HighTide today announces programming for their 2024 season, which focuses on producing, nurturing and celebrating new writing in the East of England.
The season opens with a script-in-hand reading of Make Me, Molly Naylor’s comedy directed by Blythe Stewart as part of Norwich and Norfolk Festival on 16 May. This is followed by the world première of Martha Loader’s Bindweed – winner of the Judges Award at the Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting 2022. Bindweed directed by Jen Tang and designed by Lulu Tam opens at Mercury Theatre on 13 June and runs until 22 June, touring to New Wolsey Theatre from 28-29 June before a run at Arcola Theatre from 9 -13 July.
In Autumn, following last year’s successful Halloween tour, HighTide returns with More…Ghost Stories by Candlelight written by East Anglian playwrights Tassa Deparis, James McDermott, Eloise Pennycott and Aisha Zia touring the East of England. It will be directed by Emily Ling Williams and designed by Mona Camille. 2024 culminates with HighTide Rising, the one-day play reading festival; this year, celebrating Marie Cooper, Clare Currie, Ted Marriott, Anoop Singh, Rosa Torr and Esohe Uwadiae – the six East of England members of HighTide Writers Group in Ipswich on 23 November.
Alongside this programming Playwrights East offers free, year-round workshops for writers to build their craft and network, generously funded by the Foyle Foundation. Also announced as part of the company’s creative writing in the community programme is Story Worlds, an intensive schools’ programme exploring storytelling through writing and performance. In this 8-week creative programme, primary school pupils build skills in literacy and performance and are encouraged to create bold new tales. The programme concludes with a celebratory sharing event at the Marina Theatre in Lowestoft.
Clare Slater, Artistic Director of HighTide, said today, “HighTide’s commitment to celebrating incredible work from the playwrights of the East of England lies at the heart of our 2024 season. It’s a privilege to be collaborating with so many amazing regional theatres to bring a breadth of exceptional new writing to audiences in the region and beyond. I’m delighted to be co-producing Martha Loader’s award-winning new play, and to be commissioning four more exceptional East Anglian playwrights to share brand new spooky tales of coast, town and fen this autumn.
With the Playwrights East and Story Worlds initiatives, I’m proud that HighTide will also continue to support and nurture new and young talent in the local community.”
HighTide’s Climate Dramaturgy Knowledge Exchange, funded by Cambridge University, continues across the year as the company continues its artistic practice of Climate Dramaturgy, supporting artists, staff and other organisations in the region to make climate-positive choices.
