The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady

The 60th edition of the Brighton Festival is shaping up to be a significant one, marking a new chapter for the event under the leadership of executive director Lucy Davies. Among the highlights announced for this year is The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady, a production that brings together the Clod Ensemble and the Nu Civilisation Orchestra. The performances are scheduled for Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th May 2026, and they will be held at the Brighton Dome Corn Exchange. This venue has recently undergone a restoration process, and for this event, it will be transformed into a space specifically designed for a mix of theatre and live dance.

The show itself is a live dance celebration of the seminal jazz album by Charles Mingus. It isn't just a musical tribute; it’s a full-scale reinterpretation where the choreography and the live orchestra work together to fill the restored hall. For those who follow the local arts scene, this collaboration between a well-known dance ensemble and a jazz orchestra represents the kind of experimental performance the festival is leaning into this year. It’s designed for a broad audience, from jazz enthusiasts to those who regularly attend contemporary dance shows, aiming to connect the city’s residents with the newly available spaces in the Dome complex.

In terms of getting hold of tickets, they are priced starting from £25. The booking timeline is quite specific: if you are a festival member, you can access tickets starting today, 19th February 2026. For the general public, the sale opens a week later on 26th February. The festival organisers have placed this in the theatre and dance section of their programme, highlighting it as a key part of their 60th-anniversary celebrations. It’s a straightforward opportunity to see a classic piece of music reimagined in a venue that has been a staple of Brighton’s cultural landscape for a long time, now updated for modern productions.