"EMPORIUM" - A BRAND NEW THEATRE VENUE IN BRIGHTON!

Something amazing and exciting has happened in an area of Brighton, East Sussex, not renowned for its cultural or artistic ventures apart from the beautiful old Duke of Yorks cinema on Preston Circus. A brand new professional theatre has opened up on London Road, home of the charity shop and boarded up ex-shops! In fact, the whole area seems to be undergoing some sort of regeneration of late; the almost-derelict Open Market is being given a multi-million pound revamp, as are the abandoned old Co-Op department store and The Level, a public green space which is also in the midst of a massive face-lift. Not to mention the brand new ethical supermarket, HiSbe Food, about to open up just down the road.

But I digress...Emporium is a new professional theatre which has opened up on London Road high street in the long-disused old Methodist chapel. They are still in the midst of renovations but have opened up a few months early in order to take part in Brighton's ever-growing fringe festival and the "distressed" look actually works in its favour, giving an edgier feel to the place, particularly effective in a "fringe" context. The main space as you walk in is a relaxed and comfortable tea room selling exquisite cakes and delicious loose-leaf teas. The whole area is very large and spacious and the perfect place to chill either before a show or to just pop into for a gossip during the daytime. 

The entertainment on offer at Emporium is eclectic encompassing theatre, cabaret & chat and various workshops & classes. During Brighton Fringe, the wonderful Fake Bush, an inspired Kate Bush comic tribute, makes her triumphant return to Brighton after almost two years away from these parts. There are also shows from international soprano Miranda Keys, The Speakeasy Three, an all-singing, all-dancing performance group and later in the year Emporium will be a partner venue for Brighton Pride's first Film & Arts Festival. 

So whether you want to attend an all-day creative workshop, share an evening of cabaret and fine dining or just want to relax over tea and cake one morning while out shopping, pop into Emporium on London Road...I can guarantee you'll be back for more! 

For booking information check out the Emporium website HERE.

Follow Emporium on Twitter.

Like Emporium on Facebook.

IF YOU LOVE TEA AND CAKES...

If you love tea and cakes then you will really love one of the newest additions to Brighton's burgeoning independent tea shop community - B & R on Trafalgar Street in the North Laines. It's only been running for a little over six months but already B & R is gaining a reputation via word-of-mouth as one of the best independent cafes in Brighton perfectly situated on a corner just a few doors up from The Great Eastern pub and overlooking a pretty residential garden on the opposite side of the street. 

The atmosphere is calm and inviting with chilled-out jazz playing quietly in the background, big spacious windows so that you can watch the world go by and a marvelous selection of loose-leaf teas. But the biggest draw for me is the delicious array of absolutely gorgeous home-made cakes including the best Chocolate Guinness Cake I've ever tasted! I cannot recommend this highly enough to all you cake connoisseurs out there - if you're not a local, it's worth a trip to Brighton just for B & R's cakes! 

So far they've been keeping it old school but a little bird tells us that B & R will soon be entering the digital age with a website and Facebook page so that they can stay in touch with their customers and keep them up-to-date with any new cakes, teas and special events! Watch this space....