WE ARE THE BHOS!
OUR MISSION
At B.H.O.S., our mission is to produce high-quality productions that honour our rich history while contributing to the local community.
Established in 1883, The Brighton & Hove Operatic Society has been a continuous presence on Brighton’s stages. As England's oldest musical theatre society, we have performed in nearly all of Brighton's professional theatres, both past and present. BHOS has graced the stage over 80 times at Brighton’s Theatre Royal and produced The Dome’s annual pantomime for the better part of 40 years, from 1946 to 1986.
Although the word “Operatic” no longer fully reflects the company we are today, it is important to retain our name as a celebration of our long and illustrious history. To date, we have produced 51 plays, 29 pantomimes, and 170 musicals, showing that we are much more than just an “Operatic Society.” However, given our historical significance, we made the decision to blend our traditional name with more contemporary branding.
BHOS also has a long history of charitable initiatives. In 1900, we donated all profits from our Theatre Royal production of HMS Pinafore to the “Widows and Orphans Mafeking Fund.” The £100 donation (equivalent to £12,000 today) so impressed the owner of The Theatre Royal that he offered BHOS special hire rates at cost as a thank-you. While we understandably ceased full productions during both World Wars, we continued to organise fundraising concerts for both civilians and soldiers. During the years of The Dome pantomime, we also held sponsored events to raise funds, allowing us to gift tickets to children who otherwise would not have been able to attend.
Today, charity remains at the heart of BHOS. We aim to once again donate tickets for entire performances to various local charities. As a theatre company, we rely heavily on the support of our community, and we understand the importance of giving back wherever possible. What surprised us when we reintroduced what we thought was a new charitable initiative, was the discovery of our long history of charitable giving. This goes to show that charity has always been embedded in the very fabric of the company.
However, the true purpose of BHOS is to provide opportunities for our local community to act, sing, dance, and create in the many ways that theatre requires. Performance, directing, designing, making— the world of theatre offers a deeply rewarding creative outlet. We are proud to have given our community 140 years of opportunities to express their creative ambitions, and we look forward to continuing this tradition for many more years to come.
