Some reviews are difficult to write, not because there isn’t anything to say about a production, but, because the fact that the element of surprise is so central to the success of the piece, that to say anything that would weaken the whole experience. So it is with Bad Physics’ The Adventure. Forget sitting in…
With an expanding ageing population and lengthening life expectancy, the subject of how we care for the elderly is a subject close to many. Of course, the experience and expectations change over time and in Laura Poliakoff’s Clockwork we jump forward 80-odd years to see what sort of future today’s 20-somethings face in old age….
The black mud on the foreshore of the River Thames conceals many secrets. Across the centuries the mud has swallowed up the unwary, depositing their remains and belongings years later for treasure seekers. For three teenage Essex lads, the twists and turns of the mighty Thames offer both hopes and frustration. The shipping that sails…
Just weeks ahead of this year’s HighTide Festival, organisers have announced a second London transfer. Vickie Donoghue’s debut play, Mudlarks, will now play at London’s Theatre503 following a run at the Halesworth based festival. Mudlarks will join HighTide’s production of Ella Hickson’s Boys in London, which has already announced plans for a run at the…
HighTide Festival Theatre have announced the appointment of Holly Kendrick as their new Executive Director. Currently Director and CEO of the National Student Drama Festival, Kendrick will join HighTide in July. Kendrick has led the NSDF since 2006, during which time she has produced five annual festivals in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, and for 2012 has…
When a theatre new writing festival was first announced, based in Halesworth, a small Suffolk market town, some outside the region thought it was doomed to fail. Suffolk and East Anglia as a whole, though, have a strong tradition of creating art and now the HighTide Festival has grown to become one of the country’s…
This week The Stage newspaper published its annual Stage100, a list of those seen as the most influential people in theatre this year. The list is compiled by a panel of judges but, this year, their list has caused some comment with its focus on London and the West End in particular. Lyn Gardner in…
While in the course of reviewing one often ends up seeing plays seen before, it is less common to see a new piece of work twice in 6 months. All dramatic works, even established plays, go through a period of development during their lives but for new writing this development work is often carried out…
Novelist and Poet Laureate Andrew Motion has now turned his hand to playwrighting. His first play, Incoming, receiving a world premiere at the HighTide Festival is a promising debut. Steph is packing up her belongings ahead of a move to a new house. It’s a traumatic and emotional experience for her as the home holds…
Two households, both alike in dignity. In fair Verona, where we lay our scene. From ancient grudge break to new mutiny. Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean. Replace Verona with Westminster and you could have the tag line for Nicked. This isn’t Shakespeare, though, but a new musical looking at Deputy PM Nick Clegg’s…
Whatever happens to our teenage dreams and is it ever wise to revisit your past? Twenty four years ago Molly was going to be happily married with kids and free of her stammer, Ray was going to be a heart surgeon. A kiss on the boardwalk full of hope and promise. Now, nearly a quarter…
Does the fact that you can’t remember your past actions absolve you of any responsibility for them? Alice is a young soldier serving as an interrogator in Guantanamo Bay; her best friend is a medic who was forced to flee Iraq at the age of eight and is using her time in the army as…
With the televised leader’s debates currently generating huge public interest, it is an interesting time to examine the relationship between the state and television news. How is journalistic freedom compromised if you find yourself working for a state controlled television station? That’s the starting premise of Serge Cartwright’s debut play at the HighTide Festival. Drawing…
With the televised leader’s debates currently generating huge public interest, it is an interesting time to examine the relationship between the state and television news. How is journalistic freedom compromised if you find yourself working for a state controlled television station? That’s the starting premise of Serge Cartwright’s debut play at the HighTide Festival. Drawing…
Post apocalyptic drama has been a staple for many writers over the years but Beth Steel’s stunning debut play Ditch can claim space among the best of them. Some never explained catastrophe (global warming?) has befallen civilisation with most of the country left under water. The Government has collapsed and a group of surviors have taken…
Post apocalyptic drama has been a staple for many writers over the years but Beth Steel’s stunning debut play Ditch can claim space among the best of them. Some never explained catastrophe (global warming?) has befallen civilisation with most of the country left under water. The Government has collapsed and a group of surviors have taken…