Neil Bartlett has written the play with Bette and Paul, who have been on and offstage partners for 40 years. It will be a high quality show.”

A Right Pair sees the two performers explore favourite scenes and obscure gems from their past, as well as create something new.

A Right Pair: Saturday, May 5, and Sunday, May 6: 7pm, Saturday, May 12, and Sunday, May 13: 8pm, £10/£8.

THE REGENCY TAVERN Russell Square, Brighton

Lauren Sadler – Participant services for Brighton Fringe: “I Have Never Cared For Sunsets is in a fantastic venue – it’s one of those places people don’t see very often. It’s the first time The Regency Tavern has done a show in the Fringe, and they have shows in two spaces.

“This is a puppet show in a Punch And Judy style, using handmade puppets by Brighton-based Garyhaus Players.

“It’s a deadpan comedy about science and religion.”

The show features appearances from a young Isaac Newton, an aristocratic leech addict and an evil Karl Popper.

I Have Never Cared For Sunsets: Saturdays from May 5 to May 19: 2.30pm and 6.30pm, Sundays from May 6 to May 20: 3.30pm, £6.

IAMBIC ARTS THEATRE Regent Street, Brighton

Artistic director Emma D’Arcy: “We ran Vita And Virginia in February as a trailer for the Fringe.

“It’s a script written by Eileen Atkins, the actress and playwright, about Vita Sackville-West and Virginia Woolf.

“I’m a massive follower of the Bloomsbury set and their work is popular here with Charleston so near. We have two local actresses, Valerie Dent and Tamar K Karpas, playing the two parts.

“Their relationship is built up through their correspondence, which Atkins has turned into a dialogue. It was originally produced in New York 15 years ago starring Atkins and Vanessa Redgrave.”

Vita And Virginia: Friday, May 11: 8pm, Saturday, May 12: 7pm, Sunday, May 13: 4pm, £10/£8.

LATEST MUSIC BAR Manchester Street, Brighton

Ruth Ratner from Latest Music Bar: “Brighton Theatre Company’s Gogol is another piece by playwright Richard Crane, with Nick Pynn doing the music.

“It’s set in 1978 during the energy crisis, in the little world of an electricity board clerk.”

The piece, by the same production company behind the multi-awardwinning The First Domino, I Am A Warehouse and last year’s Dancing With Demons, draws inspiration from Gogol and Nabokov. It stars Coronation Street’s Brian Capron, performing in a set designed by artist Romany Mark Bruce, creator of the New Steine Gardens AIDS memorial.

Gogol: Sunday, May 13 to May 16, 6pm, £10.

KOMEDIA Gardner Street, Brighton

Emily Coleman, press officer: “We'd be delighted if you’d be able to come and join the congregation as the off-Broadway cult hit My Big Gay Italian Wedding makes its European Premiere.

“Planning a wedding can be hell... but planning to ruin a wedding can be a hell of a lot of fun.

Andrew and Anthony are getting married and everyone wants to ‘help’!

“It spins into hysterical fiasco as everyone tries to have their way.

“This music and dance-filled extravaganza has been playing to sold-out houses in New York for four years, and is showing no signs of finishing the reception early.”

My Big Gay Italian Wedding: Saturday, May 19 to Sunday, May 21: 3pm Fri and Sat, 5pm Sat, 6pm and 8pm Sun, £10/£8.

HENDRICK’S LIBRARY OF DELIGHTFULLY PECULIAR WRITINGS Jubilee Square, Brighton, May 17 to May 27

Gemma McAloon from Hendricks Gin: “Stuffing Peter Rabbit will be a big hit this year – especially with the Brighton audience.

“Lee Paton is the man behind it. He is a fashion designer who has worked with Alexander McQueen.

He has his own shop in East London and also runs taxidermy classes. He is also in the taxidermy guild and founded The London Academy Of Taxidermy.

“It’s going to be weird – for one day only he will tell the tale of Peter Rabbit by bringing one dead rabbit back to life.

“We hosted a global workshop before and he was doing these little mice and poking their eyes to look at each other, and working on their little tails to get them to stand up.”

Stuffing Peter Rabbit: Saturday, May 19: 3pm, £10

HANGING GARDENS OF BRIGHTON Old Steine Gardens, Brighton

Director Kieran Dowell: “It's a new festival within a festival and we’ll take over the Old Steine Gardens for the final weekend of the Fringe.

“Hanging Gardens Of Brighton is inspired by the ancient Mesopotamian city of Babylon.

“Jamie Catto from Faithless is curating the Oasis area – a utopian, good-living side, with films and workshops and arts displays.

“Live music will include ceilidh blues, bluegrass, samba, drum ’n’ bass, funk, psychedelic and Latin from Alabama 3, Kitten And The Hip and Ska Cubano.

“The capacity is 1,500 and the event is a warm-up party for a bigger festival we’re taking to Wiltshire in August 2013.

“Brighton’s Carnivalesque will host The Temple stage, with cabaret and fancy dress.

“Food from around the world will be served at The Bar Of Babel. There will be a cocktail bar and chai café, chillout gardens and a Babylon Time Machine.”

Hanging Gardens Of Brighton: Friday, May 25, to Sunday, May 27: 2pm until 2am, earlier Sunday, £25/£20.

BRIGHTON FASHION WEEK Venues across Brighton, May 30 to June 3

Liz Bishop, director and founder of Brighton Fashion Week: “Jess Eaton who runs Roadkill Couture and has been getting lots of national press, is headlining our Zeitgeist show.

“It’s going to be a really cool one. It’s about fine fashion heading to London and we’ve proved we can do that.

“It’s very cutting-edge. Tim Rhys-Evans, Tom Lipop did it and moved upwards.

“We give designers support so they can put the money into their collections.

“They haven’t got the business skills, so we give them free photos, choreography, lighting, visuals and 800 people see the show.

“A lot of people will be watching because Jess Eaton was voted label of the month by Dash Magazine recently, and she had a massive review in Bizarre, but she won’t tell anyone about this brand new collection, so it’s a must-see.”

Zeitgeist Catwalk Show: All Saints Church, The Drive, Hove, May 31, 8pm, £13 to £55, visit www.brighton fashionweek.com

ATOMIC FORCE PRODUCTIONS Producer and general manager Mill Goble: “You have to see a new play by Dan Martin, who is based in Seaford.

“We did a show together at the Brighton Fringe a couple of years ago called Winter At Rushton Manor and that was a Victorian period comedy about a haunted house.

“This one is completely different – it is a twohander about depression called The Black Dog And Other Influences.

“It’s a black comedy about the relationship between a therapist and the patient.

“The patient doesn’t want to open up so makes up a fictional story.

“The question is: does the therapy still work if the patient won’t tell the therapist anything?

“And with that relationship, when neither trusts the other, with all the lies and fantasy, where does it all end?”

The Black Dog And Other Influences: The Marlborough Theatre, Prince’s Street, Brighton, May 12 and May 13, 4.30pm, £8/£6

ST BARTHOLOMEW’S CHURCH Ann Street, Brighton

Programmer Delia Spink says: “An unusual one this year is Ronald Corp’s Dhammapada by The London Chorus.

“It’s a choral piece of exceptional beauty and spirituality and a collaboration between choral composer and Anglican priest Ronald Corp and Buddhist writer Francis Booth.

“Dhammapada means ‘the path to the truth’ and contains the words of the Buddha compiled by his followers after his death 2,500 years ago.

“It contains the Buddha’s key messages expressed in striking and beautiful images. It is spiritual without being religious. It is more a manual for living a good life.

“Although it’s the core text in Buddhism, Dhammapada has never before been set to Western music.

“The a cappella music has eight choral movements interspersed with recordings of bells from important Buddhist sites.”

Ronald Corp’s Dhammapada: Saturday May 5, 7pm, £9 The Argus: Brighton Festival 2012 - Festival The Argus: Brighton Festival Fringe launches today - Fringe Back to the Brighton Festival and Fringe news home page

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