Norfolk & Norwich Festival 2023 brochure

THANK YOU

Principal Funders Funders

FESTIVAL TIME!

Adnams Spiegeltent

Trusts, Foundations & Grant Giving Organisations Anguish’s Educational Foundation, The Arts Society Norwich, C AvATINA Chamber Music Trust, the Educational Foundation of Alderman John Norman, the Ellerdale Trust, the Fuller Endowment Fund, the Geoffrey Watling Charity, the John Jarrold Trust, North Norfolk District Council, Norwich Freemen’s Charity, the Paul Bassham Charitable Trust, the Red Socks Charitable Trust

Programming Partners

City of Literature Weekend is a Norfolk & Norwich Festival and National Centre for Writing presentation, programmed by the National Centre for Writing

Norfolk & Norwich Festival is a partner in Without Walls, working with festivals and artists and bringing fantastic outdoor arts to people in towns and cities across the UK. Find out more withoutwalls.uk.com

Travel Partner Media Partners

Norfolk & Norwich Festival is a partner of In Situ, the European platform for artistic creation in public space. Co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union

Event Partners

As spring arrives, so does the Festival. It’s always a spirited time as we emerge and embrace the first sunshine. In Norwich and around Norfolk, the Festival plays its part bringing us back onto the streets, into public gardens and enticing us into nights out with friends.

The Festival kicks off with the Welcome Weekend. Explore the streets of Norwich and discover great outdoor arts for all the family. On Saturday night join us in Festival Gardens for an amazing aerial display from Gorilla Circus.

The Adnams Spiegeltent is at the heart of the Festival. This year, Le Coup transport us to a world of funfairs filled with travelling showmen and women. Late night music, great food and drink, means Festival Gardens is the place to be. There’s another celebration of the written word with the City of Literature, while the adventurous will enjoy the Festival Speak Easy, a hidden new venue showcasing spoken word from the Inn Crowd.

There is a rich vein of music running through the Festival, from world-class orchestras to some of the UK’s best new talent. Highlights include a residency with Solem Quartet, Rhiannon Giddens opening the Festival and The Hallé conducted by Kevin John Edusei.

Associate Partners

Corporate Friends

The Forum Hollinger Print LOCALiQ

And thanks to Kettle Foods Ltd

Norfolk & Norwich Festival would like to thank its generous supporters: Director’s Circle Lynn Biggs, Simon De-Lacy Adams & Robin Norman, Julia Leach & Patrick Smith Producer Supporters Nick & Juliet Collier, Mark & Lesley-Anne Hewett, Ian & Helen McFadyen, Jamie McLeod Ensemble Supporters Steph & Paul Allen, Mr Simon Back, Fanny Berridge, David & Anthea Case, Tony & Juliet Colman, Ben & Jenna Conway, Nicholas & Caroline Dixey, Frank & Di Eliel, Roger & Lesley Everett, Jane & John Hawksley, Richard & Jackie Higham, Len & Rachel Hobson, John Howkins, Caroline Kennedy-Chivers, Professor John Last OBE & Baroness Freddie van Till, Dave Plummer & Lesley Whitby, Amanda Sandland-Taylor & Roger Holden, Chris & Sue Williams Cast Supporters Roger & Suzanna Bunting, Justine & Damian Conway, Jonathan Cooper & Daniel Brine, Fred Corbett, Jim Durrant, Ann Ford, Kate Hawes, Mrs Waltraud A L Jarrold MBE, Alice Liddle, Mary Lowden, Jonathan & Karen Needham, Stephanie Renouf, Tim Ridgley, Olwyn & Paul Venn, Jim & Sara Webber, Mollie Whitworth, Paddy Wilson. And others who wish to remain anonymous.

Our fondest thoughts to the friends and family of one of the Festival’s most spirited Supporters, Jackie Higham (1960-2023).

Norfolk & Norwich Festival is a registered charity, number 1164424

It takes many partners to make a festival. Thanks to the wealth of Norwich venues and regional partners presenting Festival events and to all our funders and sponsors. Thanks also to our audiences - every ticket you buy and every donation you make helps ensure the Festival’s return each spring.

Daniel Brine Artistic Director and Chief Executive

The Inn Crowd at Festival Speak Easy is programmed by Creative Arts East

rHIANNON GIDDENS

wITH Fr ANCESCO TUrrISI

Friday 12 May, 8pm

St Andrew’s Hall

Americana, country and bluegrass artist Rhiannon Giddens is trained in opera, plays the fiddle and the banjo, and is part of the tradition of great American storytellers. She performs They’re Calling Me Home, which recently won a Grammy Award for Best Folk Album. Made in collaboration with multiinstrumentalist Francesco Turrisi, it blends music of their native and adoptive countries: America, Italy and Ireland.

Tickets £27, £25, £20, £15, £10 U18/YoungNNF £7.50

MUSIC

With a fiddle and a banjo

Lucy Grubb is a singer-songwriter from Norfolk weaving her own way into the folk scene since emerging with her debut EP in 2017. She explores Rhiannon Giddens’ folk roots.

Grammy Award-winning American multi-instrumentalist Rhiannon

Giddens is a founding member of the country, blues and old-time music band Carolina Chocolate Drops. Born in Greensboro, North Carolina, Giddens now lives in her adopted home of Ireland with her Italian partner/ collaborator Francesco Turrisi and her two Irish-Gaelic speaking children.

Coincidentally, as a hopeful artist on the English folk scene, I recently showcased at the inaugural and aptly named Your Roots are Showing conference in Monaghan, Ireland, where I experienced first hand the cultural fusion of American and Irish folk music and all its diverse offerings. I met artists from all over the world, and enjoyed discussions about tradition and storytelling, folklore and song, and blending multi-cultural arts with Irish tradition. Late at night, you’d find grey-haired musos jamming in the hotel lobby with fiddles, guitars, and banjos.

The banjo, says Giddens, is both an example and a symbol of an AfricanAmerican instrument that has been co-opted and overtaken by AngloAmerican and Irish musicians to the point where its African roots have almost been lost. This is representative of the de-Africanising of American folk and its subgenres, including bluegrass, blues and old-time music.

Giddens sets to challenge this assumption by bringing AfricanAmerican roots back to the fore and infusing her music with elements from across Anglo and African-American influences. By doing this, she is both staking a claim to a wider American identity and helping to reclaim the black heritage of American folk music.

JO

FONG AND GEORGE ORANGE THE rEST OF OUr LIVES

Friday 12 May, 7.30pm Sedgeford village Hall

Saturday 13 May, 7.30pm, Hindolveston village Hall

Sunday 14 May, 3pm, Barton Bendish village Hall

Hopefully hopeful, The Rest of Our Lives is a cabaret of life and near death. Join Jo and George for a night of dance, circus and games. Jo is an old dancer, George an old clown. They are international artists with 100 years of life experience between them. They’ve reached the mid-way point, and now they’re looking at the rest of their lives and wondering, what next?

Tickets £12

U18/YoungNNF £7.50

THEATrE

Sponsored by

LA z ANKA COSMIC C ARE

Saturday 13 May, 2pm, 5pm, 8pm

Sunday 14 May, 11am, 2pm, 5pm

The Garage

‘40 Small Ceremonies to Repair the World, the Human, and the Bicycle’. French Moroccan artist Zineb Benzekri presents a work-in-progress action exploring water in self care and curing. An intimate, interactive performance where audiences are invited to participate in acts exploring ceremony and care.

Tickets £7.50

PArTICIPATOrY THEATrE

‘One of the most joyful, celebratory and hilarious experiences of my life’

Hannah Robertshaw on The Rest of Our Lives

Zineb Benzekri is an Associate artist of IN SITU, the European platform for artistic creation in public space, in the frame of the project (UN)COMMON SPACES

Sponsored by

The Rest of Our Lives © Catriona James

Rhiannon Giddens © Ibru Yildiz

Cosmic Care © Zineb Benzekri

FAMILY FUN ACrOSS THE CITY!

SATUrDAY 13 & SUNDAY 14 MAY

wELCOME wEEKEND

Featuring the best new outdoor shows… all for free!

AKADEMI PRAvAAS

South Asian promenade dance performance.

AVANTI DISPLAY CROW

Live music and a dreamlike world of illusion.

DULCE DUCA

UM BELO DIA Surrealistic comedy juggling.

JONES & BArNArD

WHAT PRICE DIGNITY?

Street theatre inspired by the cost of living crisis.

CANDOCO DANCE

NEW WORK BY JAMAAL BURKMAR

Duet dance performed by disabled and non-disabled dancers.

Then into the night on Saturday...

We’re popping-up across the city centre with a programme of free performance.

From theatre and dance to circus and comedy, we bring a little playful fun to the city’s streets as we celebrate the opening of this year’s Festival. Grab your eats and treats in the city’s cafes and restaurants to make a perfect day out for all the family. Check the website in May for more information.

GORILLA CIRCUS UNITY

JUST MOrE

PrODUCTIONS

FUSSY FOODIES: THE GAME

SHOW PART 2

Play some games and learn how food can tell histories.

TrIGGEr

TEABREAK

Join Trigger for a cuppa, some amazing dance and the history of tea.

wOrKING BOYS CLUB

SERvING SOUNDS

Multi-sensory sound installation –a bar that serves bass rather than beer.

ACTION HErO

OH EUROPA

Since 2018, Action Hero have been travelling through Europe in their motorhome, recording strangers singing love songs. They invite you to

come along and sing a love song to add to their archive and to be featured on BBC Radio Norfolk. Listen in on BBC Radio Norfolk on 22-26 May.

LOST & FOUND FILMS OF NOrFOLK

Enjoy a selection of films on Norfolk’s imagined history from children from the following schools: Norwich Primary Academy, Mile Cross Primary School, North Walsham Junior School, Ormiston Victory Academy, The Locksley School, St Nicholas Priory Primary School, Hewett Academy & Taverham High School.

Saturday 13 May, 9pm, Festival Gardens

Amazing aerial circus featuring dance trapeze, wire walking and hair hanging all accompanied by poetry.

Explore the city for a day of fun, then head to Festival Gardens for free music on the Band Stand, a bite to eat, a tasty drink and round off your evening with a bit of circus fun.

Free CIrCUS

Sponsored by Welcome Weekend is sponsored by

Norfolk and Norwich festival is a partner in Without Walls, a consortium of festivals and arts organisations bringing fantastic outdoor arts to people in towns and cities across England. Find out more on www.withoutwalls.com. Shows at the welcome weekend are co-commissioned by Norfolk & Norwich Festival and a number of partners.

Supported by

‘An interesting blend of powerful political theatre and extraordinarily skilled circus’

Total Theatre Magazine

Unity © David Street

TAKESHI MATSUMOTO CLUB OrIGAMI

Tuesday 16 May, 1pm & 3pm

Wednesday 17 May, 11am & 1pm

Norwich Puppet Theatre

Rip, fold and scrumple!

Dive into the magical world of Club Origami, an immersive and interactive dance show inviting family audiences to create, imagine and explore whole new ways of thinking, playing and moving. Dance, fashion and live music meet the magic of origami to sweep us up on a spirited and inspiring adventure in a land made purely of paper and play.

Tickets £5

Ages 6 and under FAMILY

Sponsored by

Solem Quartet is an innovative and adventurous string quartet and one of the UK’s brightest artistic voices. We are happy to welcome them in residence this year, presenting three concerts of their work spanning Beethoven to Kate Bush. In addition to these concerts, Solem Quartet will offer coaching to talented young musicians in conjunction with Guildhall Young Artists Norwich.

SOLEM QUArTET

BEETHOvEN BARTóK NOW: COURAGE WITH FARAZ ESHGHI

Wednesday 17 May, 7.30pm

Octagon Chapel

Courage features historic final works from Beethoven and Bartók, but looks forward too: Bushra El-Turk’s new quintet, featuring kamancheh player Faraz Eshghi, is inspired by women and women’s rights in Iran.

Beethoven String Quartet No. 16, Op. 135

Bartók String Quartet no. 6 Bushra El-Turk Rostan, Rastan and Rast-Kara* (world premiere)

Tickets £20, £16 U18/YoungNNF Free

MUSIC

SOLEM QUArTET BEETHOvEN BARTóK NOW LIFE EPISODES

Thursday 25 May, 7.30pm

Octagon Chapel

Bringing together a world premiere from Edmund Finnis with music by Beethoven and Bartók, and beautiful filmed testimonies captured by Jessie Rodger, to create a one-off event, portraying survival, healing and rejuvenation.

Bartók String Quartet No. 2

Edmund Finnis String Quartet No. 3 ‘Devotions’ (world premiere)

Beethoven ‘Heiliger Dankgesang’ from String Quartet No. 15, Op. 132

Tickets £20, £16 U18/YoungNNF Free MUSIC

SOLEM QUArTET LATE WITH ALICE Z AWADZKI

Wednesday 24 May, 10pm

Adnams Spiegeltent

Two giant musical voices of the late twentieth century meet in this relaxed concert. Solem Quartet perform Steve Reich’s iconic Different Trains, and vocalist Alice Zawadzki joins them for songs by Kate Bush, newly arranged for string quartet and voice.

Tickets £16 U18/YoungNNF Free

MUSIC

Is it for me?

Grace Appleby from our partners at digital agency, Yawn reveals why the Festival is a voyage of discovery.

As Head of Partnerships at Yawn, I’ve been working closely with the Festival on their digital marketing activity. We’re all about ‘a fresh perspective’ and the opportunity for us to partner on this residency presentation was exciting. Solem Quartet sparked my interest straight away with Steve Reich and their new arrangements of Kate Bush. Hopefully the instant recognition of these popular names will make the thought of a classical music concert more accessible to a ‘greener’ audience. While the beauty of a string quartet can (and should) be enjoyed by all, the stereotypes and presuppositions surrounding classical music can mean that broad strokes of music lovers often assume that it is simply ‘not for them’.

I certainly never used to stray from the comfort of mainstream pop and rock until I studied Music at A-Level. Coincidentally, I had Reich’s Electric Counterpoint in the syllabus for my final

exam and, through the almost hypnotic rhythms of his work, I found a love for a genre and artist that I would otherwise not have been introduced to.

For me, that’s the most important thing about NNF - the Festival offers everyone an opportunity to discover something new. However, the thing about experimenting is that we have no idea if we’ll like what we find and, in an age where we don’t always have the time or resources to take a gamble, I hope the reputation of the Festival will encourage folk to take a chance on a new experience.

With Kate Bush’s recent resurgence into the charts, and a whole new generation being introduced to Running Up That Hill, I hope the familiar name, if nothing else, will lure audiences into the wonderful performance by the Solem Quartet and, once inside, will be sold forever.

‘Full of imagination, creativity springing from an empty page.’

The Guardian

Solem Quartet © Bertie Watson

Takeshi Matsumoto Club Origami © Summer Dean

*Co-commissioned by Norfolk & Norwich Festival

Solem Quartet sponsored by

With thanks to Director’s Circle Supporters Julia Leach & Patrick Smith

Festival Gardens

CHELSEA MCGUFFIN & CO LE COUP

Wednesday 17—Sunday 28 May

Adnams Spiegeltent

It’s fight night at the circus!

Le Coup brings you the finest contenders to fight for your attention at this headline circus show. From fire breathing to daring aerial feats, tap dancing to acrobatics. It’s time to grab a drink, place your bets and pull up ringside for a fight like no other!

Tickets £26, £24, £22, £20 U18/YoungNNF £7.50

CIrCUS

With the arrival of the iconic Adnams Spiegeltent is also the legendary Festival Gardens bar, with delicious drinks and tasty food you can really soak up the Festival atmosphere.

This year’s highlights include fantastic circus Le Coup, raucous Québécois folk band Le Vent du Nord, and a late night programme of the hottest new music acts.

THE BAND STAND

Thursday 18–Sunday 21 & Thursday 25–Sunday 28 May Festival Gardens

Beautiful evenings of alfresco tunes, The Band Stand returns with the best young music-makers bringing you beats to sink your beer to. Full line-up to be announced at nnfestival.org.uk

Free MUSIC

The Adnams Spiegeltent is generously sponsored by

Sponsored by

Fancy a night at the circus?

Chelsea McGuffin gives the low down of what to expect at Le Coup

What three words best describe the show?

A raucous vaudevillian rollercoaster ride… sorry that’s four!

What will people feel?

Le Coup is really funny – so as well as being completely amazed by some seriously kick-ass circus skills we reckon you’ll have a good chortle too.

Also you might be on top of the world, or not, if the act you place your bet on becomes king of the ring!

How is modern circus different from traditional circus?

This show is actually the opposite. It’s is a tribute to funfairs, travelling

troupes and the showmen and women of yesteryear. Le Coup creates a visceral vaudevillian world in which acrobatics, circus and live music entwine for a scintillatingly rousing entertainment experience.

What other work have you made?

We’ve made hit shows Cantina and Scotch and Soda, which have sold out shows at the London Wonderground and played many seasons throughout the UK and Europe including Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Why does so much circus come from Australia?

Australia is lucky enough to have gained a lot of respect both

nationally and internationally for their high level of circus and innovation in the art form.

Circus takes many years of practice and Australia is lucky enough to have youth circus schools in most states which offer a welcoming place for all to get involved in the creative world of circus from a young age. We also have a long history of traditional circus performers who have shared their skills and knowledge for many years to circus stars of the future, all of which is on display and shining bright in Le Coup

With thanks to Directors’ Circle Supporters Simon De-Lacy Adams & Robin Norman

Festival Bar © Mary Doggett

The unmissable headline show at the Adnams Spiegeltent.

vINCENT GAMBINI THIS IS NOT A MAGIC SHOw

Wednesday 17 May, 10pm

Adnams Spiegeltent

Forget everything you know about magic and magicians. Now remember it all again.

Possibly the first of its kind, This Is Not A Magic Show is part performance-lecture, part deconstructed showbiz, and part magic tricks that leave you, like, omg.

Tickets £16 U18/YoungNNF £7.50

MAGIC

Sponsored by PAUL O’DONNELL

DIA-BE AT-ES

Thursday 18 May, 10pm

Adnams Spiegeltent

Paul is a Type 1 Diabetic, and has been for 28 years. Paul is also a DJ, and has been for about 5 months.

In Dia-Beat-es he cross-fades between the two in this mega-mix of ‘sweet sweet music’ dedicated to the carb counting druggies (insulin) like him.

Tickets £16 U18/YoungNNF £7.50

PE rFOrMANCE

JASDEEP SINGH DEGUN

Thursday 18 May, 8pm St Peter Mancroft

Virtuoso sitarist Jasdeep Singh Degun is joined by an eightpiece band in music from his acclaimed debut, Anomaly. Uniquely skilled as performer, composer and collaborator, he brings the beauty and spontaneity of Indian tradition together with the rich counterpoint of western classical music and modern rhythmic ambience.

Tickets £22, £18, £15, £10 U18/YoungNNF £7.50

MUSIC

SADIQ ALI THE CHOSEN HAr AM

Friday 19 & Saturday 20 May, 7.30pm

Workshop: Saturday 20 May, 2pm Norwich Arts Centre

The Chosen Haram deals with themes around sexuality, faith, addiction and connection. It tells the story of two queer men and their chance meeting through a dating app, portraying the highs and lows of their relationship and the barriers they face, both social and cultural, in seeking happiness and personal fulfillment.

Performed on two Chinese Poles this emotionally candid yet heartwarming story unfolds with gravity-defying tricks and extraordinary movement.

The performers will be delivering a Chinese Pole workshop on Saturday, a great chance to try out this exciting circus discipline.

Tickets £16 U18/YoungNNF £7.50

workshop tickets £5 workshop ages: 16+ CIrCUS

JASON PARR

BrOKEN SPOKE

Friday 19 May, 7pm

The Drill House, Great Yarmouth

Broken Spoke is a uniquely Norfolk spoken word night showcasing local talent. A dynamic and fun night out, breaking the traditional boundaries of poetry, spoken word and music.

Donations on the door, pre-booked tickets encouraged CABArET

Presented by Out There Arts

NEIL BRAND

L AUrEL AND HArDY

Friday 19 May, 7.30pm

The Corn Hall, Diss

Dramatist and composer Neil Brand tells the touching story of the world’s greatest comedy duos. Culminating with two of their best silent short films.

Tickets £15

MUSIC

Presented by The Corn Hall, Diss

v incent Gambini This is Not a Magic Show © Hugo Glendinning

Presented by South Asian Arts-UK in association with Concerted Artists and Real World Records

Paul O’Donnell Dia-Beat-es © Andrew Moore

Jasdeep Singh Degun © Adam Lyons

Sadiq Ali The Chosen Haram © ineptgravity

Broken Spoke © Marcin Rodwell Leave ‘Em Laughing

ENSEMBLE & GBSR DUO MIrrOrS

Friday 19 May, 8pm

St Andrew’s Hall

12 Ensemble (strings) and GBSR Duo (percussion and piano) explore music’s obsession with death, in a programme of heavenly and hellish visions by five composers working between classical and non-classical genres.

Mica Levi Lonely void, Love Fausto romitelli

Flowing Down Too Slow

Laurence Osborn

TOMB! (world premiere)

Brian Eno / Harold Budd

Ambient 2: The Plateaux of Mirror

Tickets £24, £20

U18/YoungNNF £7.50

MUSIC

Laurence Osborn TOMB! Co-commissioned by Norfolk & Norwich Festival, Kings Place, Cheltenham Festival

Sponsored by

Crossing boundaries

Festival music programmer James Hardie on why

12 Ensemble & GBSR Duo is unmissable

I’m James and I’m Music Programmer for the Festival. I work with artists to devise performances, and this one with 12 Ensemble & GBSR Duo has me really excited. It’s going to be an extraordinary evening of spine-tingling music-making from the very best in the business. It’s one for you adventurous music-lovers out there!

British composer Mica Levi’s seductive soundtrack for Under the Skin (2013) is up there with the most creepy or evocative film scores, like The Shining or Blade Runner. Levi uses microtonal movement and pitch-altering techniques to create a shimmering, unnerving soundworld fit for an alien.

Italian Fausto Romitelli was a curious character, drawing influence from psychedelic rock and techno, Francis Bacon and Marcel Proust, to make the distorted, hallucinatory works that made him a seminal figure despite his short life. Flowing Down Too Slow meshes electronic and acoustic sounds to make dirty harmonies and trippy sequences.

Laurence’s Osborne’s TOMB!, created especially for this concert, is a work written partly in admiration of older music, partly in grimace. Old musical forms and structures are jolted back to life and zombiefied as time winds down. I loved Laurence’s Coin Op Automata performed at the Festival by

COMPLINE BY C ANDLELIGHT

Friday 19 May, 9pm

Norwich Cathedral

The Girl Choristers, Lay Clerks and Choral Scholars of Norwich Cathedral Choir sing the ancient monastic office of night prayer in the stunning candlelit surroundings of Norwich Cathedral, including music by Anna Lapwood and Jonathan Dove.

Free entry, no booking required

MUSIC

NIHILOxICA

Friday 19 May, 10pm

Adnams Spiegeltent

Get ready for the dark, otherworldly sounds of Kampala’s Nihiloxica. Three percussionists, one kit drummer, and an analog synth player – the band harness traditional Ugandan Bugandan drumming and mix it with techno to tear apart the dance floor.

Tickets £16 U18/YoungNNF £7.50

MUSIC

Sponsored by

rAGrOOF TEA DANCES

The legendary Ragroof Tea Dance returns to the beautiful Adnams Spiegeltent – a cornucopia of dancing delights.

Tickets £16 U18/YoungNNF £7.50

Manchester Collective in 2021 and I can’t wait to hear TOMB! for the very first time here in Norwich.

East Anglia’s own Brian Eno defined the ambient genre, and Ambient 2, made with Harold Budd in 1980, is an iconic and timeless work. Rearranged here for live acoustic instruments by George Barton and Siwan Rhys, this 40 minute work will take you to a higher, blissedout plane. We’ll have the performers on the floor of the hall, with audience enshrining them on all sides to enjoy a collective, meditative experience.

DANCE THrOUGH THE DECADES

Saturday 20 May, 11am

Adnams Spiegeltent

Don your finest party wear and join us to dance your way out of the ballroom and in to the disco.

VINTAGE HOLLY wOOD

Sunday 21 May, 11am

Adnams Spiegeltent

Channel your favourite screen idol and honour the heyday of Hollywood glamour as we waltz you through a whirlwind afternoon.

DANCE

GBSR Duo © Damian Griffiths

Norwich Cathedral Girls Choir © Bill Smith

Nihiloxica © Swisscheese Ragroof Tea Dance

ALFA MIST

Saturday 20 May, 8pm

St Andrew’s Hall

Alfa Mist is a British musician, producer, song-writer and MC based in Newham. His music mixes hip-hop and club tropes with jazz improvisation. He describes his music as ‘Dark, alternative jazz with elements of hip-hop and soul’.

Tickets £22, £20, £15, £10

U18/YoungNNF £7.50

MUSIC

w. H. LUNG

Saturday 20 May, 10pm

Adnams Spiegeltent

Manchester’s synth-pop powerhouse W. H. Lung are fresh off a 2022 Festival circuit – including playing the legendary William’s Green stage at Glastonbury. Think Donna Summer meets Kraftwerk. Their album Vanities delves into an electronic music hole, experimenting with synthesizers and falling in love with pop music.

Tickets £16 U18/YoungNNF £7.50

MUSIC

Sponsored by

BRITTEN SINFONIA

MUSICAL EVErESTS

Sunday 21 May, 5pm

St Andrew’s Hall

Britten Sinfonia reveals music written by British composers in 1953 which scaled dizzying artistic heights – perhaps their crowning achievements – and yet is rarely heard today.

Arcangelo Corelli Concerto Grosso No 2, Op 6

Michael Tippett Fantasia Concertante on a theme of Corelli

Elizabeth Maconchy Symphony for Double String Orchestra

Joseph Phibbs New work (world premiere)

william walton Finale from variations on an Elizabethan Theme

Tickets £35, £30, £25, £15, £10 U18/YoungNNF £7.50

MUSIC

Presented by Britten Sinfonia

Québec Culture –c’est fantastique

We spoke to Andrew Bailey, Cultural Attaché for the Québec Government Office London about the sensation Le vent du Nord

Could you start by introducing yourself, your work, and how you’re involved with the Festival?

I’m Cultural Attaché at the Québec Government Office in London. This year, we are delighted to support NNF in its programming of Québec musical sensation Le Vent du Nord.

Why are you excited about Le Vent Du Nord performing?

Le Vent du Nord always know how to bring the party. The band, which is a leading force in Québec’s progressive francophone (French-speaking) folk movement, never fails to delight crowds. Their glorious mix of fiddle and

LE VENT DU NOrD

Sunday 21 May, 8.30pm

Adnams Spiegeltent

Le Vent du Nord are one of the leading names in Québécois folk music. Combining fiddle, guitar, accordion, piano, bass, hurdy-gurdy and four-part harmonies. To move any crowd - from their feet to their hearts.

Tickets £16 U18/YoungNNF £7.50 CATEGOrY

Supported by

The Scotsman

foot-tapping, guitar, accordion, piano, bass, hurdy-gurdy and wonderful four-part harmonies will put a smile on anyone’s face. Regardless of whether or not you understand French – I promise!

What should our audiences be most excited about?

The joy and energy that the group will bring to the stage. Everyone will be jigging along to the music before they know it! And getting to know a bit more about Québec’s culture and history, through the music and stories of the band.

How would you define Québécois culture? What makes it special?

Québec’s culture is deeply anchored in the francophone history of North America. The experiences and creations of the artists who live in Québec, Canada’s only majority-francophone province, emerge from a unique society and context. At the same time, it is very forward-looking, modern, innovative and plural.

Once our audiences have had a taste I’m sure they’ll want more – where can they find it?

Our Québec Culture magazine! And on our socials: search for Quebec Government Office in London.

‘Le vent du Nord must melt the snow in their native Québec... the quintet’s unbridled energy rarely let up.’

Alfa Mist © Johny Pitts

W. H. Lung © Aubrey Simson

Britten Sinfonia © Tom Lovatt

Sponsored by

BBC INTRODUCING PRESENTS BAND NIGHT

Monday 22 May, 7.30pm

Adnams Spiegeltent

Watch some of the most exciting up and coming artists from Norfolk’s thriving music scene, as they take to the Spiegeltent stage! Band Night features some of the most promising local talent, in a night programmed by BBC Introducing Norfolk.

Tickets £7.50

MUSIC

ACTION HERO

OH EUrOPA

Monday 22—Friday 26 May

BBC Radio Norfolk

Since 2018, Action Hero have been traveling through Europe in their motorhome, recording strangers singing love songs. They’ll be recording yours at our Welcome Weekend (p8), Saturday 13 & Sunday 14 May and you can tune in to their takeover on BBC Radio Norfolk throughout the week. Free r ADIO

BBC rADIO 3 NEw GENEr ATION ArTISTS

Our partnership with BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists Scheme continues, helping to support young musicians on the threshold of an international career to reach the next stage of their development. Enjoy some of the world’s most promising new talent.

GENEVA LEwIS & EVrEN OzEL

Tuesday 23 May, 1pm

Octagon Chapel

New Zealand-born violinist Geneva Lewis’ performances speak from and to the heart. She has been lauded for “remarkable mastery of her instrument”.

Mozart violin Sonata in C Major, K303

Douglas Lilburn violin Sonata

Beethoven violin Sonata No. 10, Op. 96

Tickets £16, £14 U18/YoungNNF Free

MUSIC

FErGUS MCCrEADIE TrIO

Tuesday 23 May, 7pm

Octagon Chapel

Shortlisted for the 2022 Mercury prize and JazzFM instrumentalist of the year, pianist Fergus McCreadie is steadily creating a distinct musical identity. With David Bowden and Stephen Henderson he performs the album, Forest Floor - a captivating fusion of jazz and Scottish folk.

Tickets £16, £14 U18/YoungNNF Free

MUSIC

rYAN COrBETT

Born in Glasgow, Ryan Corbett is a classical accordionist who has been described as ‘one of Scotland’s most exciting young musicians’ (The Scotsman).

Tuesday 23 May, 1pm

Sheringham Little Theatre

Bach English Suite No. 3, BW v 808

Viacheslav Semionov Brahmsiana

Franck Angelis Étude on the Theme

“Chiquillin de Bachin” by Astor Piazzolla

Albin repnikov Capriccio

Isaac Albeniz Cordoba

Isaac Albeniz Asturias

Wednesday 24 May, 1pm

Octagon Chapel

rameau Pièces de clavecin (selection)

Shostakovich Prelude and Fugue No. 24, Op. 87

Mikhail Bronner ‘Insomnia’, Four poems by Marina Tsvetaeva

Alexander Nagaev Sonata No. 1, Op. 13

Tickets £16, £14 U18/YoungNNF £7.50

MUSIC

LEONKOrO

QUArTET

Wednesday 24 May, 5pm

Octagon Chapel

Founded in Berlin in 2019, and recent winners of the Wigmore Hall String Quartet Competition, the Leonkoro Quartet has enormous stage presence, glows for the music, takes full risks and amazes with its empathy for the respective sound of the pieces’.

Haydn String Quartet in C Major Op. 33 No. 3 ‘The Bird’ ravel String Quartet

Tickets £16, £14 U18/YoungNNF Free MUSIC

Geneva Lewis © Motti Fang

Ryan Corbett

Leonkoro Quartet © Nikolaj Lund

Ezra Collective at the Adnams Spiegeltent © Andi Sapey

Fergus McCreadie © Nicky Murray

10% off when you book for three or more BBC New Generation concerts

With thanks to Festival Friend Roger Rowe, Cast Supporters Len & Rachel Hobson, and Cast Supporter Alice Liddle

THE INN CrOwD AT THE FESTIVAL SPEAK EASY

Tuesday 23–Thursday 25 May Festival Gardens

Three days. Six shows. Experience some of the best spoken word and live literature in the UK in our very special secret pub hidden in Festival Gardens.

Grab a drink, settle in, and fill your hearts with touching stories about humanity, kindness, growing older, and perhaps even a rat.

The Inn Crowd have commissioned this programme of brilliant artists and we can’t wait to bring them to Norwich.

JESSICA WALKER AND LUKE STYLES

THE PEOPLE ’S C ABArET

Tuesday 23 May, 7.30pm

Adnams Spiegeltent

The culmination of a three year project with Norfolk communities, singer Jessica Walker and composer Luke Styles are joined by the Chroma Ensemble for a night of contemporary responses to the protest songs of Weill, Eisler, Spoliansky, Hollaender and Brecht.

Tickets £16 U18/YoungNNF £7.50

MUSIC

Co-commissioned by Norfolk & Norwich Festival and Brighton Festival

Tuesday 23 May

4.30pm rOSA TOrr

R ATTUS R ATTUS: THE EPIC TAIL OF MAN vS R AT

6pm LUKE wrIGHT THE BALLAD SELLER

Wednesday 24 May

4.30pm BrENDA rEAD BrOwN BUT HAvEN’ T FINISHED YET

6pm BErNADETTE rUSSELL 366 DAYS OF KINDNESS

Thursday 25 May

4.30pm JESS MOrGAN

BORING SOMEONE IN SOME DARK C AFÉ

6pm JONNY FLUFFYPUNK

IF WE JUST KEEP GOING WE WILL GET THERE IN THE END

Tickets £10 U18/YoungNNF £7.50

30% off when you book three or more Festival Speak Easy events

SPOKEN wOr D

BrìGHDE CHAIMBEUL , rOSS AINSLIE & STEVEN BYrNES

Tuesday 23 May, 10pm

Adnams Spiegeltent

Small pipes player Brìghde Chaimbeul is the winner of the BBC Radio 2 Horizon Award and the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award. She is one of the leading experimental purveyors of celtic music. A native gaelic speaker from the Isle of Skye, her style is rooted in her native language and culture.

Tickets £16 U18/YoungNNF £7.50

MUSIC

Sponsored by

Jonny Fluffypunk

Bernadette Russell

Jess Morgan

The People’s Cabaret

Brìghde Chaimbeul © Andy Catlin

‘It feels simultaneously ancient and modern, profound and direct, led by the peculiar, beautiful sound of the smallpipes’

The Guardian on Brìghde Chaimbeul

Curated and hosted in partnership with Applause Rural Touring and Creative Arts East, as part of their rural pub touring ‘Inn Crowd’ initiative.

Time Out

B.C.U.C.

Thursday 25 May, 10pm

Adnams Spiegeltent

South African afro-psychedelic future pop sextet Bantu Continua Uhuru Consciousness bring indigenous funk, hiphop consciousness and punk rock energy from Soweto to the Adnams Spiegeltent.

Tickets £16 U18/YoungNNF £7.50

MUSIC

Sponsored by

SH!T THEATrE

EvITA TOO

Friday 26 & Saturday 27 May, 7.30pm

Maddermarket Theatre

Multi award-winning, performance art duo Sh!t Theatre present their performance art musical about the first ever female president... whose name is... um...

The two-time Fringe First Award winners bring ‘anarchy with bags of humour – slyly sliced by more serious concerns’ (Independent), in the show about a woman Andrew and Tim wish they could’ve written.

Tickets £16 U18/YoungNNF £7.50

Ages 16+ Frequent nudity

THEATrE

Co-commissioned by Norwich Arts Centre

BBC Singers

BBC SINGERS

wILLIAM BYrD rEIMAGINED: MUSIC FOr CHOIr AND SA xOPHONE

Friday 26 May, 7.30pm

Cathedral of St John the Baptist

The BBC Singers are joined by saxophonist and composer Christian Forshaw and conductor Owain Park to perform a rich and celebratory programme.

They will mark the 400th Anniversary of Byrd’s death with the composer’s sacred music; movements from The Great Service and Ave Verum Corpus, bracketed by pieces by Tallis, Hildegard von Bingen and Roderick Williams, in a concert that promises to offer a true choral feast.

Tickets £30, £26, £21, £15 U18/YoungNNF £7.50

MUSIC

With thanks to Directors’ Circle Supporter Lynn Biggs

‘Anarchic performance legends Sh!t Theatre return with another superficially shambolic masterpiece. They make incredibly profound arts in an incredibly ridiculous-looking way’ ****

‘There was that breath-held atmosphere of focus and anticipation, people gripped by every pouncing glissando, ethereal harmonic and earthy growl’ The Times

B.C.U.C © Shudufhadzo Lubengo

Sh!t Theatre

DOwDELIN

Friday 26 May, 10pm

Adnams Spiegeltent

Based in Lyon with roots in Guadeloupe, Martinique and Armenia, the afro-jazz funk four-piece describe themselves as ‘Creole afro-futurists’, championing the present-day sounds of the Caribbean.

Tickets £16 U18/YoungNNF £7.50

MUSIC

FrOzEN LIGHT FIRE SONGS

Saturday 27 & Sunday 28 May, 11am & 1.30pm

The Garage

Frozen Light create an immersive sensory sound experience with the Thetford Singers for audiences with profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD), Frozen Light will also be hosting a Sensory Symposium exploring the future of sensory theatre. Find out more on p37.

Tickets £10 Essential carers or companions free.

MUSIC PE rFOrMANCE

Co-commissioned by The Garage and Norfolk & Norwich Festival

JOIN THE DIN

Saturday 27 May, 10pm

Adnams Spigeltent

International ensemble who embody the vibrant and exploratory nature of the contemporary UK Jazz scene. Consisting of explosive double drums and duelling saxophones, Join The Din combine influences from Jazz, Afrobeat, Psychedelia, Progressive Rock, EDM and Rave.

Tickets £16 U18/YoungNNF £7.50

MUSIC

Dowdelin and Join the Din sponsored by

THE HALLé

Saturday 27 May, 7.30pm

St Andrew’s Hall

Returning to the Festival for the first time since 1955, The Hallé is one of the UK’s great symphony orchestras. Conductor Kevin John Edusei and pianist Nelson Goerner join with the orchestra for Rachmaninov, Mozzoli and Dvořák’s beguiling Eighth Symphony.

rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 2

Missy Mazzoli Sinfonia (for Orbiting Spheres)

Dvorák Symphony No. 8

Tickets £50, £47, £40, £28, £15 U18/YoungNNF £7.50

MUSIC

Sponsored by

Kevin John Edusei © Marco Borggreve

Dowdelin © Seb Criner

Fire Songs © JMA Photography

Join The Din © Andy Porter

‘There is more infectious bounce on this album than if you set your trampoline up on top of a bouncy castle’ Joyzine on Dowdelin

CITY OF LITEr ATUrE wEEKEND

FrIDAY 26—SUNDAY 28 MAY City

Holly Ainley, Head of Programmes & Creative Engagement at National Centre for Writing,

invites you to join the conversation.

The idea that threads itself through this year’s City of Literature weekend is the power of storytelling to spark conversation. At National Centre for Writing we believe that creative writing has not only artistic but social power: encouraging discussion, fostering an exchange of views and often changing minds.

Across this weekend, you’ll find bestselling authors of fiction, nonfiction and poetry who are using their work to respond to some of the prevailing subjects today – from the natural world to art, to medicine and science. Starting conversations isn’t always easy on these subjects but is vital for re-examining long-held ideas and we’ve tried to create opportunities to hear and learn from new voices and fresh perspectives.

Through a variety of events and writing workshops we invite you to consider love, class, grief, family ties, cultural differences, and identity. We will shine a light on current thinking around the links between the scientific world and creativity, with authors who focus on the climate crisis, who work in the medical profession and who see nature as vital to our mental health.

Our aim is for you to encounter possibilities to listen, learn, be entertained; whether you decide to watch an author interview, participate in a workshop or visit our publishing fair, we’re glad you’ll be joining the conversation.

FrIDAY 26 MAY

INTrICATE wOrLDS C ALEB A ZUMAH NELSON & JYOTI PATEL

10.30am, Adnams Spiegeltent

Fathers, sons, secrets and sacrifices are explored in two beautiful new books by Caleb Azumah Nelson, the awardwinning author of Open Water, and #Merky Books debut novelist Jyoti Patel. They will discuss the common themes of their novels and how they went about crafting intimate stories of belonging and community.

Tickets £10 U18/YoungNNF £7.50

HANDLE wITH CArE WITH ROOPA FAROOKI & FIONA MASON

2pm, National Centre for Writing, Dragon Hall

How can books help to address difficult conversations around life, death and grief? Dr Roopa Farooki and Fiona Mason draw on their personal and professional medical experiences to demonstrate how storytelling through fiction and memoir can reframe delicate discussions and help others to find a voice.

Tickets £10 U18/YoungNNF £7.50

ENCHANTMENT IN AN ANxIOUS AGE WITH K ATHERINE MAY

6pm, National Centre for Writing, Dragon Hall

In the wake of seismic events, Katherine May, the internationally bestselling author of Wintering, explores the restorative properties of the natural world and how wonder and magic can be found in the everyday. A nourishing and uplifting discussion of beauty, meaning and enchantment in these dark times.

Tickets £10 U18/YoungNNF £7.50

Book

LOVING AND LIVING ALONE WITH

AMY KEY & SARAH PERRY

10am, Adnams Spiegeltent

With profound candour and intimacy, Amy Key’s Arrangements in Blue explores the realities of a life lived in the absence of romantic love. Together with Sarah Perry (Melmoth), Amy will discuss painful feelings and the power of building a life on your own terms.

Tickets £10, U18/YoungNNF £7.50

HArrIET MArTINEAU LECTUrE WITH CHARLOTTE HIGGINS

12pm, Adnams Spiegeltent

The Harriet Martineau Lecture celebrates the legacy of a remarkable, world-changing woman by inviting globally-renowned radical speakers to respond to her life and work. This year’s lecture will be delivered by awardwinning author and arts journalist Charlotte Higgins on the power of art during difficult times.

Tickets £10 U18/YoungNNF £7.50

Supported by The Martineau Society

Roopa Farooki

Caleb Azumah Nelson © Stuart Simpson

Katherine May © Alexa Loy Dent

Amy Key

Left: City of Literature at the Adnams Spiegeltent © Joanna Millington

3+ events and get 10% off

PAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE 1pm, The Plantation Garden

Our shared reading event goes global! Pick a book, bring a cool drink and turn off your phone for a well-deserved detox read in the beautiful surroundings of the Plantation Garden. Simultaneous events will be taking place in UNESCO Cities of Literature across the world.

Tickets £2 donation on entry

In partnership with the Book Hive. Celebrating ten years of Norwich UNESCO City of Literature

FrOM TOY FIGHTS TO POETIC HEIGHTS WITH DON PATERSON

2.30pm, National Centre for Writing, Dragon Hall

Join legendary Scottish poet Don Paterson OBE, in conversation about his new memoir Toy Fights — an uproarious, tenderhearted tale of family, music, profanity and growing up in workingclass Dundee in the 1970s and 1980s. Chaired by poet and artist Ella Frears.

Tickets £10 U18/YoungNNF £7.50

Book 3+ events and get 10% off

A rEPUBLIC OF POETrY: 100 ISSUES OF THE rIALTO WITH R AYMOND ANTROBUS , HANNAH LOWE, L AURA SCOTT & RICHARD SCOTT

6pm, National Centre for Writing, Dragon Hall

Calling all poetry lovers! Norwich-based poetry magazine The Rialto is celebrating its 100th issue with the launch of a new anthology. Join us for a discussion with its editors Ella Frears and Will Harris plus exclusive poetry performances from Raymond Antrobus, Hannah Lowe, Laura Scott and Richard Scott. Stay for the after-party to meet the poets and toast The Rialto’s success!

Tickets £10 includes a glass of wine

SUNDAY 28 MAY wOrKSHOPS

SIr THOMAS BrOwNE: THE OPIUM OF TIME WITH DR GAvIN FRANCIS

10.30am, Adnams Spiegeltent

Bestselling writer and doctor Gavin Francis examines the extraordinary life and work of Norwich-based physician, writer, and polymath Thomas Browne through a personal, 21st century lens. From questions of faith and mortality to curious medicine, he argues that Browne’s work has lost little of its power and wisdom, and none of its beauty.

Tickets £10 U18/YoungNNF £7.50

CITY OF LITEr ATUrE PUBLISHING FAIr

10am–4pm, National Centre for Writing, Dragon Hall

Drop in and celebrate the vibrant independent publishing culture of the East of England. Meet the publishers, browse and purchase their work, take part in writing workshops, and listen to lightning talks from authors and publishers throughout the day.

Free no ticket required

Celebrating ten years of Norwich UNESCO City of Literature

wrITING THE CLIMATE WITH SALLY O’REILLY

Friday 26 May, 10am–12pm, National Centre for Writing, Dragon Hall

An introduction to climate and creativity with writer, journalist and creative writing lecturer Sally O’Reilly. Through practical exercises and discussion you will consider how your writing can address and interpret the climate crisis, and encourage readers to make changes in their own lives.

Tickets £35, £25

Ages 18+

LIFE LINES WITH FIONA MASON

Saturday 27 May, 10am–12pm, National Centre for Writing, Dragon Hall

Personal narratives can be informative, funny, cathartic, tragic, healing and revealing. This workshop will explore writing from lived experience, setting out tools and techniques that will help you to turn a personal account into an engaging story.

Tickets £35, £25

Ages 18+

PUSHING THE BOUNDArIES OF POETrY WITH WILL HARRIS

Saturday 27 May, 10am–12pm, National Centre for Writing, Dragon Hall

Learn to read, see and hear poetry differently! Will Harris, author of RENDANG (winner of the Forward Prize for Best First Collection) leads a workshop which will combine collaborative writing exercises and games with explorations of our environment, to help you push the boundaries of your poetry.

Tickets £35, £25

Ages 18+

MAKE A CONCErTINA BOOK: FAMILY-FrIENDLY wOrKSHOP WITH ROSE FEATHER

Saturday 27 May, 2pm-3.30pm or Sunday 28 May, 11am-12.30pm, National Centre for Writing, Dragon Hall

Let’s work together to make a concertina book! Draw, stick and fold a story inspired by the history of Dragon Hall and the objects bought and sold within it when it was a merchant’s building, hundreds of years ago. A workshop for children aged 5-11 years and their accompanying grown-ups, led by artist Rose Feather.

Tickets £5 per child (adults go free)

BOOK BINDING WITH JUDITH

ELLIS

Sunday 28 May, 2–3.30pm, National Centre for Writing, Dragon Hall

Try your hand at bookbinding at this friendly session led by writer and professional bookbinder Judith Ellis. Whether you’re a zine maker, poet or dabble in creative nonfiction, learn how to turn your work into a simple but beautiful binding and leave with your very own book.

Tickets £15 Ages 18+

Books available to purchase at all events courtesy of The Book Hive

Hear more from National Centre for Writing by signing up to their newsletter at nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk

Raymond Antrobus © Caleb Azumah Nelson

Hannah Lowe © Lealle Brady

Gavin Francis © Thomas Farnetti

Will Harris © Matthew Thompson

Make a Concertina Book © Joanna Millington

Publishing Fair © Joanna Millington

VISUAL ArTS

ExHIBITIONS

EMPOwErING ArT: INDIGENOUS CrEATIVITY AND ACTIVISM FrOM NOrTH AMErICA’S NOrTHwEST COAST

Sunday 12 March–Sunday 30 July Sainsbury Centre

Empowering Art is a ground-breaking exhibition of rich but rarely seen artworks, bringing together exceptional contemporary and historical pieces from across the Northwest Coast of North America.

For ticket information see sainsburycentre.ac.uk

Presented by the Sainsbury Centre

JULIAN STAIR

ArT, DEATH AND THE AFTErLIFE

Saturday 18 March–

Sunday 17 September

Sainsbury Centre

Leading ceramic artist, Julian Stair OBE, presents new works in Art, Death and the Afterlife. Created in response to the global pandemic, Stair offers commemoration and solace for those who have died and lost loved ones.

Free

Presented by the Sainsbury Centre

wASTE NOT…..

Saturday 18 March–Saturday

15 July, GroundWork Gallery, King’s Lynn

An exhibition redefining what waste means through creative approaches to the problems of resource use and resilience. Including works by Jan Eric Visser, Liz Elton, Kai Losgott and Rain Wu. GroundWork Gallery share innovative ideas towards a goal of environmental sustainability. Free

Presented by GroundWork Gallery

Ex-VOTO

Saturday 1 April–Sunday 28 May

PRIMEYARC, Great Yarmouth

Lucy and Sarah have undertaken a pilgrimage along the Mary ley line, using the journey as a feminist quest for embodied learning and producing collaborative work. The exhibition at PRIMEYARC will present contributions from people they’ve worked with in the last three years.

Free

Presented by originalprojects;

JACOB TALKOWSKI

404 NM/H INTO THE HOrIzON

Thursday 20 April–Sunday 28 May, Private view Thursday 20 April, 6pm, OUTPOST Gallery

Great Yarmouth born, Talkowski interrogates what it means to be from flatlands at the edge of both the land and the socioeconomic systems at play.

Free

Presented by OUTPOST

MAKE BOOKS NOT wAr

Friday 28 April–

Saturday 3 June 2023

East Gallery, Norwich University of the Arts

Make Books Not War explores the world of book design, artists’ books, zines, radical pamphlets, and the stories they embody. Original art sits alongside recently commissioned works for Strangers Press.

Free

Presented by Norwich University of the Arts

GEMMA CORRELL I HAVE NO IDEA wHAT I AM DOING

Friday 12 May–Saturday 24 June

The Corn Hall, Diss

Gemma Correll is an illustrator, cartoonist and writer. Her cartoons portray serious subjects in a witty way, addressing feminism and mental health. Gemma has published four books and illustrated many more. This will be her first solo exhibition in the UK.

Free

Presented by The Corn Hall, Diss

GLEN JAMIESON & ROB FILBY wALL ExISTING

Saturday 13 May–Sunday 14 January 2024, Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery

Julian Stair, Figural Jars, Artist’s Studio, 2022 © Matthew Warner

Wall Existing is an exhibition exploring Norwich’s medieval wall by artists Glen Jamieson and Rob Filby. The exhibition includes contemporary photography, as well as a Risograph-printed installation documenting the wall. The work is inspired by the archive of Norwich-based photographer George Plunkett (1913-2006) who began his own documentary survey of the wall in the 1930s.

Standard museum admission

Presented by Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery

Mask Unknown Haida, Heilstuk or Nuxalk artist. Before 1870. Woor, pigment, animal hide skin, animal sinew and cotton textile plant. © Pitt Rivers Museum

Waste Not..... Liz Elton, cloth, archival print on Hahnemuhle

SARAH HARTNETT & LUCY STEIN

ANNE BEAN

IN SEARCH OF THE MIRACULOUS

Friday 26–Sunday 28 May

Saturday 27 May: Main Event

A return coach runs from Norwich to Walsingham on Saturday 27 May, more details online Walsingham, known for a miraculous happening, provides a unique context for artists’ visions. The audience become ‘pilgrims,’ led through the village, encountering performances, actions, demonstrations and films, plus an installation by Richard Wilson. A day-long event creates a basis for shared dialogue, conviviality and reflection ‘in search of the miraculous.’

Free

wALKS

wALL ExISTING

OPENING EvENT

Saturday 13 May, 12pm

Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery

Join writer and critic Jonathan P. Watts on a walk around a section of Norwich’s city walls to mark the opening of the exhibition, Wall Existing. All participants will be provided with a free voucher for exhibition entry.

Free, pre-booked tickets only.

Free entry to Norwich Castle Museum for ticket holders

Presented by Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery

R ACHEL AND KRZYSZTOF FIJALKOWSKI

OPEN SECrETS: UNExPECTED ArT IN NOrwICH

Sunday 14 May, 11am & 2pm

Starts at The Assembly House

Join us for an hour’s guided walk around central Norwich to explore a few of the city’s public artworks. These sculptures, monuments and ornaments are in plain view but easy to miss: we’ll be considering their stories, but also how they suggest a secret history of meetings and imaginary meanings.

Free, pre-booked tickets only

Presented by The Assembly House Trust

NOrwICH ArT PATH

Saturday 20 May, 12pm, 1pm & 2pm

Starts at Norwich Castle

A guided walk from Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery to Sainsbury Centre. Audiences will experience provocations and interventions specially commissioned from artists along the route of a proposed art path connecting University of East Anglia with the city centre.

Free, pre-booked tickets only Free entry to Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery for ticket holders

The Norwich Art Path is an initiative of Sainsbury Centre for v isual Arts, Norwich Castle Museum & Art Galleryand Norfolk & Norwich Festival

Open Secrets: Unexpected Art in Norwich © Rachel Fijalkowska

Glen Jamieson, Wall Existing series (2019)

Image: Anne Bean In Search of the Miraculous

Norwich Art Path © Daniel Randall

‘Reading Anne Bean’s C v is like following a continuous performance, a continuous response to the world... a “magification” of the world. The panoply of places she has worked, times of the day or night, interiors, exteriors, seasons, publics, materials, concepts, tools, is astonishing: all shifting but all attuned to unique situations.’

Guy Brett

wOrKSHOPS wASTE wEEKEND

Saturday 20 & Sunday 21 May, 2pm, GroundWork Gallery, King’s Lynn

GroundWork Gallery presents a weekend of waste exploration workshops involving artists from its Waste Not exhibition.

Saturday 20 May

MYCELIUM GROWING WITH rAIN wU

Explore the world of mycelium growing.

Tickets £26

Sunday 21 May

RE vOICING & ORCHESTRATING WASTE WITH K AI LOSSGOTT

Create an orchestra from found waste objects.

Tickets £15

Group tickets available, see the website for details.

TALKS

rIGHT HErE rIGHT NOw

Thursday 25 May, 6pm OUTPOST Studios

OUTPOST presents a panel discussion of arts professionals in conversation, including Jacob Talkowski, to discuss the landscape of the Norwich arts scene, art in a cost of living crisis and career paths in the creative industries.

Free pre-booked tickets only

Presented by OUTPOST

wILL GOMPErTz IN CONVErSATION wITH rANA BEGUM

Saturday 27 May, 7pm Norwich School Blake Studio

Join Barbican Artistic Director and former BBC Arts Editor Will Gompertz in conversation with London-based artist Rana Begum. Begum’s visual language draws from the urban landscape as well as geometric patterns from traditional Islamic art and architecture.

Tickets £10 U18/YoungNNF £7.50

Presented by Norfolk Contemporary Arts Society

We are an arts charity, alongside our May Festival we work year round and region-wide on a programme of creative engagement, artist development and improving the cultural offer for children and young people.

HIDDEN FESTIVAL

ArTISTS

The Festival works year-round with artists enabling them to make new work. Often, we support residencies which provide time and space for artists to give shape to their ideas. Our participation in (Un)Common Spaces, an In Situ project supported by the European Union, enables us to nurture artistic projects and talent. This year, French artist Zineb Benzekri of La Zanka has explored contexts of care in our lives. In her Norfolk residency, she researched how wild swimming can play a role in looking after ourselves. In the Festival, Zineb shares her research as an ‘action’ – one of 40 she will undertake across Europe – where we can experience outcomes of her research. As part of In Situ, we are also working with Norwich artist JMCAnderson, whose Hot House residency in Pristina Kosovo enables her to share her practice with peers and presenters from around Europe.

Looking towards the 2024 Festival, we are supporting Norfolk artists Dot Howard and Sorrel Muggeridge to develop A Handful of Time and Abigail Conway to research the presentation of //RIDE in Norfolk. Both projects will be unique experiences for audiences and our support enables the artists to connect with communities to help think through and frame their projects for the future.

NETwOrKS

The Sensory Symposium

Thursday 25 May, The Garage

We have been working with sensory theatre makers Frozen Light for a number of years commissioning extraordinary projects for audiences with profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD).

This year they are inviting sensory and other theatre makers and programmers, carers and support workers of adults with PMLD,

academics and others working in the field of learning disability research, to join them for this day of sharing sensory theatre learning in the company’s home city, Norwich. This symposium is an opportunity to discover Frozen Light’s pioneering creative collaboration with artists with profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD) in the Sensory Studio and celebrate their first decade of reaching audiences.

The event will be accessible for people with PMLD with sensory activities on offer throughout the day. Find out more at frozenlighttheatre. com/sensorysymposium

Frozen Light Fire Songs © JMA Photography

Rana Begum with mesh © Josh Murfitt

Anchor, 404 NM/H Into The Horizon Jacob Talkowski

BOOKING

ONLINE

nnfestival.org.uk

BY PHONE

01603 531800

Monday–Friday 10am–5pm

During the Festival

Monday–Sunday 10am–6pm

IN PErSON

Norwich Guildhall, Gaol Hill, Norwich, NR2 1JS

Tuesdays, Thursdays & Saturdays, 10am–4pm

During the Festival

Monday–Sunday 10am–6pm

From Wednesday 18 May Festival Gardens

Box Office

Chapelfield Gardens

NR2 1RP

See website for opening times

ON THE DAY

Any unsold tickets will be available on the door from 30 minutes before an event. Tickets can still be bought online until just before the event starts.

DISCOUNTS & CONCESSIONS

Concessions are available on most events priced £10 and over, subject to availability. Details on our website or through the box office.

YOUNGNNF

Join our FREE 18-25 membership scheme and get £7.50 tickets across the Festival and FREE tickets to chamber music recitals. Sign up at nnfestival.org. uk/youngNNF Free tickets for chamber music recitals are made possible through CAvATINA Chamber Music Trust.

ESSENTIAL COMPANION TICKETS

Audience members requiring an essential carer/companion can get one free ticket. Concessions or Under 26s discount can be applied to the paid ticket.

POSTAGE

A £1.50 postage charge is made on tickets mailed out. There is no charge for e-tickets or collecting tickets from our box office.

rEFUNDS & ExCHANGES

We do not offer refunds. If an event is cancelled or postponed refunds may be paid at our discretion. Tickets can be exchanged or returned to Festival credit up to 7 days before the event. See nnfestival.org.uk/booking for full details.

ADDITIONAL EVENT INFOrMATION

Up-to-date information such as running times, age guidance, content warnings and venue access can be found on the event pages of our website.

ACCESS

We are dedicated to making Festival events accessible for everyone. We have a variety of initiatives in place to remove barriers to attendance and enable more people to enjoy our work, including:

l Free companion tickets for anyone that requires a carer/companion to facilitate their attendance of an event

l 10% off tickets for under 18s, jobseekers, full-time students, D/deaf or disabled people & Go4Less card holders

l £7.50 tickets for Under 26s

l Large print brochure

l Audio format brochure

l videos with instructions of how to get to venues and what to expect when you’re inside

l 360° photos inside venues and venue guides

l Festival Access Guide CONTACT US

If you have any access queries or feedback please email us access@nnfestival.org.uk or call us on 01603 877750

All of our access resources can be found at nnfestival.org.uk/access

YOUr VISIT Getting here

By train Greater Anglia trains run to Norwich from London’s Liverpool Street Station every 30 minutes during the day (Journey time: 1 hour 50 minutes). Trains on the hour stop at Colchester, and Ipswich. Trains at half past the hour stop at Stratford, Chelmsford, Colchester, and Ipswich. A direct service also links Cambridge to Norwich (Journey time: 1 hour 20 minutes).

By coach National Express coaches travel to Norwich from London and other major cities and airports several times daily.

By air Norwich Airport is a short bus ride from the City Centre.

For more information about visiting Norwich, see visitnorwich.co.uk, or visiting the Festival go to nnfestival.org.uk/visit

Travel Partner

LArGE PrINT BrOCHUrE

To request a large print brochure, audio brochure or Access For All Guide to be sent to you in the post please email access@nnfestival.org.uk or call 01603 877750

Aged 18-25?

Save yourself a bundle and pick up tickets to almost all events for £7.50, and this year, thanks to CAvATINA Chamber Music Trust, you can get a free ticket to all chamber music concerts too. Just sign up for a free YoungNNF membership.

l Just set-up your account at nnfestival.org.uk – it’s Free!

l Free tickets

l Reduced ticket prices

l Receive emails about handpicked events that may be of interest

l Have your say in our feedback forum - tell us what you enjoyed and what you’d like to see next year at the Festival Sign up at nnfestival.org.uk/youngnnf

Free Chamber Music Tickets with thanks to

Action Hero Oh Europa © Paul Blakemore

VENUES MAP

1 Norwich Guildhall Box Office

l Internal lift from entrance to ground floor

l Induction loop/ infrared system

l Assistance dogs allowed

2 Festival Gardens

l Accessible toilet

l Level entrance

l Assistance dogs allowed

3 Box Office, Festival Gardens

4 Adnams Spiegeltent

l Accessible toilet

l ramped approach up to entrance

l Assistance dogs allowed

5 Barton Bendish Village Hall

l Accessible toilets

l ramp access to entrance

l Induction loop/ infrared system

l Assistance dogs allowed

6 Cathedral of St John the Baptist

l Accessible toilet

l Designated parking

l Level entrance

l Hearing induction loop

l Assistance dogs allowed

7 The Corn Hall, Diss

l Accessible toilet

l Gender inclusive toilet

l Level entrance

l Internal lift

l Hearing induction loop

l wheelchair access

l Assistance dogs allowed

8 The Drill House, Great Yarmouth

l Accessible toilet

l Gender inclusive toilet

l Level entrance

l Assistance dogs allowed

9 East Gallery

l Accessible toilet

l Internal lift

l wheelchair ramped access at rear/side

l Assistance dogs allowed

10 The Forum/ Millennium Plain

l Accessible toilets

l Level entrance

l Internal lift

l Designated parking

l reservable / Paid general parking on site

l Assistance dogs allowed

11 The Garage

l Accessible toilets

l Level entrance

l Internal lift

l Assistance dogs allowed

12 Groundwork Gallery, King’s Lynn

l Accessible toilet

l Level entrance to ground floor, one flight of stairs to first floor

13 Hindolveston Village Hall

l Accessible toilets

l Level entrance

l Designated parking

l General parking on site

l Assistance dogs allowed

14 Maddermarket Theatre

l Accessible toilet

l Level entrance

l Induction loop/ infrared system

l Assistance dogs allowed

15 National Centre for writing, Dragon Hall

l Accessible toilet

l ramped entrance at side of building

l Internal lift

l Induction loop/ infrared system

l Designated parking available by prior arrangement

16 Norwich Arts Centre

l Accessible toilets

l Level entry

l ramp access to auditorium

l Induction loop/ infrared system

l Assistance dogs allowed

17 Norwich Castle Museum

& Art Gallery

l Accessible toilet

l ramped approach up to entrance

l Internal lift

l Induction loop/ infrared system

l Assistance dogs allowed

18 Norwich Cathedral

l Accessible toilets

l ramped approach down to entrance

l Induction loop/ infrared system

l Internal lift

l Designated parking

l Assistance dogs allowed

19 Norwich Puppet Theatre

l Accessible toilets

l Level entrance

l Induction loop/ infrared system

20 Norwich School

Blake Studio

l Accessible toilets

l ramp access to entrance

l ramp access to auditorium

l Induction loop/ infrared system

l Assistance dogs allowed

21 Octagon Chapel

l Accessible toilets

l ramped access at rear/side

l Designated parking

l Induction loop/ infrared system

l Assistance dogs allowed

22 OUTPOST Gallery

l ramp access to entrance

l Assistance dogs allowed

23 OUTPOST Studios

l Accessible toilet

l Level access via car park only

l Assistance dogs allowed

24 The Plantation Garden

l Accessible toilet

l ramped approach to entrance

l Steps to some areas

l Designated parking

l Assistance dogs allowed

25 Pr IMEYA rC

l Accessible toilet

l ramped approach to entrance

l Designated parking

l reservable parking on site

l Accessible dogs allowed

26 Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts

l Accessible toilets

l Level entrance

l Internal lift

l Designated parking

l reversible/ reservable/ Paid general parking on site

l Induction loop/ infrared system

l Assistance dogs allowed

27 Sedgeford Village Hall

l Accessible toilets

l Level entrance

l Designated parking

l General parking on site

l Induction loop/ infrared system

l Assistance dogs allowed

28 Sheringham Little Theatre

l Accessible toilets

l Level entrance

l Assistance dogs allowed

29 St Andrew’s Hall

l Accessible toilet

l Level entrance

l Induction loop/ infrared system

l Assistance dogs allowed

30 St Peter Mancroft

l Level entrance

l Induction loop/ infrared system

FESTIVAL DAILY DIArY

For performance, talks and workshops, check out what’s on where and when here. For visual arts programme, see p32-36.

All information correct at time of print, but subject to change. Check out nnfestival.org.uk for latest information or follow us on social media

NNFestival @NNFest @NNFest

All information correct at time of print, but subject to change. Check out nnfestival.org.uk for latest information or follow us on social media

FESTIVAL FOrEVEr

FESTIVAL FOrEVEr is the cornerstone project of the Festival’s 250th anniversary celebrations. As a volunteer led project, it aims to research, record, and celebrate the history of Norfolk & Norwich Festival and the people whose lives it has touched.

Phase 1 of the project saw volunteers research the first 100 years of the Festival, including its founding as a fundraiser for Norfolk & Norwich Hospital. with training from Norfolk records Office and Norfolk Heritage Centre, the volunteers produced an exhibition of their research at the Museum of Norwich at The Bridewell during the 2022 Festival.

In Phase 2 of the project, volunteers are continuing their research, now spanning the whole 250 years. They are working alongside a group of young people from the MINT project to turn this research into films, podcasts, animations, and oral histories.

Phase 3 will see the project come to a head with the creation of the ‘Festival Chronicle’. This website will allow the public to access the entire history of the Festival through entertaining and engaging content, using the volunteer’s research and young people’s creative outputs.

The Festival Chronicle will be updated year on year, adding highlights to the rich collection of Festival history.

Hear from the volunteers themselves!

“I’m really enjoying sorting through archive material and making it more easily accessible, and the idea of researching past Festivals really appealed to me.”

Lesley-Anne Hewett, Festival Supporter and project volunteer

How to talk about the environment so people will listen

We are sector leaders in improving our environmental impact. It permeates all we do, including the art we commission. Festival Head of Production, Mark Denbigh, talks here to Ralph Kennedy, Director of Without Walls, the consortium responsible for commissioning innovative outdoor arts about how green thinking informs their working practices.

What does sustainability mean to you?

RK: Sustainability means in its simplest making sure that the activities we do in our life don’t leave the planet in a worse state than it currently is.

MD: When it comes to environment, we don’t want to just be balancing we need to be regenerating and we need to be working to restore. That includes social aspect – and looking for equity and justice across all of that as well.

How do you embrace the environment when commissioning artists?

RK: The things we consider are thematic, and how they are put together. So as a priority we look at commissioning a raft of work or shows that speak around environmental issues and sustainability.

We think that’s important because art is uniquely placed to allow us to vision the world in a different way. To think about things as they could be, not as they are. To look at the world through other people’s perspectives. And when we’re thinking about sustainability and effecting change, art and culture has a meaningful, direct role to play in creating that change in people’s minds, in believing things are doable.

What you’re both proudest of?

RK: The delivery of labs– we’ve had three green production labs, or creative labs which have focused on sustainability. Being able to bring together people to have conversations in a way which is constructive, and based on creative dialogue is a success as well.

What I would say though is that we can be proud of some things but we need to keep focus on what we want to do over the next three years funding period, to take that further, to build on it.

MD: Yeah definitely, I think that there is some work to be done with facilitating those conversations, highlighting the need, supporting the change that’s required, and not being afraid to have some of those more difficult conversations to either push the conversation, push the agenda, fight for resource.

But then also be able to share those learnings, share the mistakes, share the issues, so that hopefully can make a smoother path, and make things quicker and smoother for others as well is really important.

Find out more about our Sustainability Agenda at nnfestival.org.uk/about-us/ sustainability

Festival Forever is a National Lottery Heritage Fund project, with thanks to National Lottery players. Special thanks as well to Norfolk Record Office, Norfolk Heritage Centre, Museum of Norwich at The Bridewell, and lead researcher Rob Mitchell

A BrIGHTEr FUTUrE

For well over a decade Norfolk & Norwich Festival has been nurturing creativity in schools and communities across the region. Creativity can transform people’s lives. It builds cohesive communities, develops vital skills, and supports health and wellbeing. we want more people to have access to creative opportunities.

This year we begin a major new initiative, Festival Connect & Create, which will bring creative opportunities to tens of thousands across the East of England. with a focus on children and young people, and on those areas with least provision, Festival Connect & Create will:

Support the creative journeys of children and young people by:

l developing leadership through networks of teachers, artists and young people

l running a significant long-term programme of artist-in-schools residencies

l providing professional development bursaries for artists and young people. Partner with communities to lead, develop and support creative projects in their places.

Our ambition has been backed by Arts Council England. You can help us do more.

l £1,000 supports a professional development bursary for a young person

l £2,500 enables an artist to develop their skills in working with young people

l £5,000 makes an artist-in-schools residency possible

Here’s how you can help:

Make a donation. An immediate impact on our work. You can donate from as little as £2.50 when buying a ticket, at the Festival, or online.

Supporter scheme. Make a big difference from as little as £15 per month. Get closer to our work and directly support elements of the Festival programme or Festival Connect & Create. Legacy giving. remembering Norfolk & Norwich Festival in your will can leave a lasting legacy for future generations and build on our work nurturing artists and supporting young people. Corporate partnerships. we can provide Bespoke solutions around social or environmental responsibility, brand awareness, hospitality or audience engagement.

Donate or find out more at nnfestival.org.uk/support-us

Principal Funders

Norfolk & Norwich Festival is a registered charity, number 1164424

STAFF & BOArD ABOUT US

We are a charity made up of one of the country’s longest running arts festivals and a region-wide programme of creative engagement, with a particular focus on improving the cultural offer for children and young people. Our vision is to lead and support celebration, creativity and curiosity in our community to make our part of the world a great place to live, learn, work and play.

We do this by collaborating with all kinds of artists and communities to present outstanding artistic events and bring inspiring creative opportunities to your doorstep.

Staff

Karen Birch

Daniel Brine

Jess Cook

Darren Cross

Mark Denbigh

Ros Dixon

Helen Drumm

Lizzie Figura-Drane

Imogen Frith

Poppy Hanton

James Hardie

Ellen Harling

Sue Harvey

Chloe Hobbs

Gemma Hoskins

Laurie Hutcheson

Georgia Jacob

Frances Lamb

Jen Langeskov

Heidi Lodge

Abi Marrison

Sophie Marritt

Ailsa McKay

Isabel Morgan

Abbie Neale

vikki Nelson

Ally Oberrotman

Ruby Pinner

Sava Radulovic

Daniel Randall

Ginny Scholey

Brenda Seymour

Andrew Stock

Leona Wilson

Board

Brenda Arthur (Chair)

Kate Carreno

Maanik Chadda

Frances Berridge

Lucy Garland

Marc Jaffrey

Corrienne Peasgood

Chris Sargisson

Chris Yeates (vice Chair)

John-Paul Garside

Martin Mitchell

Patrons

Caroline Jarrold DL

Sir Nicholas Bacon

Bt OBE DL

Professor John Last OBE

Thanks

With special thanks to all our volunteers, without whom the Festival could not happen.

Design David Caines Unlimited

Media Bread & Butter PR

Print Page Bros

Cover illustration

Bev Coraldean

Presenting Partners

The Adnams Spiegeltent © Chris Taylor

Principal Funders

Norfolk & Norwich Festival is a registered charity, number 1164424