AndAlso is seeking a central Brighton venue
WhO WE ARE
Brighton’s improvisation company
AndAlso is an improvisation company in Brighton. Currently, we run classes, but are looking for a venue for our performance arm. This will give us extra visibility and income, as well as adding to Brighton’s cultural landscape.
During 2025, we entered negotiations over a building in Brighton, secured a private loan, and ran a successful crowdfunding campaign. However, due to delays and last-minute lease changes, we are now looking for an alternative location.
Our main activities are:
- Evening Classes: We have 150+ students taking courses in Spring 2026. This represents just over 300% growth since July 2023, and our retention rates are around 70% term-to-term.
- Applied improvisation training: We are one of the UK’s most prominent providers of improvisation training for communication skills, creativity, and teambuilding. Our clients range from Google to BP, King’s College London to the NHS.
- Shows: We are looking for a permanent home for both our student showcases and professional performances. Currently, we use a variety of Brighton venues, including the award-winning Komedia, the Actors Pub, The Lantern Theatre, and Wagner Hall.
- Research: We are partnered with researchers at both Brighton and Sussex Universities and KCL to investigate the benefits and effects of improvisation.
There is a clear ongoing demand for experiences that create human connection, and improv is an easy, cost-effective way to bring people together. Demand for what we offer can only grow.
what we do
Learning, community, and performance
Photo Credit: Jon Urquhart for AndAlso
Although many people associate the word ‘improv’ with comedy, our classes are more about self-development, and our shows are closer to theatre. Although we are open to tourist trade, ours will not be a party venue, but a community hub.
Our crowd is generally aged 30 to 70, and our classes and shows both finish by 10 pm. Our crowds are respectful and calm. If we were to run an ancillary bar, it would only be open during the shows. This puts us in line with BHCC’s cultural strategy and licensing priorities, which look to increase the proportion of licensed premises with activities other than just selling alcohol.
As the Maydays, the team behind AndAlso have been teaching and performing improv in Brighton and across the world for more than twenty years. We also founded and ran the Nursery Theatre in London, which was runner-up in the Time Awards for cultural venue in the City.
We have performed and taught across the world, from the West End to the National Theatre of Malawi, from Austin TX to Karachi, Pakistan. We have headlined and organised festivals, residentials and intensive classes and expect our theatre to be a destination for international improv travel.
Email us for an an informal, zero-commitment consultation
WHAT we need
A hub for our community and shows
This is a sketch of our ideal requirements, though, as with everything on this page, if we find the right partner, we can be flexible.
- From 50-120 seater theatre, or a building or room which can be converted into one
- Space for a small backstage area and an ancillary bar
- Storage for equipment and (if necessary) bar supplies
- A location with good transport links and ideally good footfall
- The space to hang our own signage
- The flexibility to schedule regular weekend shows
- (Optional) A small office space for our team
- (Optional ) Classrooms for our evening classes
Photo Credit: Jon Urquhart for AndAlso
Ways of working together
There are several possible models for collaboration, which are separated into three categories below. These are intended as examples and we are open to conversations around more nuanced approaches.
1. Rental
We are a long-term tenant with exclusive use, offering predictable scheduling, and reliable payment.
This can include equipping the space for our needs and, if necessary, change of use, licensing and running an ancillary bar.
2. Partnership
We work in partnership with venues to build cultural profile and diversify revenue.
A flexible arrangement like this could include shared income or in-kind support while remaining operationally self-contained.
3. Programming
We act as a regular programming partner, delivering our own shows in a consistent, seasonal structure.
This would bring a reliable audience to the venue whilst also raising cultural profile.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
A clear, collaborative process
Photo Credit: Mark Dawson
Once you have made contact, one of our directors will reach out to you to arrange an initial phone or Zoom call. From there, we are flexible in our process, but roughly, we expect to follow these steps:
1. Initial conversation
An informal discussion to understand the space, the landlord or venue’s priorities, and whether there is a realistic fit.
2. Site visit & feasibility check
A walk-through of the space to confirm practical considerations such as layout, access, licensing implications, and how we would operate.
3. Formal proposal
A written proposal outlining a working model, schedule, responsibilities, and financial structure, tailored to the specific venue.
4. Negotiation & refinement
A collaborative process to adjust terms, timelines, or structure so the arrangement works for all parties.
5. Agreement & planning
Finalising heads of terms and agreeing on the next steps for timelines, compliance, and any required fit-out or operational setup.