Our story
Built by the arts,
for the arts.
No corporate group. No big backers. Just the artists, technicians and crew who refused to let this room go dark. Madam Lola's is artist led, artist owned and artist run, and every person who works here had a hand in building it.
It started with a campaign
Artists, technicians and staff left unpaid.
Before Madam Lola's, our co-directors Joshua Gomez and Luke Trentham Shaw worked alongside Equity, the performers' union, on Cabaret Unpaid: a transparency campaign standing up for the artists, crew and staff who had lost money working in cabaret.
We wanted the industry to be better. Then we got the chance to prove it could be.
Then the call came
"Would you take it on, and do it properly?"
When the building was taken back from the previous operator, the landlord reached out to our co-directors with a question: would they take it over for the arts, and make a difference? They said yes.
We made one promise from day one: respect, transparency and properly paid talent.
Two founders, one madhouse
One shared vision.
Josh and Luke co-created Madam Lola's together: the brand, the identity, the show and everything it stands for. Both create acts themselves, and both bring years of creative direction to the room.
Joshua Gomez
Co-founder & Co-director
Josh is a creative director, show director and producer behind some of London's most talked-about nights. He ran production at The Box Soho, was Creative and Show Director at Cirque le Soir for the Cream Group, and Creative Producer and Director at the Mandrake Hotel. He helped launch Virgin Voyages, worked on the BRIT Awards in 2017 and has directed bespoke events across the UK, Europe and the US. He has a rare eye for spectacle and a gift for turning any room into a night people can't stop talking about.
At Madam Lola's he creates acts, shapes the show and keeps a large part of the business running.
- The Box Soho
- Cirque le Soir
- Cream Group
- The Mandrake Hotel
- Virgin Voyages
- BRIT Awards 2017
- UK, Europe and US
Luke Trentham Shaw
Co-founder & Co-director
Luke is a specialist performance rigger, aerialist and show director, and one of the UK's go-to names for performer flying. He has looked after the BRIT Awards VIP party and red carpet since 2018, was show rigger on Disney's The Greatest Showman and is resident rigger at clubs including Studio 338, Heaven and Steel Yard. Performing as Lucius Grey, he has worked in 14 countries, from The Box in London and New York and Torture Garden Las Vegas to resorts in the Maldives and Seychelles. He founded Secret Productions in 2015.
At Madam Lola's he is show director, technical director and head of marketing. He designed the stage, the rig and the way we fly performers, builds acts and runs the show, and he redesigned the websites, built the online booking and integration systems and leads the brand, video and photography.
- BRIT Awards since 2018
- Disney's The Greatest Showman
- The Box London & NYC
- Torture Garden Las Vegas
- Soneva Fushi, Maldives
- Tú Sí Que Vales
- 14 countries
Between them: years of shows, campaigns for artists' pay with Equity, and a shared belief that the people on stage and behind it deserve better. The whole team gets its own page soon.
Every hand on deck
Seven weeks. Our own hands.
We got the keys on 10 April 2026. The building was in serious disrepair. The people who had been let down came together to bring it back: technicians, artists, bar staff and crew. We opened the doors on 31 May 2026.
- Our performers re-velveted every booth
- We painted every wall and every floor
- We hung every picture by hand
- A freestanding steel frame went in for aerial acrobatics
- Lighting and sound by some of the best engineers in the industry
- Martin Audio sound and a professional 5.5m aerial rig
- Motorised performer flying and classic circus lifting systems
- A custom stage with a hidden freestanding pole built in
The bit that matters
Artists didn't just perform here. They built it.
Madam Lola's wasn't bought by a corporate group or backed by a fund. It was paid for, built and opened by the people it was always meant for: performers, riggers, sound and light engineers, bar staff and crew. Many of them had been left out of pocket before. They came back anyway.
We're self-funded, with small pockets of support from a number of kind people who trust us. We're not there yet, and we're building it properly.
If you leave with a story, we've done it right.
Madam Lola's
Why it feels different
You can feel it at the door.
Everyone on our team had a part in this project in one way or another. That's why you're welcomed the way you are, from Dapper Dyke on the door to the last song of the night.
Bar, stage, tech and front of house: built by the arts, run by the arts, for everyone who walks in.
The building
A beautiful Grade II listed domed building.
Our home on St George's Road in Kemptown was built in 1892 for Sir Albert Sassoon, the merchant and philanthropist who lived on Eastern Terrace, in a style inspired by the Royal Pavilion. It has been a family resting place, a wartime shelter, a pub, a ballroom and a cabaret. Now it belongs to the arts.
Good to know
The short version.
Who owns Madam Lola's?
Madam Lola's is artist led, artist owned and artist run, co-founded by co-directors Joshua Gomez and Luke Trentham Shaw. The company is Cabaret OpsCo Ltd.
When did Madam Lola's open?
31 May 2026, after seven weeks of rebuilding by its own artists, technicians and crew. We got the keys on 10 April 2026.
What is the building?
A Grade II listed domed building on St George's Road in Kemptown, Brighton, built in 1892 for Sir Albert Sassoon in a style inspired by the Royal Pavilion.
Is Madam Lola's the old Proud Cabaret?
It's the same building, which was Proud Cabaret Brighton and later Haus of Cabaret. Madam Lola's is a new, independent venue run by the artists who rebuilt it.
Is Madam Lola's backed by a big company?
No. We're self-funded, with small pockets of support from a number of kind people who trust us.
Can I perform at Madam Lola's?
Yes, apply on our perform with us page. Come and see the show first.
More questions? Read the full FAQ or email lola@madamlolas.com.