Nancy Platts explains why she nominated her local not-for-profit theatre for an award from Campaign Collective.
I love the atmosphere as I walk into Brighton Little Theatre. I’ve seen many wonderful productions over the years and always get a buzz of anticipation as I
descend into the cosy bar area. Usually I can hear the happy chatter of the audience rising to meet me but today, it’s all quiet because I am here between productions to meet Leigh Ward, the Chair and find out a bit more about the history of the theatre, how auditions work and their Brick By Brick fundraising campaign to improve the building.
Brighton Little Theatre is a not-for-profit amateur company now in its 85 th year and has staged over 750 productions. It’s run entirely by volunteers and I learn from Leigh that amateur derives from the Latin word ‘amare’, meaning love. Leigh says: “We’re doing it for the love. Nobody’s paid, it’s all volunteers doing the bar, the costumes, the set because they love doing it and love being here.”
Around the walls of the bar are hundreds of photographs dating back to the first performance in June 1940 and each one brings a production back to life. This rich, visual history is a reminder that we must nurture and cherish our art and culture because it must extend beyond all of our lifetimes. We owe it to the next generation to preserve a much-needed space that is more about cultivating and showcasing artistic talent than generating profit and that is why I want to support the Brick by Brick fundraiser. Leigh has been with the theatre for 28 years and is an actor and director as well as the Chair. He describes the current theatre company in terms of forming the latest chapter in that distinguished history.
He says;“We’re very much custodians. It’s not my theatre, it’s not our committee’s theatre, we are just here at this point in time to make sure it carries on as successfully as it has
done for the last eighty-five years.”
An eighty-fifth birthday is something to celebrate and what better way to do that than by launching the Brick By Brick fundraiser to upgrade the essential facilities! The toilets are down a narrow staircase that require a level of negotiation with other users to navigate getting up and down and in and out again. We all see this as part of the fun of the venue but having bumped into The French Lieutenant’s Woman in the Ladies, I can see that it’s not ideal for cast members in full costume. Currently the actors have no dedicated dressing room either and have to make do with the kitchen area for changing between scenes. Given the professional level of each production, I was amazed at how the cast have managed up to now. I really wanted to support the upgrade so I nominated Brighton Little Theatre’s Brick By Brick campaign for a £150 donation from Campaign Collective’s Community Fund.
Before I leave, I can’t resist asking Leigh a bit about scary auditions. Leigh tries to reassure me that auditions are not terrifying at all and he says they love having new people along to try for a part. “Look” he says, “Nobody’s going to put you on stage with a ten-minute monologue.” Even though I’m not auditioning for anything, I hear myself give an audible sigh of relief! Leigh continues; “When I did the auditions for Jekyll and Hyde, I started off with everybody getting up on stage and just walking around being a farm animal, because it relaxed them, and it got rid of those nerves. They’d already been up on stage and looked silly, so anything else they were going to do after that was absolutely fine. Every audition I’ve ever been at, everybody has always applauded each audition piece. We are a friendly and open group of people and welcome new members.”
If you want to support independent theatre, you can donate as an individual or as an organisation through a sponsorship package to the Brick By Brick campaign and see
your legacy live on in the fabric of the building.