Later this month, four small Hove venues play host to an impressive 37 different shows by local writers and performers. Most are brand new, all are less than two years old. Hove Grown Festival, which runs March 24th to April 2nd, is back for a second year, offering the very best in first-look, locally sourced spoken word, drama, cabaret and comedy.

Artista, a café/bar on Hove’s Waterloo Street, welcomes Funny Women Awards finalist Jane Postlethwaite (pictured) with The House, a solo comedy work in progress show. Meanwhile The Purple Playhouse, a 60 seat theatre tucked away near Seven Dials on Montefiore Road, hosts The Trials Of Colonel Barker by Rose Collis – the true story of a dashing gentleman soldier in World War I later revealed to be a woman.

The Claremont, a new venue for the 2017 festival, presents The Anterbury Tales, David Spillman’s kid friendly (7+) insect re-telling of Chaucer’s classic, while David Terrence unveils Fried Mind, a comedic audience mind-reading show.

The Sweet Dukebox at the Iron Duke pub, a former Brighton Fringe Best Venue winner, sees the premiere of Rachel Shorer’s 10 Mistakes Every Girl Makes In Her Twenties, a spoken word show exploring what it’s like to come of age in the glare of social media. High Vis by Robert Cohen also promises to be a highlight – a solo show about a traffic warden avoiding the wrath of an airgun-wielding stalker, which forms part of Men Without Friends, his ambitious triple bill of monologue shows.

Check out the Hove Grown website for full listings, and to purchase tickets.
www.hovegrown.org.uk

(Brighton &) Hove Grown Festival, 24th March – 2nd April 2017

Photos by Jane Postlethwaite, David Terrence and Rachel Shorer