FESTIVAL THANK YOU! EDITION 03
TH A N K YO U Principal Funders
Programming Partner
Funders
Principal Programme Partner
Associate Travel Partner
18-25 Membership Scheme Partner
Media Partners
Event Partners
Programming Partner
Trust and Foundations Our thanks to the following Trust & Foundations who have supported our work with communities at the Festival and throughout the year: The Arts Society Norwich, The Paul Bassham Charitable Trust, The Ellerdale Trust, The Fuller Endowment, The Norwich Freemen’s Charity, The Red Socks Charitable Trust, The Geoffrey Watling Charity Box Office Partner
Associate Partners
And thanks to Asda, Kettle Foods Ltd, Marks and Spencer and Mike, Debs and Sons Fruit and Veg. Norfolk & Norwich Festival thanks our generous supporters: Director’s Circle Lynn Biggs Producer Supporters Nick & Juliet Collier, Mark & Lesley-Anne Hewett, Ian & Helen McFadyen, Jamie McLeod, Julia Leach & Patrick Smith Ensemble Supporters Paul & Steph Allen, Simon Back, Fanny Berridge, David & Anthea Case, Tony & Juliet Colman, Nicholas & Caroline Dixey, Frank & Di Eliel, Roger & Lesley Everett, Jane & John Hawksley, Jackie & Richard Higham, Dave Plummer & Lesley Whitby, Amanda Sandland-Taylor & Roger Holden, Chris & Sue Williams Cast Supporters Roger & Suzanna Bunting, Jonathan Cooper & Daniel Brine, Alex Darbyshire, John Howkins, Mrs Waltraud A L Jarrold MBE, Caroline Kennedy-Chivers, Alice Liddle, Jonathan & Karen Needham, Stephanie Renouf, Tim Ridgley, Jim & Sara Webber, Mollie Whitworth And to our Friends and others who wish to remain anonymous
Corporate Friends Brewin Dolphin, The Forum, Hollinger Print, Jarrold
Opposite: Don’t Touch Duckie at NNF21. Photo Luke Witcomb
Printed by Page Bros
Festival Spirit Artistic Director and Chief Executive Daniel Brine reflects on bringing a Festival Spirit to Norfolk in these uncertain times. There is something special about a festival. Yes, there is the excitement of new cultural experiences but more than that, there is something in the air – a buzz which is wonderful and joyous. I’ve tried to describe this feeling before and in our business plan even gave it a name; ‘Festival Spirit.’ But all the words I’ve ever found to explain what this is have been far too dry and felt contrived. I had begun to wonder if I was making something up which doesn’t exist.
We all have favourite festival moments and this year mine were characterised by Festival Spirit. A care home resident explaining, with a tear in her eye, how important live music is to her and how much she has missed it. Hatis Noit talking to her audience with real honesty and warmth about how she needed them to ‘complete’ her work. A teacher managing a class bubble in a playground but still giving it his all as he and the kids danced like an animal. A welcoming smile from a volunteer (for me and everyone joining us) reassuring us that we were being looked after and in good hands.
Then, as if by magic, it was here. The Norfolk & Norwich Festival 2021 felt fantastic because there was an extraordinary Festival Spirit all around us. Of course, the timing of the Festival was fortuitous. We worked hard throughout the year on all sorts of scenarios and had a programme ready to go at the exact point the Government’s Road Map allowed for live performance indoors and outdoors. We had been planning for the moment but it still felt like we were in the right place at the right time. In challenging circumstances, we put a great programme together and our team has a lot to sing about. Lockdown made us think about appropriate formats for presentation – we introduced a new mobile stage touring to schools and care homes, created at-home performance experiences and programmed a rich strand of digital work. Challenges of international touring resulted in an almost exclusively British programme but one which felt stronger because of its inclusion of local artists and artists from around the world who call the UK home. We commissioned and presented an extraordinary amount of new work,
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investing directly in artistic creation. There were lots of opportunities for young and old to get involved not only as audiences but hands-on creating and participating. Our partnerships – new and longstanding – felt strong. And we did this while ensuring our audiences and artists were safe. All of this we are proud of but the thing that stood out was the Festival Spirit. This year, like no other, there was a special connection between audiences and artists. Audiences were more than satisfied and artists beyond delighted – everyone thankful to be sharing a space together. Artist after artist explained how special it was to be performing and audiences clapped and clapped as if their lives depended on it. No one was going through the motions; the warmth, appreciation and generosity was real.
Every artist and Festival team member played their part and I want to thank them all. If I could name everyone and point out what a great job they did, I would. And if I could hug every member of the audience, I would. People – coming together around culture – have made this Festival special. I still find it impossible to describe the essence of Festival Sprit in words. But in the future, when I talk about it, I’ll say: ‘Remember 2021? That was the moment we found our Festival Spirit.’ Daniel Brine
Ray Lee’s Ring Out at NNF21. Photo Mary Doggett. Garden Sessions at NNF21. Photo Luke Witcomb. I Fagiolini’s Re-Wilding The Waste Land at NNF21. Photo Dibs McCallum. Don’t Touch Duckie at NNF21. Photo Luke Witcomb. Emergency Exit Arts Recovery Poem at NNF21. Photo Dibs McCallum Garden Sessions at NNF21. Photo Luke Witcomb.
The Festival in figures This year we brought you 556 performances. We were one of the very first events to welcome you back into the venues and open spaces of the county, along with a hearty dose of digital work too. We were overjoyed at your response - the vast majority of in person work selling out, and fast!
In with the new We are proud to have commissioned lots of new work this year
9 outdoor arts projects for the Garden Party working with the Without Walls network
5 Common Ground artists for Living Landscapes 6 artists as part of Creative Individuals Norfolk 4 artists to create brand new Experience Packs 11 new music commissions 2 made for digital theatre experiences 1 site specific installation
A Festival for all After a difficult year for everyone, we took the bold decision to make this year’s Festival Pay What You Want. We hoped this would remove barriers to taking part and make the Festival open and welcoming to everyone. This meant we gave away a momentous 8,669 tickets for free!
Reaching communities… Our mobile Festival stage
brought circus, music and performance to 2,275 care home residents, schoolchildren and staff with
100% responding that the visit improved their health and wellbeing.
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Our incredible volunteers We had 108 amazing volunteers this year,
covering a whopping 600 shifts to help us bring
the Festival to life safely.
12 were dedicated Access Volunteers, helping anyone with access requirements to enjoy the Festival. Ding dong! 24 of them were trained as bell ringers to take part in Ray Lee’s immense sound work Ring Out. …and we did it all safely during Covid times. 98% of audiences agreed or strongly agreed that they felt safe and comfortable at Festival events.
Local impact
65 amazing artists from our region took part in this year’s Festival.
99% of audiences agreed or strongly agreed it was important the Festival was happening.
From across the world Audiences saw our digital work, or ordered an Experience Pack from Norfolk, London, Southampton, Bedfordshire, Yorkshire, Derbyshire, Bristol, Manchester, Coventry, Blackpool, Cornwall, Glasgow, Edinburgh, France, Finland, Norway, Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Spain, USA, Brazil and even China.
Cycling and chatting Audiences used pedal power and cycled 462 miles during performances of Blast Theory’s Rider Spoke And they spent 68 hours on the phone for 600 Highwaymen’s A Thousand Ways (Part One): A Phone Call
Garden Sessions at NNF21. Photo Luke Witcomb. Yayra + Davina’s Arrivals + Departures. Photo Mary Doggett. Garden Sessions at NNF21. Photo Luke Witcomb. Blast Theory’s Rider Spoke. Photo Mary Doggett
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We’ll come to you! Creative Learning Manager Sarah Witcomb was one of the brains behind making the Festival’s mobile stage tour of Norwich such a wonderful success. She talks more below.
After a year of uncertainty and restrictions we wanted to create something that we could deliver to communities to bring joy, performance and celebration. We decided the best way to do this was to take a truck with performers on the back of it, to give something special to our communities in Norwich.
We had performances from New Art Club’s Tom Roden, who taught children Animal Dances’ to swinging songs from the National Youth Jazz Orchestra, we tried to reach as many people as possible in our 3 day tour with as many different artist as possible. The outcome was a joyous celebration of the arts, and also a celebration of things beginning to open up again in the world. We loved being able to visit so many in the community and to be able to reach so may in such a short amount of time.
We visited 14 venues over 3 days and reached 2,275 people with joyful musical and performative pop ups! For many of members of the community, in particular key workers and the more vulnerable.
In just three days we visited –
It has been difficult to get out and about this year for many, even more so than usual, and we really wanted to make sure as many people as possible get to experience live performance. From residential homes to schools, the Festival’s mobile stage brought live acts back to the hearts of communities.
Norwich Primary Academy West Earlham Infant School West Earlham Junior School Magdalen Gates Primary School Two Acres Nursing Care Home Mile Cross Primary School Ormiston Victory Academy Queen’s Hill Primary School Brooklands Care Home Bowthorpe Care Village The Parkside School Recreation Road Infant School The Hewett Academy St John’s House Care Home The Great Hospital
And we felt the love from those we visited, 100% thought the performances were good or very good, and 100% also said the experience was very good or good at improving health and wellbeing. We were overwhelmed by the wonderful feedback we received: ‘This event makes such difference to our tenants’ lives. This is the first event after this pandemic lockdown. Even though it was raining, tenants stayed and thoroughly enjoyed the show. It was magnificent!’
Thanks to all our artists – Tom Roden Sam Goodburn Germa Adan Molly Naylor and James McDermott John Hicks Namvulla Rennie Boy Choristers from Cathedral Choir National Youth Jazz Orchestra
‘Excellent organisation from Norfolk & Norwich Festival with the project. Staff were considerate, professional and very accommodating. Thank you for bring the arts to us and the children!’ ‘It made our souls sing hearing live music again after such a long time - it was really quite emotional’
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The Festival’s mobile stage at NNF21. Photos Luke Witcomb
Memories of 250 years Part of the celebrations for our 250th birthday next year in 2022 we’ve been gathering your memories and stories of the Festival in a new oral history project. Matthew Stothard a History student at the University of East Anglia has spent the Festival gathering these interviews and tells us more.
When I agreed to take part in Re/Collect 250, an oral history project collecting people’s memories of the Festival, back in February I was stuck at home, isolated from the city which I had only moved to for university in the previous September. I felt disconnected from Norwich and I had certainly never heard of the Norfolk and Norwich Festival. Fast forward to June, and this project has given me a crash course on the Festival’s 249-year history, and I can truly appreciate what makes Norwich such a special and unique city. In conducting interviews with a widerange of people who have been involved with the Festival over the years, what quickly became clear to everyone working on the project was how much the Festival means to people individually and to the city and county as a whole. The excitement
and love that many of those interviewed expressed for the Festival highlighted to me the overwhelming joy that the arts can bring into people’s lives. This Festival brings these kinds of opportunities to places where they may not be otherwise available, and so it is unsurprising that it was fairly universally acknowledged as being invaluable for the area. In the interviews a lot of events were discussed, but one which came up time and time again was Dining with Alice from 2011. I think this was perhaps because it encapsulates what people love about the Festival so much. It was unexpected and surprising, creating an experience that no one I talked to had really experienced before or since in the same way. It made the arts immersive and accessible to local people, something the Festival excels at, and it
made use of the local landscape, in this case Elsing Hall. It was sometimes people’s first experience of immersive theatre and it left them wanting more! Ultimately, what came through when working on this project was that the Festival is more than the performances and experiences to be had. It is the wonderful residents and landscapes of Norfolk and Norwich which make the Festival the amazing event that it is. Find out more about Re/Collect 250 and the other projects we’re working on as we look towards our 250th anniversary at nnfestival.org.uk/about-us/festival-at-250
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And then there’s more... While much of the public’s attention falls each May on the Festival itself, our work goes on year-round. In schools, and with artists and communities, Norfolk & Norwich Festival helps bring exciting creative opportunities to thousands of people throughout the year. Here’s a little peek at what we’ve got in store over the next few months.
Lost & Found Films of Norfolk One of our 250 Projects, Lost & Found Films kicked off in the weeks prior to the outbreak of the pandemic last year. The project offers schoolchildren the opportunity to work with leading artists from around the country to create short films about their local history and folklore. With restrictions in place, we have been unable to do significant work with schools, but Lost & Found Films will be returning to the classroom this term, with the intention of creating a dozen films in time for a red carpet event as part of 2022’s 250th anniversary Festival. Our thanks to Norwich Freemen’s Charity, the Arts Society Norwich, the Fuller Endowment, the Norwich Society, the Geoffrey Watling Charity, the Ellerdale Trust and North Norfolk District Council for their support.
Common Ground
Norfolk Wonder
Norfolk Open Studios
In another of our 250 projects, and following on from the success of the Living Landscapes exhibition at this year’s Festival, Common Ground sets its sights on Norfolk Wildlife Trust’s Roydon Common next. Participants working with film and photography professionals this August will capture the glorious natural beauty of the common just outside King’s Lynn.
Norfolk Wonder is a programme of activity as part of EXPERIENCE, a Norfolk County Council initiative designed to attract audiences to the county for experiential tourism in the off-season of October 2021 to March 2022.
This year, Norfolk Open Studios moves to a new slot in the autumn. Explore the county and visit artists and craftspeople in their studios, learn about their practice and purchase unique works of art.
If you are 13-18 years old, or know someone who is, why not join in? It’s completely free and we’ll provide the transport and the food. Join our taster session on 9 August to see what it’s all about - sign up at nnfcommonground.org.uk/ roydon-common. Common Ground is supported by the National Lottery through the Heritage Lottery Fund.
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For Norfolk Wonder, NNF will tour Blast Theory’s Rider Spoke to King’s Lynn, Sheringham and Great Yarmouth; commission three new artist-led walks in towns along the Norfolk coast; and enhance the opportunities to get ‘hands-on’ with the artists in Norfolk Open Studios through demonstrations and workshops.
Norfolk Open Studios takes place between 25 September and 10 October 2021 and is free. Further information at norfolkstudios.org.uk
Details of all the Norfolk Wonder activity will be available on our website soon. Read more about Norfolk Wonder on page 11. Common Ground workshop
Artist at My Place Each year Norfolk & Norwich Festival delivers a creative learning programme for schools most in need around Norwich and Norfolk. 2020’s programme was shaped to work with schools’ need and around Covid but remained much interrupted due to changing restrictions. After a Covid interuption in 2020, the programme – entitled An Artist at My Place – has opened up again and sees a number of artists working in longterm residencies at schools across the West Earlham area of Norwich, with exciting projects as diverse as couture fashion design and graffiti. Artist at my Place is supported by the Ellerdale Trust and the Red Socks Charitable Trust.
Overleaf: Emergency Exit Arts Recovery Poem at NNF21. Photo Luke Witcomb Top: Lost & Found Films, Mile Cross Primary Workshop. Photo Abigail Conway Bottom: Norfolk Open Studios
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Norfolk Wonder The Festival team is back in action later this year with Norfolk Wonder, a programme of activity as part of EXPERIENCE a Norfolk County Council initiative designed to attract audiences to Norfolk for experiential tourism in the off-season of October 2021 to March 2022. For Norfolk Wonder, Norfolk & Norwich Festival will tour Blast Theory’s Rider Spoke around Norfolk; commission three new artist-led walks in towns on the Norfolk coast; and shine a spotlight on the workshops, demonstration and trails as part of Norfolk Open Studios. Rider Spoke is an art project by Blast Theory which mixes art, theatre and location-based technologies. An audience favourite for NNF 2021, it invites you to cycle through the streets of the town. Guided by a smart phone attached to your bicycle, you search for a hiding place and record a short message there. And then you search for the hiding places of others. Working in partnership with Groundwork Gallery, Kings Lynn; Sheringham Little Theatre; and St Georges Theatre, Great Yarmouth, The Festival will present Rider Spoke over six weekends in October and November 2021. The Norfolk Wonder Walk Experience Packs are three new walks, created by artists, to frame a winter (off-season) walk in towns on the Norfolk coast. Visual artists Rebecca French and Andrew Mottershead will create an experience in Kings Lynn; in Cromer local author and artist Sarah Lowndes’ walk will explore the history and experience of past visitors to the town; and composer Ela Orleans will create a sound-score for Great Yarmouth. Each pack will be more than a booklet or a map, it will be an artistic interpretation of place, providing materials and instructions for an audience to undertake a self-directed walk. Each walk will start at the local museum and Norfolk Museum Services is a valued partner connecting us with museums across Norfolk.
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Blast Theory’s Rider Spoke at NNF21. Photos Mary Doggett
Norfolk Open Studios takes place between 25 September and 10 October 2021. It’s a fantastic opportunity to visit artists and craftspeople in their studios, to buy their work and talk about their techniques and inspirations. For Norfolk Wonder, we are celebrating this unique experience by enhancing the opportunities to get handson with the artists through demonstrations and workshops. Details of all the Norfolk Wonder activity will be available on our website soon.
Head East, coming soon! As the glorious weather kicks in, and the world begins to reopen, our friends at Visit East of England are encouraging you to Head East this year.
There’s an abundance of places, spaces and events to explore close to home, for a day, an overnight stay or for longer.
Cultural experiences bring us together, help us make sense of the world and provide moments of laughter, tears, learning and quality time with friends and family that we’ve missed over recent months. ‘Head East’ is a new national campaign celebrating arts, culture, heritage and our outstanding natural environment in and around Norfolk and Suffolk. Following in the footsteps of Norfolk and Norwich Festival 2021, the world of arts and culture is opening up and organisations across the region are excited to welcome audiences back. There’s an abundance of places, spaces and events to explore close to home, for a day, an overnight stay or for longer. And with something for everyone, you can now search for the latest news and updates on one central website.
Supported by the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership Culture Board (with funding from Arts Council England), Norfolk County Council, Suffolk County Council, Interreg EXPERIENCE, Norfolk Museums Service, University of East Anglia (UEA) and Visit East of England, Head East will showcase what’s happening from community events and exhibitions, to festivals, new works and artistic programmes throughout 2021 and beyond. Launching at the end of June 2021, the What’s On Guide, inspirational itineraries, interviews and cultural highlights will feature on the Head East hub at visiteastofengland.com. To stay up to date, subscribe to the newsletter and follow the news on social media by searching @headeast.uk and #headeastuk.
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Creative Individuals Norfolk #2—Posters, Pamphlets and Other Paraphernalia We know the vital role creative individuals play in the arts ecology. And we know that freelance workers have been some of the hardest hit in the Covid-19 pandemic. And we also know the vital role that communities have played in keeping us together for the past year. Last year we put forward a new initiative as a direct response to the Covid crisis to support freelance workers. We awarded six project £3,000 each to support a mix of communities across Norfolk. Including people who have experienced homelessness, refugees in Great Yarmouth, and a network for Black and People of Colour creatives in Norfolk. ‘The way society is set up, sometimes it can feel like creatives, especially freelancers, have to compete with each other all the time, but in my experience when we work together we are all much more successful.’ Sascha Goslin, Norfolk Black and People of Colour Creative Network ‘…at a time when young people are feeling caged within their homes, emotional release through movement and play not only makes sense, but it is also truly beneficial.’ Matt Kirkum, ACT NOW @ Diss Corn Hall
Genevieve Rudd’s Yarmouth Springs Eternal at NNF21
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‘Our world has shrunk. Our immediate community is a vital resource for support, mental health and providing the everyday connections humans need.’ Ailsa McKay, Festival Production and Programme Officer This powerful sense of collective responsibility which we felt to our communities during the crisis has led us to develop Creative Individuals Norfolk #2. Where individuals who act as creative catalysts are invited to make proposals for Posters, Pamphlets and Other Paraphernalia, a strand of work for Norfolk & Norwich Festival 2022, our 250th anniversary. The project will award five commissions of £5,000 each, to projects that ‘give voice’ to the community through print paraphernalia. The project will draw on the historic role or posters and pamphlets in public discourse, and support
communities who have something to say about the world we live in. We are thrilled to be working with lead artists Salome Wagaine and Hester Chillingworth on the project. Hester Chillingworth is a 2020 Jerwood New Playwright at The Royal Court Theatre and Salome Wagaine is a producer and writer and previous Project Manager for Diverse Actions. Looking forward to seeing your applications, and we can’t wait to share the work with you at next year’s Festival Find out more and apply at nnfestival. org.uk/posters-pamphlets-and-otherparaphernalia
Pamphlets and Other Paraphernalia is made possible thanks to public funding from the National Lottery through Arts Council England.
Bags for all! We’ve got lots of lovely purple banners left over from the Festival this year, and we’ve come up with an ingenious way to recycle them into some very stylish tote bags. We’d love for you to come and grab a banner from us and make your own.
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1. Cut your pieces – You’ll need two x 48x40cm pieces for your bag and two x 92x10cm pieces for your straps (see no.1). Cut these out and give them a good iron. *Tip: if you’re recycling one of our Festival banners, follow the dots on the fabric for easy measuring and straight lines
5. Sew two straight lines across your hem, catching the straps in the process.
2. Make the straps by folding the each piece of fabric in half width ways, then folding each half into the crease so that you’re left with no raw edges. Give these a good press with your iron, pin in place, then sew closed with two straight stitches. Repeat for your second strap.
7. Fold inside out and voila, your upcycled tote is ready!
3. For the main bag, place your two pieces face together (we’ll make it inside out so the pattern should be backwards for now). Sew a straight stitch down the sides and bottom with a 1cm border, leaving the top edge raw and open. *Tip: reinforce the corners with some extra stitching to ensure a strong bag, and cut the corners at an angle to remove excess fabric and form a sharp corner (see no.2).
6. Fold your straps up so they come out of the top of the bag, and press. Reinforce your straps by stitching a figure of eight where the strap meets the hem (see no.4).
Just email info@nnfestival.org.uk to arrange a time to pop by the office and pick up a banner. 4. Roll down the top raw edge twice to create a hem, then give a good press. Mark the middle of the bag with a pin, and then measure 8cm either sides of this centre, again marking with pins. Pin the ends of the straps to the outside of these two marks (see no.3). Your straps should be facing down for now (we’ll flip them up later) Repeat on the other side so that your straps are pinned to the hems.
WATCH Daniel Brine’s brilliant tote bag making walk through video on our YouTube - youtube.com/ norfolknorwichfestival
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…an historic move Norfolk & Norwich Festival will have a new home in time for our 250th anniversary in 2022. Based in Tombland since 2006, the Festival team will be moving to Norwich’s Guildhall later this year.
“It’s fitting that one of Norwich’s foremost cultural organisations will take up residence in one of the city’s finest heritage buildings,” The striking building of chequerboard flint and stone has stood on Gaol Hill since the time of Henry IV. Work began in 1407 on a building that would be home to the city’s civic administration and law courts for the next 500 years. Given Grade I listed status in 1956, England’s largest and most elaborate medieval Guildhall will now become home to one of the country’s oldest arts festivals.
“It’s fitting that one of Norwich’s foremost cultural organisations will take up residence in one of the city’s finest heritage buildings,” said Graham Nelson, Norwich City Council’s Director of Development and City Services. “The Festival will breathe new life and vitality into this gem of a building and enable it to open up its doors again so people can enjoy and appreciate it.”
The team at the Festival have been working with Norwich City Council and Hudsons Architects on plans for the past 18 months. The ambitious move will provide a unique and flexible workspace, as much an office, as a place for staff to gather, share ideas and work collaboratively.
The Festival will take over 85% of the building, providing flexible office and event space and a home to the main Festival Box Office. Alongside the core Festival team, a range of independent cultural workers, artists, producers and networks will be invited to share the space to create a vibrant creative hub in the city centre.
The move is supported by funding from the Towns Deal which was secured by the City Council last year. This is enabling several improvements to the office spaces within the historic building, including the creation of accessible toilets, upgraded electrical and mechanical work.
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Norwich Guildhall. Photo Mary Doggett
The move will significantly improve public access to the building. Working with artists, Lone Twin, the Festival will develop a Guild of Volunteers who will play a role as guides and custodians of the historic building, opening it up for regular tours throughout the year. “It’s a fantastic move in our 250th year.” says Brenda Arthur, Chair of the Norfolk and Norwich Festival. “Our move to the Guildhall will put us in the heart of the city helping raise our profile year round. It will give our charity a wonderful space for our team to work in while also bringing together others working in the arts. That’s really exciting.”
support norfolk & norwich festival
Norfolk & Norwich Festival is a charity, and as such, there are many individuals and organisations without whom the Festival simply could not happen. This includes our wonderful individual donors and corporate partners, whose support is appreciated all the more in such a unique and challenging year. To those individuals and businesses who gave their time, resources, words of encouragement and above all, trusted us to deliver a Festival with so many hurdles to overcome, we thank you. Here, in their own words, some describe why they choose to support Norfolk & Norwich Festival and what it meant to them in 2021: ‘The Festival is one of the high points of our year. Living in rural north east Norfolk, the two weeks of performing arts, circus, street theatre, talks, all types of music and exhibitions, book readings, events for children, both in Norwich and in towns and venues all around the county is fun, entertainment and education, right on our doorstep. This year, the highlight for us was the incredibly different ethereal sounds of the Japanese vocalist Hatis Noit in St Andrew’s Hall. However, there was such a variety to choose from, from the Yarmouth Springs Eternal Exhibition… to Gravity and Levity in Chapelfield Gardens… to The People’s Cabaret in the Corn Hall, Diss.
The Festival lets us try out different forms of entertainment and what we see is often thought-provoking and we have endless conversations about it on duller days. Our city, Norwich, comes alive during these two weeks in May and we love seeing all ages absorbing the atmosphere and having access to affordable and often free entertainment. How do the incredible Festival Team do it? We are so lucky to have them and the enormous number of Festival volunteers who help out at every single event. Roll on the 2022 Norfolk & Norwich Festival!’ Juliet and Nick Collier, Producer Supporters ‘As fans of Norwich & Norfolk Festival, we were keen to support it once again; however, our expectations were exceeded this year. We were surprised and delighted by the whole experience. From the outset, the Festival Development Team worked tirelessly to make us feel valued partners and to make it special for our guests. Great atmosphere, great acts and we didn’t even notice the weather – well hardly!’
Next year the Festival returns for its 250th anniversary – a massive celebration of art, culture and community. We would love to hear from individuals and businesses that would like to be involved in helping us deliver such a memorable event for the city and county. Visit nnfestival.org.uk/support-us to find out more or contact the team directly: Individual Giving Jess Cook 07832 188598 jess.cook@nnfestival.org.uk Corporate Partnerships Gemma Hoskins 07717 798187 gemma.hoskins@nnfestival.org.uk
Richard Ross, Chadwicks, Event Partner
Left: Garden Sessions at NNF21. Photo Luke Witcomb Middle: Hatis Noit. Photo Özge Cöne Right: Gravity & Levity at NNF21’s Garden Party. Photo Luke Witcomb.
Norfolk & Norwich Festival is a registered charity, number 1164424. If you enjoyed a free event or performance as part of this unique Festival, why not make a donation to help us make 2022’s Festival bigger and better? Visit nnfestival.org.uk/support-us
Reviews Each year we work with members of the Young Norfolk Arts Collective, a vibrant creative community of young people aged 16-25 based in Norfolk. We support the group to come to Festival events and develop critical responses to works. We’re delighted to share some of their reviews here.
‘I Am’ Intervention Review Tiah-Paige Burrell The I Am Intervention was a very insightful event led by Jade Anderson as part of the Norfolk & Norwich Festival 2021. The project began with a workshop where we discovered the history behind the first ‘I Am A Man’ movement in 1968 – a strike by the Memphis sanitation workers - and subsequent artworks that were inspired by it leading forward, including artists such as Hank Willis Thomas and Glenn Ligon. We then progressed onto discussing what makes us who we are, and all the things that are important to our identity, which led to us creating our own art pieces; signs with printed words that we felt represented us most. These were created in a similar style to the art we had previously seen; white with black print that we achieved with foam letters we cut out, and black paint on a thick white card. I ended up choosing the phrase ‘I Am Human’ to be boldest and biggest words on my sign, as underneath all the labels and looks and descriptors, we all have skeletons and flesh – we are indeed human. Interwoven between this I added the words ‘Pagan, Pansexual, Eccentric, Actor’ as these are what I believe concisely define me as a person. Others chose words such as ‘I Am A Daughter’ or ‘I Am Creative’ which lead to a very eclectic mix for the next part of the intervention. The second stage of the project was extremely interesting as we paraded in a line around Norwich, in silence, much like the first movement we learnt about. It was extremely empowering to take note of the positive responses we got from doing so; I was expecting some sort of hostility as I’m aware not all of society is accepting of anything outside of the social norms, but actually it was received with praise and intrigue as to what we were doing and why. There was also an element of vulnerability in that moment, displaying so openly things about ourselves, but there was strength in
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numbers and as a group it felt much more secure and safe, and it felt good to be so publicly open about what makes me ‘me’. This intervention inspired me to look more into arts activism, as it was something I had never done before, but would definitely do again. I learnt a great deal about how important it is to use your voice, and have your voice heard, but also the impact it can have on those around you.
Don’t Touch Duckie – Livestream Becky Reeve As the opening event for the Norfolk & Norwich Festival, Don’t Touch Duckie was centred around the idea of bringing the eccentricity and atmosphere of a drag showbiz speakeasy into the comfort of your home via a livestreamed performance. Hosting the show were Bourgeois & Maurice, a delightfully sarcastic duo that bought both humour and music to the stage. My highlight from the night was their song ‘2020 Vision’ which simultaneously highlighted our hopes from last year and crushed them in each verse. The cabaret was filled with interesting acts that, although they all bought something unique to the stage, each one could be categorised as extravagant. Legs ‘67 were a trio that characterised old Joan Collins interviews and turned them into a performance. They managed to provide a narrative without ever having to speak. Thick and Tight, a duo seemingly commentating on narcissism all while dressed as a giant pink puppet of Barbara Cartland. Simplistic, but effective. Oozing Gloop, an autistic drag queen from Norfolk, bought their outlandish green style, and a few bunches of carrots, to the Norwich stage. Their reveal-style acts kept the audience intrigued throughout both their performances.
Harry Alexander’s dancing, as Twiggy, was both energetic and beautiful. It showcased their talent for owning the stage, especially in heels. John Hicks provided two very different performances although both were intriguing in their own way. If you don’t find speed painting a perfectly proportioned portrait on an upside-down canvas impressive, then I don’t know what to say. Despite the flamboyant acts, throughout the show, I felt that something was missing, and it didn’t take me long to work out what it was. It was us, the audience at home watching the livestream rather than looking up at the stage in person. Watching the performances on a screen meant that Don’t Touch Duckie, personally, felt a little flat. Translating the atmosphere of such an extravagant show to an online production was always going to be difficult, however, I admire the work put into providing a creative experience for audiences, even when they were unable to be there in person. Overall, I think that if you are ever presented with an opportunity to watch performances produced by Duckie in person, I would take it in a heartbeat. Don’t Touch Duckie was performed live on 17 May at St Andrew’s Hall to a socially distanced audience. It was also live streamed for audience who couldn’t make the live event.
Senseless Tiah-Paige Burrell Senseless was an innovative play that mixed technology with live actors to create a thought-provoking performance based on how social media impacts daily living, and how a pandemic can affect people whilst in isolation. In an interview I held over email with the writer, James McDermott, he said the main message he wanted the audience
to take away was how “an over-dependence on technology in our relationships can have a detrimental impact on our love lives, creativity, verbal communication skills and our senses.” This is strongly conveyed through the piece as we follow two lovers and their online dating experience through a pandemic caused by a virus, which induces symptoms of losing passion – rendering the victims senseless, as the title of the play suggests. The play encapsulates a variety of ideas, from the impact of a pandemic, to the archetypes of online dating, to the difficulties of meeting someone in person for the first time, the nature of the play is very relatable to the audience. Meanwhile, despite the correlation between Covid-19 and the virus in Senseless, I am also reminded of a computer virus, rendering you as unfeeling as the code behind our screens. It’s a fascinating balance between the two. My favourite part of the play was after (spoiler alert) Adam dies, and Eve visits a clinic to digitally recreate him. This whole scene has an extremely dystopian feel, and it makes the audience really question morality when it comes to how far you’d go whilst in grief. I also enjoyed how the characters are named after their biblical counterparts, as it foreshadows that Eve will be tempted, and Adam will fall. McDermott found that “the biggest challenge was rehearsing and filming the project at Guildhall in only 10 days due to Covid restrictions.” I feel the play overcame this challenge exceptionally well: the compelling storyline had me hooked - I was so absorbed that I myself almost became ‘senseless’. Overall the play took me on a cathartic journey and I loved the insight it brought into my views on technology versus life. Top: Jade Anderson’s I Am at NNF21. Photo Mary Doggett Bottom: James McDermott’s Senseless, part of Future and Form at NNF21. Photo Em Davis
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Reviews
group that has been run by the Book Hive for about 4 years now; regrettably I hadn’t heard of it before, but now seemed like the perfect time to be welcomed into the idea of communal reading - particularly in such a stunning setting. Joe Hedinger, a bookseller at the Book Hive (Norwich’s own literary treasure trove, highly addictive, and responsible for this event in collaboration with NNF) spoke a few words on this at the beginning of the event; how whilst many are drawn to reading because it is ‘a practice that relieves the stress of our hectic lifestyles’, having a busy schedule can also be the downfall of the activity. This was what made the event so memorable - whilst the Book Hive’s Wednesday book club had continued on zoom during lockdown, this non-virtual event was symbolic of our movement back from entirely digital living to outdoor experiences.
Page Against The Machine Mimi Ronson ‘This is what I think heaven looks like’; reading in the glorious sunshine After months cramped indoors, there are few things I crave more, in our midpandemic world, than social interaction. Page Against The Machine was certainly interaction; but in a more meditative way than your average morning coffee chat. I arrived at Norwich’s stunning Plantation Gardens at around half eleven in the morning; the perfect nugget of time left for me to observe couples and small groups trickle into the gardens in a summery daze. There were many comments on the weather (‘what gorgeous sunshine’), coupled with the odd remark that we could now put on those new sunglasses bought online during lockdown in a pandemic daze. The sun was perfect; the scenery was divine; the
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atmosphere oozing with a giddiness that we were in fact seeing people beyond our bubble for a distanced event. As I sat down on the grass and brought out my two books – I was near the end of one and had preempted its completion with a fresh new copy of Virginia Woolf’s ‘Three Guineas’ – I took a deep breath and simply felt happy to be sitting amongst the vibrant flowers and greenery. It was like shrugging off those hours of zoom calls and faulty connections that had so many of us in near-tears; no wifi needed for this event, something wonderful if, like me, connection comes and goes in your home. Page Against The Machine was the name of the event – an hour and a half of reading in nature is what it entailed. A clever name – turning ‘rage’ to ‘page’ seems to reflect the tranquility that can be obtained from reading, and the ‘rage’ that many experienced when our laptops wouldn’t connect to a zoom meeting. It’s a reading
One thing that made me chuckle into my book was the whispers beside me; from a couple on a bench nearby, the woman, like most of us, immersed in a book. The man’s attempts to speak were met with a short response – ‘shh, I’m reading’. What resonated with me perhaps most of all is that even after a pandemic – which for many meant long periods of quiet and absence in their homes – we still yearn for a kind of hush, a detachment from everything as we read. I think that’s a lesson I’ve taken from this wonderful event – I need to find a quiet moment, five or ten minutes of just me, my book and nature. I’m happy to say I managed to finish my book in the Plantation Gardens; and in this brief pause between that book and the next I gazed at my surroundings, taking in the people, the faces not longer hidden by masks, the plants, sky and the weird world around me. Having spoken to a few attendees earlier about the event, what really stuck with me is when Gemma, who works at the Festival, told me, ‘This is what heaven looks like’ I’m sure she’s right. Events like these make me feel so lucky to live in Norwich, and so grateful for organisations like Norfolk & Norwich Festival. Here’s to a better year, summer and world. Page Against The Machine at NNF21.
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Tim Spooner and Matthew Robins’ WEAK TRANSMISSION at NNF21