Norfolk & Norwich Festival 2024

[Jan McNulty]

The Norfolk & Norwich Festival returns in 2024 with a huge variety of work staged in and around the city of Norwich for 17 days from 10 May - 26 May 2024. The UK’s oldest single-city arts festival will feature the World Premiere of a brand new show from the modern circus troupe Circolombia, playing throughout the fortnight. I wondered if you might be interested in featuring Circolombia in a preview?

 

All the way from South America and created especially for the Festival’s Adnams Spiegeltent, Circolombia will present the World Premiere of Corazón ('heart' in Spanish).  Founded in 2006, Circolombia showcase the talents of young Columbians, and is known for producing high-energy modern circus shows with a distinctive Latin feel. Having toured across the world, performing at festivals from Adelaide to Edinburgh, they arrive to headline the Spiegeltent in Festival Gardens between 15 - 26 May. Corazón will be in keeping with their acclaimed style as a group - a circus concert full of breathless acrobatic feats and infectious music.

 

https://nnfestival.org.uk/whats-on/

 

[alison]

Norwich is a Fine City to visit - and if Anglia or Greater Anglia or whatever their name is are doing some offers bargain rail tickets may be available.  (Friends last year got a ridiculous price for visiting from Northern Scotland!)

[Jan McNulty]

PRESS RELEASE  Facebook  / Instagram / Twitter / YouTube / Website   NORFOLK & NORWICH FESTIVAL 2024 FRIDAY 10 - SUNDAY 26 MAY 2024     NORFOLK & NORWICH FESTIVAL 2024 FULL PROGRAMME IS ANNOUNCED TODAY AS TICKETS GO ON SALE   The giant puppet from L’Homme Debout’s Mo and The Red Ribbon which will roam the streets of Norwich   Festival Director, Daniel Brine, has today announced the full programme for this year’s Norfolk & Norwich Festival. Tickets are on sale to those with Priority Booking from 27 February and public booking opens on 1 March at www.nnfestival.org.uk.      This year’s programme features a range of international acts rubbing shoulders with national and local artists. The programme features a number of ‘stories’ providing guided routes through the Festival and bringing together shows and events that share common themes. Whisper and Shout focuses on the ways in which artists communicate - from small, intimate moments of contemplation, to bold, in-your-face brashness. Our East Voicesshares the work of some exciting artists from the East of England, while A Greener Worldexplores how artists tackle our concerns for the natural world.     A giant puppet will parade through the streets of Norwich as French company L’Homme Debout bring their playful and poetic story of Mo and The Red Ribbon as part of the opening Welcome Weekend on the city’s streets. Columbian circus troupe Circolombiapresent the world premiere of Corazón as the centrepiece to the Adnams Spiegeltent programme. One of two resident artists at this year’s Festival, harpsichordist Mahan Esfahani performs a trio of shows, including an all-Bach programme with the Britten Sinfonia. Chamber Choir Ireland will perform a programme featuring the best contemporary choral music.     This year also sees Norfolk & Norwich Festival and Norwich Theatre collaborating on an international celebration of dance and physical theatre in a programme of work curated by both organisations. It features Tess by circus company Ockham’s Razor - a new adaptation of the Thomas Hardy classic, a short film by Dan Canham - Fenland Elegy, the UK premiere of Rachel Ní Bhraonáin’s high-octane dance theatre, MOSH, Xenia Aidonopoulou’s playful children’s dance show Skydiver and the new collaboration between Marc Brew and Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui - an Accident / a Life.     The ’stories’ woven through this year’s programme sees Our East Voices bring together a diverse and impressive collection of local artists. Laura Cannell, who as part of the second artistic residency, will perform her album Antiphony of The Trees live in Norwich Cathedral and, amongst her other Festival performances, shares music and conversation in Dark Tales from The Guildhall. Master of Music at Norwich Cathedral Ashley Grote, will perform Olivier Messaien on the newly refurbished cathedral organ and Molly Naylorpresents Make Me – a work in progress, devised with local young people.     Local poetry collective Toast will curate this year’s Speak Easy – a performance poetry tent in Festival Gardens. Spill Festival director Robin Deacon performs his own work Through The Round Window and poet Luke Wright celebrates his 25th anniversary as a performer with a show in the Adnams Spiegeltent.     A Greener World explores issues surrounding the environment and features the world premiere of Steve Waters’ three short plays entitled Phoenix Dodo Butterfly. On Our Doorsteps is an installation exploring the relationships between urban communities and the green spaces in their neighbourhood - created by We Live Here, Zakiya Mackenzie and Tiitu Takalo, in collaboration with local people and Norfolk Wildlife Trust. Art for the Environment, at GroundWork gallery in King’s Lynn showcases some of the most exciting artists from University of the Arts London, drawing attention to our fragile planet.     Lucy McCormick’s Lucy and Friends is an anarchic cry for help, which subverts the normal dynamic between audience and performer. It sits in the Whisper and Shout section of the programme that examines the many different ways artists speak to an audience. Contrastingly, Memory of Birds by Lebanese artist Tania El Khoury is a lulling contemplation about political violence.      Presented in partnership with the National Centre for Writing, the City of Literature Weekend explores questions of communication and representation with numerous events and writers including Carys Davies, Jon McGregor, Val McDermid and Marchelle Farrell.     Other Festival highlights include the world premiere of new eight hour epic organ composition 268 years of reverb, composed by Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood, and at Houghton Hall, Antony Gormley’s spectacular large scale installation Time Horizon and a series of sculptures by Magdalene Odundo. The launch of The Book of Thetford, created by 8-11 year old children from Thetford schools, in collaboration with artists Andy Field and Beckie Darlington, showcases one of several projects with the community run by the Festival.     Festival Director Daniel Brine said: “We are excited by the depth, democracy and diversity of this year’s programme. There’s an exciting blend of international acts including premieres and new commissions. I’m particularly looking forward to presenting Rachel Ní Bhraonáin’s MOSH and thrilled we’ve been able to commission a new circus show from Circolombia – the first time we’ve done so in a number of years. Importantly though for us, there’s a strong flavour of the East about the Festival with artists like Laura Cannell, Molly Naylor and Luke Wright but also, with our new community collaborations, we’re bringing to the fore the voices of many, many local people.”        The full programme for Norfolk and Norwich Festival 2024 can be found below.       NORFOLK & NORWICH FESTIVAL 2024   THEATRE AND PERFORMANCE   WELCOME WEEKEND Friday 10 - Sunday 12 May Norwich City Centre FREE Free performances across the city centre - see website for full listings.     L’HOMME DEBOUT Mo and the Red Ribbon Friday 10 May, 9pm Norwich City Centre  FREE Follow Mo’s fantastical journey towards a new life. Combining giant puppetry and emotional storytelling, Mo and the Red Ribbon explores the experience of migration from a child’s perspective, offering an ultimately optimistic look at the world we inhabit and those we share it with.     STEVE WATERS Phoenix Dodo Butterfly Saturday 11 May, 7.30pm, UEA Drama Studio Saturday 25 May, 7.30pm, The Drill House, Great Yarmouth Tickets £20 (Norwich), £16 (Great Yarmouth) | U18/YoungNNF £7.50 What future do we want to live in? On a Norfolk farm, Martin and Becky seek to find their way through three futures: one of flood, one of fire, and one of drought. Does their estranged daughter Aimee hold the secret to survival? This unique show will be followed by a panel discussion on the climate crisis, including speakers Patrick Barkham (UEA) and Tom Heap (Drill House). The performance on Saturday 11 May will be BSL interpreted.     SHEILA GHELANI & SUE PALMER Common Salt Tuesday 14 & Wednesday 15 May, 6pm This performance will also be live streamed on Wednesday 15 May at 6pm for free (please book in advance). Norwich Castle Museum and Art Gallery Tickets £16 | U18/YoungNNF £7.50 Common Salt is a performance around a table – a ‘show and tell’, exploring the colonial and geographical history of England and India. Sue and Sheila activate insights into our shared past, laying out a ‘home museum’ of objects and stories; creating ‘a miniature with epic undertones.’ All of this is accompanied by laments on the shruti box, a traditional Indian instrument.     CIRCOLOMBIA Corazón Wednesday 15 - Sunday 26 May, 7.30pm (Sundays 5.30pm) Adnams Spiegeltent Weekdays £25, £22, Fri-Sat-Sun £27, £24 | U18/YoungNNF £7.50 A brand new show. All the way from South America and created especially for the Adnams Spiegeltent! Circolombia invites you into their home to experience Corazón (Heart). This world premiere, commissioned by Norfolk & Norwich Festival, is a fun-fuelled circus concert, packed with breathless circus feats and infectious music where you, the audience, are warmly invited right into the beating Latin heart.     TANIA EL KHOURY Memory of Birds Thursday 16 May - Saturday 18 May, every hour 11am-4pm Sainsbury Centre Sculpture Park Tickets £16 | U18/YoungNNF £7.50 Immerse yourself in a guided sensory experience. In collaboration with a trauma therapist and migrating birds, Memory of Birds is an interactive sound installation in the trees. The work explores political violence that both literally and figuratively gets buried in contested land. Ages 14+   HIGH TIDE & MOLLY NAYLOR  Make Me Thursday 16 May, 6pm Walter Roy Theatre, Hewett Academy Tickets £7.50 Set around a struggling secondary school in Ipswich, Make Me tells the story of an inept drama teacher with a saviour-complex, and the three young women she’s determined to save.A Festival Connect & Create project, in partnership with High Tide, Make Me was devised in collaboration with GCSE drama pupils of Hewett Academy. This is a work in progress performance.     LUCY MCCORMICK Lucy & Friends Thursday 16 May, 10pm Adnams Spiegeltent Tickets £18 | U18/YoungNNF £7.50 In a despairing world, Lucy McCormick attempts to create community and connection the only way she knows how – through a smattering of sing-a-longs and a celebration of silliness. A master of theatrical manipulation and crushing personal vulnerability, Lucy leaves her audiences needing a hug, a cry and an immediate shower. Contains strong language, scenes of a sexual nature and nudity. Ages 18+     TANIA EL KHOURY in conversation with Lois Keidan Saturday 18 May, 4pm Elizabeth Fry Lecture Theatre, UEA Tickets £5 Join Tania El Khoury as she talks to Lois Keidan, founder of the Live Art Development Agency, about Memory of Birds and notions of migration, the politics of interacting with humans and the more-than-humans, the production of collective memory and the cultivation of solidarity.     NORWICH THEATRE PRESENT OCKHAM’S RAZOR Tess Tuesday 21 & Wednesday 22 May, 7.30pm Norwich Theatre Royal Tickets £25, £20, £10 Classic literature, physical theatre and circus collide in Tess; a groundbreaking adaptation of Thomas Hardy’s classic novel Tess of the D’Urbervilles. An inventive and evocative retelling, Tess has extraordinary relevance for contemporary audiences, exploring privilege, class, poverty, sisterhood and female desire. Ages 12+     ROBIN DEACON Through the Round Window Wednesday 22 May, 7.30pm Norwich Arts Centre Tickets £16 | U18/YoungNNF £7.50 Robin Deacon presents his haunted memories of 1970’s and 80’s television culture. Robin charts his journey as a child learning from the television screen to his adult experiences as a lecturer and a professor, examining the relationship between education and representation.     SUSANNAH HEWLETT & ORIGINALPROJECTS PRESENT Hard Leisure Friday 24 May, 8pm The Jube, Great Yarmouth Tickets Pay what you can, £20, £15, £10, £5 An anarchic club night of performance and disco, bringing together some of the most outrageous queer talents from across the country. Hosted by Great Yarmouth’s very own Bigg Taystee and Pussyfoot, keeping you on the dancefloor until 2am.     NORWICH THEATRE PRESENT MARC BREW & SIDI LARBI CHERKAOUI an Accident / a Life Friday 24 & Saturday 25 May, 19:30 Norwich Theatre Royal Tickets £35, £32, £28, £24, £10 In this exciting new collaboration, Marc Brew and Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui attempt to find new forms of movement and question socially standardised images of people with disabilities. They explore profound events and fraught memories using dance, storytelling, film and a car. Ages 14+     SPARE TYRE On The Beach Thursday 23 May, 11.30am & 2.30pm | Sheringham Little Theatre Saturday 25 May, 11.30am & 2.30pm | St George's Theatre, Great Yarmouth Book via venues. Tickets Pay what you want, £15, £10, £5, £3 On The Beach is an intimate and interactive sensory experience for 6–8 people living with dementia and their carers. Join us for a day in the life of a working beach, as we explore its myths, magic, perils and ever-changing beauty through dance, music and visual storytelling. On The Beach is entirely non-verbal. As such, it can be enjoyed by d/Deaf audiences and those with English as a second language.       DANCE   A FILM BY DAN CANHAM, WITH KATIE BOAG, ASH GOOSEY AND BENJI BOWER Fenland Elegy Saturday 18 & Sunday 19 May, 11am-4pm, drop ins The Gallery, The Forum FREE, no booking required A short and stirring dance film shot at sunset in the Fens of East Anglia, Fenland Elegy combines heart-rending symphonic music with the immense technical and expressive form of Krump dance to lament the passing of a landscape.     RAGROOF TEA DANCES The legendary Ragroof Tea Dances return to the beautiful Adnams Spiegeltent – expect vintage music, glamorous costumes, and glorious dance displays. Enjoy a tipple at the bar, or tea and a delicious Jarrolds scone!   The Strawberry Ball Saturday 18 May, 11am Adnams Spiegeltent Tickets £18 | U18/Young NNF £7.50 Put on your fanciest frocks and join us to dance whimsical waltzes and feathery foxtrots.     The Coconut Club Sunday 19 May, 11am Adnams Spiegeltent Tickets £18 | U18/Young NNF £7.50 A tropical cocktail of vintage Latin favourites, from sizzling Sambas and sexy Salsas to melodic Mambos and merry Merengues.       XENIA AIDONOPOULOU Skydiver Wednesday 22 & Thursday 23 May, 11.30am & 1.30pm The Garage Tickets £11 | U18/YoungNNF £7.50 | Group of 4 £30 Take your little ones on a magical journey with Skydiver and experience how movement, sound and stunning visuals bring whimsical characters to life in an enchanting encounter in the skies. Age recommendation 3-5 years       RACHEL NÍ BHRAONAÍN MOSH Thursday 23 - Saturday 25 May, 7.30pm Epic Studios Tickets £20 | U18/Young NNF £7.50 MOSH is a high-octane dance, theatre and music show about the culture of the mosh pit. Consisting of five dancers, one drummer, humour, heart, and a hell of a lot of headbanging, this show is like nothing you’ve ever seen before. Ages 12+       MUSIC     GUILDHALL SESSIONS Saturday 11, Sunday 12, Saturday 25 & Sunday 26 May, 11am-4pm drop in Norwich Guildhall FREE Six new music films screened in Norwich Guildhall. Over 600 years the building has been home to the centre of city government, a jail and courthouse and is now home to the Festival. This history inspired commissions by Stick in the Wheel, Laura Cannell, Rakhi Singh, Tamsin Elliott, Una Lee and Sian Croose. The works are also available to view online, and to buy as a limited-edition CD or download. The showing on 11 May and 12 May will take place up a flight of stairs.     AURORA ORCHESTRA Eroica by Heart Saturday 11 May, 6pm & 8pm Norwich Cathedral Tickets £27 | U18/YoungNNF £7.50 Aurora Orchestra present a unique performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3. Performed entirely from memory and stripped of music stands, get up close and personal in the atmospheric surrounds of Norwich Cathedral.     LAURA CANNELL Antiphony of the Trees Sunday 12 May, 7.45pm Norwich Cathedral Tickets £16 | U18/YoungNNF £7.50 Norfolk’s own Laura Cannell presents the live version of her seventh solo album Antiphony of the Trees. Inspired by birdsong, the album has been transformed into a live project. Armed with electronics and an armful of recorders, she creates a sublime sonic folk experiment not to be missed.     ASHLEY GROTE  Night Pipes: Olivier Messiaen Organ Works Sunday 12 May, 9pm Norwich Cathedral Tickets £10 | U18/YoungNNF £7.50 A night-time meditation featuring music by Olivier Messiaen, performed on the newly refurbished organ of Norwich Cathedral. Master of Music, Ashley Grote, plays three towering works of the organ repertoire, displaying the full range of the instrument, from the quietest whisper to the mightiest thunder.     CHAOS STRING QUARTET Tuesday 14 May, 1pm Octagon Chapel Tickets £17, £15 | U18/YoungNNF Free Founded in 2019 on the principles of chaos in the arts, science, and philosophy, the Chaos String Quartet has rapidly established itself on the international music scene and has won numerous awards at some of the most prestigious international competitions. Luigi Boccherini String Quartet Op. 2 No. 1 György Kurtág Officium Breve Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart String Quartet No. 22, KV 589     MICHAEL PANDYA AND KEVAL SHAH  Tuesday 14 May, 7pm Octagon Chapel Tickets £17, £15 | U18/YoungNNF Free Michael Pandya is a pianist and conductor increasingly sought after across Europe. Keval Shah has been recognised for the artistic and intellectual originality of his playing. These two rising collaborative pianists take to the Octagon stage for an evening of beautiful piano duets with a lively programme including Chopin, Brahms and Erik Satie.     GENEVA LEWIS New Zealand born violinist, Geneva Lewis, makes a welcome return for a trio of county-wide concerts at this year’s Festival. Following her 2023 appearance, this remarkable violinist has made her BBC Proms debut and worked with the BBC Symphony Orchestra. Wednesday 15 May, 1pm, Octagon Chapel Tickets £17, £15 | U18/YoungNNF Free Johan Goerg Pisendel Sonata in A Minor  Reena Esmail Darshan Cheryl Frances-Hoad Suite No. 1  Andrew Norman Sabina Eugène Ysaÿe Sonata No. 5 for Solo Violin Thursday 16 May, 1pm, Sheringham Little Theatre Friday 17 May, 1pm, The Corn Hall, Diss Tickets £17, £15 | U18/YoungNNF Free Johann Sebastian Bach Partita for violin No.3 in E major, BWV 1006.1  Reena Esmail Darshan  Andrew Norman Sabina  Eugène Ysaÿe Sonata for Solo Violin, op.27, No.5     MICHAEL PANDYA AND ANDREW HAMILTON Wednesday 15 May, 7pm Octagon Chapel Tickets £17, £15 | U18/YoungNNF Free In Michael Pandya’s second concert, he is joined by British baritone, Andrew Hamilton. Part of the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich, Andrew is an enthusiastic interpreter of song with an astonishing wealth of expression. The programme includes work by Debussy, Strauss and Rachmaninov.     NORFOLK FOLKLORE SOCIETY & LAURA CANNELL Dark Tales from the Guildhall Wednesday 15 May, 7pm Norwich Guildhall Tickets £10 | U18/YoungNNF £7.50 In a wonderfully atmospheric setting, the Norfolk Folklore Society and performer Laura Cannell will join to create a magical night filled with tales of ghosts, witchcraft, secret tunnels and dreadful murders linked to Norwich’s Guildhall, a distinctive building which has been at the heart of the Fine City for centuries. Ages 16+     THE BAND STAND Thursday 16 - Sunday 19 May | Thursday 23 - Sunday 26 May Festival Gardens FREE 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.   HINAKO OMORI “Stillness, Softness…” for piano, strings and harp Thursday 16 May, 8pm St Peter Mancroft Tickets £22, £16, £10 | U18/YoungNNF £7.50 Japanese composer Hinako Omori presents new arrangements of songs from recent album Stillness, Softness... Originally written for synthesizers, these reimagined versions explore the boundaries between natural and synthesized sound worlds, on themes of dreams versus reality, solitude, and reconnecting with and finding peace within ourselves.      COMPLINE BY CANDLELIGHT Friday 17 May, 9pm Norwich Cathedral FREE, no booking required 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.     PONGO Friday 17 May, 10pm Adnams Spiegeltent Tickets £17 (£20 on the door) | U18/YoungNNF £7.50 The Queen of Kuduro, Pongo mixes genres and languages, drawing from her Angolan and Portuguese roots. Connecting Kuduro to Afrobeats, Favela Funk or even Afrofunk, Pongo sets the tone for her debut upcoming project ‘SAKIDILA’: powerful and addictive party and club music.     268 YEARS OF REVERB Composed by Jonny Greenwood | Performed by James McVinnie and Eliza McCarthy Saturday 18 May, 2pm Octagon Chapel Full 8 hours £50 (on the day £60) | 1 hour 50 minute time slots £20 (on the day £25) | U18/YoungNNF £7.50 (available for 1 hour 50 minutes only) 268 years of reverb was written to summon all the music, voices and sounds that have ever filled the air and soaked into the walls of a room: to shake or coax them out of the fabric of the building, so they can be heard again - distilled and concentrated into eight hours.     KING CREOSOTE Saturday 18 May, 8pm Norwich Cathedral Tickets £27, £25, £17, £10 | U18/YoungNNF £7.50 Kenny Anderson (AKA King Creosote) has developed a reputation for his goosebump-inducing brand of folk-pop. Lyrics both ethereal and everyday are plotted against kaleidoscopic musical terrain that explores everything from accordions to vibraphones.     GIRL RAY Saturday 18 May, 10pm Adnams Spiegeltent Tickets £17 (£20 on the door) | U18/YoungNNF £7.50 One of the most exhilarating and original pop bands around, Girl Ray look back to the post-disco dancefloors of the early eighties. Their latest album Prestige is a life affirming celebration of the transformative power of pop music at its most glorious.     LAURA CANNELL Modern Ritual Sunday 19 May, 8.30pm Adnams Spiegeltent Tickets £17 (£20 on the door) | U18/YoungNNF £7.50 Modern Ritual brings together a collective of musicians and writers who respond to the idea of what modern ritual means to them. This wonderful evening will transport you to enchanted landscapes with communal tales and song.     BBC INTRODUCING PRESENTS Band Night Monday 20 May, 7pm Adnams Spiegeltent Tickets £10 (£12 on the day) | U18/YoungNNF £7.50 Watch some of the most exciting up-and-coming artists from Norfolk’s thriving music scene, as they take to the Adnams Spiegeltent stage. Headlined by Floral Image, Band Night features some of the most promising local talent, in a night programmed by BBC Introducing.     KARINE POLWART Light Through the Window Tuesday 21 May, 10pm Adnams Spiegeltent Tickets £17 (£20 on the day) | U18/YoungNNF £7.50 Karine Polwart is a multi-award-winning Scottish songwriter, folk singer and storyteller. Her songs evoke a richness of place, hidden histories, scientific curiosity and folklore. She conjures the beauty and magic, the sorrow and complexity of the world out of the corner of her eye, with lyricism and tenderness.     CHAMBER CHOIR IRELAND Wednesday 22 May, 7.30pm Cathedral of St John the Baptist Tickets £25, £20, £15, £10 | U18/YoungNNF £7.50 The dazzling voices of Ireland’s national chamber choir bring the best of contemporary choral music - featuring Arvo Pärt’s sublime O Holy Father Nicholas; a ‘cacophony of private secrets’ in Cassandra Miller’s The City, Full of People; eccentric Irish-ness in David Fennessy’s chOirland; and Caroline Shaw’s origami-inspired How to Fold the Wind.     NUBIYAN TWIST Wednesday 22 May, 10pm Adnams Spiegeltent Tickets £17 (£20 on the day) | U18/YoungNNF £7.50 A blend of virtuosic players, skilled producers and inspired composers join forces to create a unique, infectious sound drawing on jazz, hip-hop, afrobeat, dancehall, soul, reggae and dance music. Expect ultra-tight musicianship and a powerful 9-piece, big band sound.     MAHAN ESFAHANI Thursday 23 May, 8pm Octagon Chapel Tickets £22, £18 | U18/YoungNNF £7.50 Mahan Esfahani kicks off his residency with a solo programme featuring two warhorses of the harpsichord repertoire by Rameau and Buxtehude. Kaija Saariaho’s Jardin Secret II combines harpsichord and electronics, and a new work by Marcus Rock receives its world premiere.     STICK IN THE WHEEL Thursday 23 May, 10pm Adnams Spiegeltent Tickets £17 (£20 on the day) | U18/YoungNNF £7.50 This radical East London duo are known for their intense live shows exploring the raw holler of folk, electronica, spoken word and intricate rustic dobro guitar. Centuries-old work songs are fused with contemporary electronica and speak on issues of class with a razor-sharp authenticity.     MAHAN ESFAHANI Whispered Spells Friday 24 May, Every 15 minutes between 2pm-3.45pm & 5pm-6.45pm Secret City Centre Venue Tickets £5 Mahan Esfahani plays the simple yet seductive European keyboard instrument, the clavichord. In a secret location to be revealed, tiny audiences will be treated to intimate, ten-minute recitals of music, specially curated by Esfahani for his Festival residency.     APARTMENT HOUSE Friday 24 May, 8pm Octagon Chapel Tickets £20, £17 | U18/YoungNNF Free Apartment House present The Marble Index, the seminal postgothic, harmonium-sick 1968 album by Nico and John Cale, featuring Francesca Fargion as vocalist, alongside a new work for cello and ensemble by Cassandra Miller.     LAURA MISCH Friday 24 May, 10pm Adnams Spiegeltent Tickets £17 (£20 on the day) | U18/YoungNNF £7.50 Laura Misch is a saxophonist, vocalist and composer whose work bridges the worlds of electronica and jazz. Her brilliantly inventive arrangements and lush textured sounds are woven through with beautiful folk-esque vocals, to provide a wonderful leftfield pop sound.     BACH: MAHAN ESFAHANI & BRITTEN SINFONIA Saturday 25 May, 7.30pm St Peter Mancroft Tickets £40, £30, £22, £15 | U18/YoungNNF Free The twenty-first century’s leading champion of the harpsichord, Mahan Esfahani returns to Norfolk & Norwich Festival. Joined by the innovative and vital Britten Sinfonia, they perform a programme of uplifting and era-defining concertos by Bach.   Johann Sebastian Bach Orchestral Suite No. 2 BWV 1067 Keyboard Concerto in D minor, BWV 1052 Keyboard Concerto in E major, BWV 1053 Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 BWV 1050   Click here for images BAQUE LUAR Saturday 25 May, 10pm Adnams Spiegeltent Tickets £17 (£20 on the day) | U18/Young NNF £7.50 Baque Luar, meaning ‘Moonlit Beat’, are a collective of diverse female and non-binary vocalists and percussionists, united by their love of Brazilian and Afro Brazilian music. The group combines original multivocal compositions and arrangements with powerful percussive grooves. Their music praises nature and reawakens a cultural imagination to care for our living planet and all its inhabitants.     LITERATURE BOOK OF THETFORD BOOK LAUNCH Thursday 16 May, 2pm The Carnegie, Thetford Tickets £5 Join us in celebrating the Book of Thetford! Created by children, aged 8-11, from Thetford schools in collaboration with artists Andy Field and Beckie Darlington. Part fictional imagining, part actual guidebook, the book is an opportunity for adults to see and experience a place through the eyes of some of its youngest inhabitants.     WANDERING WORDS Throughout the Festival FREE, no booking required Experience Norwich through fresh eyes and make discoveries about its past, present and future by embarking on a self-guided literary walking trail of the city. Visit nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/wandering-words to download the map. Alternatively, pick up a physical copy at the Festival Box Office.     PICTURE BOOK ADVENTURES with Kate Read Friday 24 May, 10.30am Adnams Spiegeltent Tickets £5 per child, adults free Kickstart your day with an energising interactive storytelling session! Children’s author and illustrator Kate Read invites you to join her on a colourful journey through the natural world. There will be counting, singing and craft activities to enjoy. Suitable for families with children up to seven years old.     POETRY WORKSHOP: GIVING PLACE A VOICE with Elizabeth Lewis Williams Friday 24 May, 11am-1pm National Centre for Writing Dragon Hall Tickets £35 | Concessions £25 How do you give a place a voice? In this relaxed poetry workshop, you will consider the spirit of place and how the landscapes and settlements deeply etched in our minds can be given a voice to speak. How might new voices harness poetry to represent these places anew? Ages 18+     DARING TO DREAM with Ferdia Lennon & Claire Pollard Friday 24 May, 3pm National Centre for Writing Dragon Hall Tickets £10 | U18/Young NNF £7.50 When the stakes are high and reality is shrouded in darkness, how can storytelling help us to carry on? Connecting our present moment to ancient history and folklore, Ferdia Lennon and Clare Pollard discuss how their historical fiction explores themes of belonging, conflict, truth and myth.     THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US with Carys Davies & Jon McGregor Friday 24 May, 6pm National Centre for Writing Dragon Hall Tickets £10 | U18/Young NNF £7.50 Multi-award-winning novelists Carys Davies and Jon McGregor reflect on the human impulse to connect and tell our stories – even when words fail us. Through the prism of Davies’ latest novel, Clear, they will explore solitary landscapes, hidden selves and the intricacies of language.     POEMS AS FRIENDS Featuring Roy McFarlane & Hannah Jane Walker Saturday 25 May, 10am Adnams Spiegeltent Tickets £10 | U18/Young NNF £7.50 Sit back, relax and be taken on a journey in the company of poems by Dylan Thomas, Carol Ann Duffy, Katherine Mansfield, Seamus Heaney, and many more. A warm and uplifting morning event featuring Roy McFarlane and Hannah Jane Walker, who will share readings and insights on the life-changing power of poems as companions.     BUILD A COMMUNITY PICTURE BOOK Saturday 25 & Sunday 26 May, 10-11am & 1-2pm National Centre for Writing Dragon Hall FREE, please book in advance We’re making a picture book! Can you help? Draw, cut and stick a page for our community book inspired by Dragon Hall and the people who have lived and worked here over hundreds of years. There will also be activity packs for you to take home. Ages 5-11 years Limited spaces available, please book a place for your child in advance. One accompanying adult is permitted per child (ticket for adult not required)     WRITING CONFLICT IN FICTION with Michael Donkor Saturday 25 May, 10am-12pm National Centre for Writing Dragon Hall Tickets £35 | Concessions £25 Bring your characters to life and propel your story forward by learning how to create conflict in your fiction writing. Learn tips and trips from Michael Donkor, author of Hold (shortlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize) and Grow Where They Fall. Ages 18+     HARRIET MARTINEAU LECTURE with Val McDermid Saturday 25 May, 12.30pm Adnams Spiegeltent Tickets £12 | U18/Young NNF £7.50 The Harriet Martineau Lecture celebrates the legacy of this 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 one of the UK’s most accomplished and respected novelists, Val McDermid.     PAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE Saturday 25 May, 2pm The Plantation Garden £2 donation on entry Our global shared reading event returns! 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.     A SIGN OF HER OWN with Sarah Marsh Saturday 25 May, 3pm National Centre for Writing Dragon Hall Tickets £10 | U18/Young NNF £7.50 A Sign of Her Own is a mesmerising tale of historical fiction that explores the legacy of the telephone. It is an empowering story of Ellen’s journey towards finding her authentic voice and accepting her deaf identity, and casts new light on the inventor and the invention that would forever change how we communicate. This event will be BSL interpreted.     BOOK BINDING with Judith Ellis Saturday 25 May, 3pm-4.30pm National Centre for Writing Dragon Hall Tickets £15 Try your hand at bookbinding in this practical session led by writer and professional bookbinder Judith Ellis. Whether you’re a zine maker, a poet or you dabble in creative nonfiction, anyone can learn how to turn their work into a simple but beautiful binding. Ages 18+     GROW WHERE THEY FALL with Michael Donkor & Santanu Bhattacharya Saturday 25 May, 5.30pm National Centre for Writing Dragon Hall Tickets £10 | U18/Young NNF £7.50 Two intelligent and compassionate novelists come together to discuss the themes of past lives and blossoming identities in their fiction. Michael Donkor (Hold, Grow Where They Fall) and Santanu Bhattacharya (One Small Voice) will explore coming of age voices, queer and racial identities, and how familial ties and childhood events can affect the adult you become.     BURNT TOAST Late Night Open Mic Poetry Saturday 25 May, 8pm National Centre for Writing Dragon Hall Tickets £10 | U18/Young NNF £7.50 TOAST, the team behind Norfolk’s biggest regular poetry night, is mixing things up with an after-hours slam poetry open mic! Grab a slot, show off your best work, and help us to celebrate East Anglia as a hotbed of creative talent. Includes a headline set from Jasmine Gardosi.     CITY OF LITERATURE PUBLISHING FAIR Sunday 26 May, 10am-4pm National Centre for Writing Dragon Hall FREE, no booking required From hardbacks to zines and everything in-between — discover the vibrant publishing culture of the East of England at our popular biannual publishing fair! Meet the publishers, browse, and purchase their work, and take part in a series of interesting talks throughout the day.     UPROOTED with Marchelle Farrell & Jessica J. Lee Sunday 26 May, 10.30am Adnams Spiegeltent Tickets £10 | U18/Young NNF £7.50 What is home? What can nature teach us about belonging, and how can we plant new roots when we feel out of place? Join Marchelle Farrell and Jessica J. Lee for a hopeful and healing discussion on finding a sense of home through plants and reconnecting to the land.     BOOK COVER DESIGN with Pam Smy Sunday 26 May, 11am-12.30pm National Centre for Writing Dragon Hall Tickets £15 Try your hand at designing a book cover at this practical workshop led by illustrator and lecturer, Pam Smy. Explore issues around page layout and cover design for books of all ages and genres, then practise collage techniques. Ages 18+   NATURE WRITING WORKSHOP: INNER LANDSCAPES with Marchelle Farrell Sunday 26 May, 2pm-4pm National Centre for Writing Dragon Hall Tickets £35 | Concessions £25 What does it mean to be in intimate relationship with the landscape? Therapist, writer and gardener Marchelle Farrell leads a relaxed creative writing session where you are encouraged to explore the relationship between our inner and outer worlds. Take time out to notice our everyday landscapes and the ways they shape us, then use this experience to reshape and reimagine the stories we tell ourselves through writing. Ages 18+     SPOKEN WORD   TOAST at the Festival Speak Easy Tuesday 21 May, 4.30pm Harry Baker, 6pm Dean Atta  Wednesday 22 May, 4.30pm Kate Fox, 6pm Luke Kennard  Thursday 23 May, 4.30pm Salena Godden, 6pm Nikita Gill Festival Gardens Tickets £10 | U18/Young NNF £7.50 TOAST is poetry, but not as you know it. Norfolk’s biggest poetry night is taking over the Festival Speak Easy for three days of poetry, spoken word, storytelling, and performance. Funny, emotional and entertaining, TOAST redefines what poetry is and can be. Ages: 14+     LUKE WRIGHT’S SILVER JUBILEE Friday 24 May, 5pm Adnams Spiegeltent Tickets £16 | U18/Young NNF £7.50 Luke Wright tries to celebrate 25 years of service on the literary frontline but ends up taking a deep dive into himself and the England that raised him. Big glittering showpieces alongside tender tear-jerkers on class, excessive consumption, love and adoption.  This performance will be BSL interpreted.       FOOD   FEAST FROM THE EAST with Chef Alex Firman Friday 17 & Saturday 18 May & Friday 24 & Saturday 25 May, Sittings at 6pm & 8.30pm Festival Gardens £40 per person Chef, Alex Firman hosts a special Festival dining experience in the Festival Speak Easy. A delicious three course vegetarian menu curated with the finest seasonal ingredients procured from Norfolk growers, farmers and makers. Further information at nnfestival.org.uk       VISUAL ARTS   DANIEL & CLARA The Lost Estate Saturday 20 January 2024 - Sunday 12 January 2025 Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery Standard museum admission The Lost Estate is a new photographic series by Daniel & Clara created in response to the works of the Norwich School of Artists. The series explores the relationship between humans and the natural world through imagined narratives, taking place in the gardens of a country estate.     HOLDING SPACE From Saturday 3 February Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery Standard museum admission Holding Space brings together works from Norwich Castle’s modern and contemporary art collection. Works by Michael Andrews and Bruce Lacey are displayed alongside major new acquisitions by contemporary artists including Beatrice Gibson, Ibrahim Mahama and Florence Peake.     THE TRUTH SEASON Sainsbury Centre Saturday 17 February - Sunday 20 October Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery For ticket information visit sainsburycentre.ac.uk During their new season What is Truth?, the Sainsbury Centre will investigate how we can know what is true in the world around us through a series of fascinating, interlinked exhibitions. Against the backdrop of fake news, elaborate scams, and the burgeoning presence of Artificial Intelligence, ponder whether we are experiencing a time when increasingly sophisticated technology can distort reality and diminish our own sense of authenticity. The dynamic 2024 programme consists of four key, interlinked exhibitions:   In Event of Moon Disaster Saturday 17 February - Sunday 4 August   Liquid Gender Saturday 17 February - Sunday 4 August   Jeffrey Gibson - I Can Choose Saturday 24 February - Sunday 4 August     The Camera Never Lies: Challenging Images Through the Incite Project Saturday 18 May - Sunday 20 October       ART FOR THE ENVIRONMENT: ARTISTS FROM AER INTERNATIONAL RESIDENCY PROGRAMME Saturday 16 March - Saturday 8 June GroundWork Gallery, King's Lynn FREE, no booking required Art for the Environment showcases some of the most exciting artists from University of the Arts London, drawing attention to our fragile planet. Using materials from nature and a range of media each piece is concentrating on environmental sustainability and biodiversity.     ZAKIYA MACKENZIE, TIITU TAKALO & WE LIVE HERE On Our Doorsteps Friday 10 May - Sunday 9 June Sweet Briar Marshes Nature Reserve FREE, no booking required Explore a wilderness in the city. Bristol-based writer Zakiya Mackenzie and Finnish graphic novelist Tiitu Takalo unearth the stories of those who love Sweet Briar Marshes in a series of newly commissioned artworks, but you’ll need to get out there to find them. Created in collaboration with local people and Norfolk Wildlife Trust, On Our Doorsteps is part of a nationwide project exploring the relationship between urban communities and the green spaces around us. See nnfestival.org.uk for location details.     OUTPOST AT 20 Thursday 18 April - Thursday 20 June OUTPOST Gallery Free, no booking required OUTPOST at 20 celebrates 20 years of East Anglia’s oldest artist-led space. This 10-week exhibition revisits the 165 exhibitions, diverse residencies, events, and studio activity from the last 2 decades.     ANTONY GORMLEY Time Horizon Sunday 21 April - Thursday 31 October Houghton Hall For ticket information see houghtonhall.com Time Horizon, one of Antony Gormley’s most spectacular large-scale installations, is being shown at Houghton Hall. The show features 100 life-size sculptures installed at the same datum level – some partially buried, some on columns – to create a single horizontal plane across the 300-acre parkland.     FABRICATE: A TECHNICIANS’ SHOWCASE Tuesday 7 May - Saturday 8 June East Gallery, Norwich University of the Arts FREE, no booking required A fabulous mix of digital and physical, traditional and cutting-edge artworks made by the technicians at Norwich University of the Arts.     EMILY STAPLETON JEFFERIS Littoral: A Ceramic Installation Friday 10 - Sunday 19 May The Potters Arms FREE Taking coastal rock pools as a starting point, Emily Stapleton Jefferis dives into their fractal worlds; discovering the intricate relationships that lie within, looping and folding back on themselves. Their life cycles, metamorphoses and symbioses serve as a lesson on the limitations of individualism, and inspiration for this ceramic installation.     SUSANNAH HEWLETT TV Dinners Saturday 18 May - Sunday 9 June PrimeYarc, Great Yarmouth FREE, no booking required Susannah Hewlett’s work mixes live performance, video, comedy, theatre and sound. TV Dinnersbrings together some of her work from the last 20 years - a buffet selection of her finest cold cuts; a platter of audio and televisual highlights and be-wigged character performance. Not to be missed! Susannah will be giving a talk about her work and the exhibition at 4pm on Saturday 18 May.     ROGER ACKLING Sunlight Saturday 18 May - Sunday 22 September Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery Standard museum admission Sunlight is the first survey of the work of British artist Roger Ackling. The exhibition reveals the breadth of Ackling’s practice, from early experiments with a lens to the works made in the final years of his life. Sunlight includes works not previously exhibited in the UK.     CELEBRATING 25 YEARS OF THE SAINSBURY INSTITUTE: FROM NARA TO NORWICH Monday 20 May - Saturday 25 May The Atrium, The Forum FREE, no booking required To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures, this special exhibition explores their archaeology and heritage projects – featuring a 16m replica scroll painting from the medieval Buddhist temple of Hasedera in Japan. On Saturday 25 May there will be performances of chanting at the scroll. Full details to be announced at nnfestival.org.uk.     MAGDALENE ODUNDO Sunday 12 May - Sunday 29 September Houghton Hall For ticket information see houghtonhall.com One of the world’s most revered ceramic artists, Dame Magdalene Odundo, presents an exhibition of sculptures made and sited in response to the state rooms at Houghton Hall.     TALKS & WORKSHOPS   SENSING TREES Sunday 12 May, 3pm GroundWork Gallery, King's Lynn Tickets £18 | Concessions £16 Join an interactive listening and walking event led by sound artist Beth Robertson and composer Stevie Wishart.   LITTORAL WORKSHOP Tuesday 14 May, 6pm | Wednesday 15 May, 10am The Potters Arms Tickets £40 | Concessions £20 Join artist Emily Stapleton-Jefferis in this 3-hour workshop. Following her process, you’ll make your own drawings and ceramic sculpture inspired by coastal rock pools. Ages 8+       MALI MORRIS RA, PAINTER TALKS ABOUT HER WORK Wednesday 15 May, 7pm Norwich School Blake Studio Tickets £10 | U18/Young NNF £7.50 British painter Mali Morris’s career stretches back over 50 years. Her experiments with colour, layering and pictorial space have made her one of the most intriguing abstract painters in the UK today.       STREET PARTY Thursday 16 May, 6pm OUTPOST Gallery FREE, no booking required OUTPOST is throwing a street party to celebrate their 20th birthday. Come along for an evening of guest speakers, art, book stalls and food. As part of the street party, there will be a double bill film screening, Tenants in Revolt and Zone à Défendre at 7.30pm and 8.15pm.  Tickets £5, £7 with a donation to OUTPOST. Please book in advance.     ON OUR DOORSTEPS: ARTIST LED WALK Sunday 19 May, 13:00 & 15:00 Norfolk Wildlife Trust, Sweet Briar Marshes FREE, please book in advance Join artists Zakiya Mackenzie and Tiitu Takalo with Denzil Dean of the Norfolk Wildlife Trust for a walk around Sweet Briar Marshes Nature Reserve to hunt for the artworks they are presenting across this unique and beautiful landscape. It’s a chance to hear more about the history of the reserve, its amazing biodiversity and its relationship with the local community.     SUSANNAH HEWLETT The Great British Cack Off Saturday 25 May, 2pm Great Yarmouth Marketplace FREE, no booking required The ultimate poo making competition using only edible ingredients! A hilarious interactive cacktivity, poopular with all the family! Could you be crowned the next Cack Master? Adults and children, all welcome. All ingredients will be provided (Nut free).