Dan Gillespie Sells (photo by Andy Hughes)

The University of Sussex is delighted to be hosting our first in a series of ‘Inclusive Sussex: In Conversation’ events, featuring musician and songwriter Dan Gillespie Sells along with a panel of Sussex staff and students, including Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Culture, Equality and Inclusion) Professor David Ruebain. This event will take place on campus at the Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts (ACCA) from 6pm on Tuesday 1 November 2022 (see campus map).

Dan is the songwriter and front person of pop band The Feeling. His 20-year career has taken him (and his songs) into the worlds of dance, theatre, TV and film. He has composed, arranged and produced for and with artists as varied as Becky Hill, Sophie Ellis Bextor, Rufus Wainwright and Chaka Khan. Dan wrote the theme to BBC’s Beautiful People in 2008 and his collaboration with The Royal Ballet’s Ed Watson and choreographer Javier De Frutos - 3 with D premiered at London’s Coliseum in 2014 and has since been performed at Stuttgart Ballet and The Joyce Theatre New York.

With Tom MacRea and Jonathan Butterell, Dan created the hit West End stage musical Everybody's Talking About Jamie which won multiple awards before being adapted into a BAFTA nominated movie and released on Prime Video in 2021. He is writing new stage or screen musicals for Studio Canal, Tornante Studios, Scenario Two and Warp/Film4. Dan was the recipient of the 2015 Stonewall award for Entertainer of the Decade for his work in the LGBT community and the 2007 Ivor Novello Award for Songwriter of the Year. Other awards include Best Composer at The Stage Debut Awards 2017 plus BRIT and Olivier nominations including ‘outstanding achievement in music’.

An LGBTQ+ activist, Dan will be talking about "Liberation and Storytelling" in his life and career. The event is open to staff, students and the wider community.

Join us to explore issues surrounding equality, diversity, and inclusion in the arts. We will be holding a drinks reception in the ACCA café-bar following the discussion. Booking for this event is essential.

Book your free place here.

About Inclusive Sussex

This summer, the University’s updated Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) strategy, ‘Inclusive Sussex’ was launched. View the new Inclusive Sussex webpages to explore the work the University is doing to meet our five Inclusive Sussex goals.