HIGHTIDE FESTIVAL 2013 Completes Lineup

HighTide Festival Theatre will announce full casting for its 2013 season (see below for full details). Also HighTide is pleased to announce further 'In Conversation' events with writer and director Stephen Poliakoff CBE, and playwright and novelist Michael Frayn. Author and broadcaster Kate Mosse will conduct the conversation with Michael Frayn, whilst television presenter RiCK Edwards will hostconversations with Stephen Poliakoff and (previously announced) Roger Michell.

Author Louis de Bernières will also attend this year's festival for a special event entitled 'An Audience with Louis de Bernières', where he will be performing live music, stories, and giving a sneak preview of a forthcoming collection of poetry.

HighTide Artistic Director Steven Atkinson said about today's announcement, 'Over the past six years leading figures from our industry have shown tremendous support of new talent by giving talks at our festival. Following on from past speakers such as Tom Stoppard, Juliet Stevenson, and Owen Jones, we are delighted this year to have one of our strongest line-ups yet.'

2013 will be the seventh HighTide Festival in Halesworth, Suffolk 2-12 May with an extraordinary array of new plays, music, comedy and readings.

Press Day for this year's festival is Saturday 4 May. Media are invited to attend on that day or after if another date is more preferable during the festival.

HighTide Festival Theatre has produced over forty-five new productions, working with leading theatres such as The National Theatre, Old Vic, Headlong, Public Theatre New York and the Bush Theatre to stage work by newly emerging playwrights across the UK and internationally.

HighTide Festival Plays 2013

Neighbors by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins directed by Steven Atkinson. This is a wildly theatrical comedy exploring black identity, intolerance and tensions in 'post-racial' America: 'a savagely funny cartoon of a play about racial identity' (Variety)
A co-production with Nuffield Theatre, Southampton
Cast: Fisayo Akinade (Jim), Geoff Aymer (Mammy), Vanessa Babirye (Topsy), Clare Calbraith (Jean), Simone James (Melody), Daniel Poyser (Richard), Craig Stein (Zip), Obi Ugoala (Sambo).
Creative: Designed by Richard Kent, Lighting Design by David Plater, Sound Design by Mic Pool.

Pastoral by Thomas Eccleshare directed by Steve Marmion, Artistic Director of Soho Theatre. An inventive and unnervingly original play, winner of the Verity Bargate Award 2011. Anthony Neilson described it as: 'surreal,hilarious - a genuine piece of theatre.' A co-production with Soho Theatre
Cast: Nigel Betts (Mr Plumb), Anna Calder-Marshall (Moll), Bill Fellows (Ocado Man), Polly Frame (Arthur), Richard Riddell (Hardy), Carrie Rock (Bride), Morag Siller (Mrs Plumb), Hugh Skinner (Manz)
Creative: Designed by Michael Vale, Lighting Design by Philip Gladwell, Music and Sound by Tom Mills.

Smallholding by Chris Dunkley directed by Patrick Sandford, Artistic Director of Nuffield Theatre, Southampton. As Andy and Jen try to make a fresh start, trust, responsibility and bio-dynamic farming challenge their relationship in this comic love story. A co-production with Nuffield Theatre, Southampton
Cast: Chris New (Andy), Matti Houghton (Jen)
Creative: Designed by Fabrice Serafino, Lighting Design by David W Kidd, Sound Design by Rob Jones.

Mothby Declan Greene directed by Prasanna Puwanarajah. A haunting black comedy about what it means to be young and damaged in a damaging world. 'The award-winning Moth, one of last year's most exciting and talked-about shows.'(Time Out, Melbourne). Moth was cast through an open-call audition targeted at the 85,000 members signed up to IdeasTap, the charity set up to support young people at the start of their career.
Cast: Stacey Gregg (Claryssia), Jordan Mifsud (Sebastian)
Creative: Designed by James Cotterill, Lighting Design by Jack Knowles, Sound Design by George Dennis.

Bottleneck by Luke Barrnes directed by Steven Atkinson. Bottleneck was first staged as a reading at HighTide 2012 and now returns after performing at Soho Theatre and a UK wide tour. Bottleneck is a vibrant coming of age story about becoming a man through adventures big and small: 'Bottleneck is an outstanding play by young writer Luke Barnes' (The Telegraph) ***** (Three Weeks) **** (The Independent, WhatsOnStage)
Cast: James Cooney (Greg)
Creative: Lighting by Natasha Chivers, Movement Director - Georgina Lamb, Sound and Music by Tom Mills.

HighTide Festival Visiting Companies

HighTide has programmed an exceptional array of Visiting Companies for this year's Festival. This is your opportunity to see some of the best work from touring companies from around the UK.

Eastern Angles present Parkway Dreams by Kenneth Emson
A fascinating musical documentary play charting Peterborough's expansion through the eyes of an 'overspill family'

Mark Borkowski presents Adventure Capitalism
Roll up for Mark Borkowski's rollercoaster ride through the weird and wonderful world of the Maverick.

Michaela Coel presents Chewing Gum Dreams
An award-winning coming of age monologue that recalls the last moments of innocence before adulthood.

withWINGS presents If Room Enough
The Tempest as never seen before; be immersed in such stuff as dreams are made on.

HighTide Festival Readings

We are also exploring some fantastic brand new plays as readings including: Stuart: A Life Backwards by Alexander Masters, adapted by Jack Thorne, directed by Mark Rosenblatt; Harrogate by Al Smith; Klippies by Jessica Sian; My Name Is... by Sudha Bhuchar directed by Ella Hickson, in collaboration with Tamasha; readings for our Eastern writers in Escalator Plays; Britten in Brooklyn.

HighTide Festival Music and Comedy

Ronnie Scott's - James Pearson, Artistic Director of Ronnie Scott's and local singing sensation Polly Gibbons will be performing their Halesworth late-night jazz club.
Hackney Colliery Band - bringing the UK brass band tradition nag up-to-date with a setlist as diverse as the London borough that gave them their name. An inspired musical collision (The Times)
Thom Tuck Goes Straight-to-DVD - Thom Tuck has watched every single Disney straight-to-DVD movie so that you don't have to. Nominated for the Fosters Best Newcomer Award Edinburgh Fringe 2011.

HighTide Festival Book Readings

There will be book readings and signings from two great new British authors:
Piers Torday -The Last Wild. A hugely inventive adventure (Eoin Colfer)
Nigel Cliff -The Last Crusade. A stirringly epic book... a thrilling narrative. (The Sunday Times)

HighTide Festival Other Events

Roger Michell - Director of Notting Hill, Enduring Love and the recent Hyde Park on Hudson in conversation.
3pm - The Cut, Friday 3 May

Michael Frayn - Award winning playwright and novelist whose works for the theatre include Noises Off, Copenhagen and Democracy in conversation.
5pm - The Cut, Friday 10 May

Stephen Poliakoff CBE - Director of recent BBC Drama Dancing on the Edge and other acclaimed television, film and stage productions including The Lost Prince, Shooting The Past, Glorious 39 and My City in conversation.
2pm - The Cut, Saturday 11 May

An Audience with Louis de Bernières - The award-winning novelist, and author of the internationally acclaimed bestseller Captain Corelli's Mandolin, will be live music, stories and new poetry. The event is organised by theatre company Bad Physics, raising money their forthcoming production at the Edinburgh Fringe this year, The Adventure.
1pm - The Printworks, Sunday 12May

Take-over - As a way of encouraging more young people to have a greater involvement in the arts and the HighTide Festival 2013, for the first time ever this year HighTide ran a competition through our partners IdeasTap to find a group of young people to programme one of our venues on Tues 7th and Weds 8th May 2013. We shortlisted 13 teams of people and interviewed four and the winners are a group called Invertigo, who describe themselves as: four 2012 Guildhall graduates who produce audience centric work, intent on representing the lesser-know new work, unique ways of storytelling and adaptations of lesser know work. In June 2012 they won the Deutsche Bank Award fro Creative Enterprises.

CGO Surgeries - CGO Surgeries are an opportunity for personal coaching, advice, support, and re-energising for a creative artist, or a small company. Each session lasts 50 minutes and offers you a chance to explore your own creative path, your company, its work, and issues. The session will be led by Chris Grady and one CGO Associate.

LISTINGS
HighTide Festival Theatre - The Cut, New Cut, Halesworth, Suffolk, IP19 8BY
Festival Dates: 2- 12May inclusive
PRESS DAY - SATURDAY 4 MAY
Performances will take place from 11.00 - 23.00 each day, schedule attached.
Box Office details:
By Phone: 01603 598606 (Monday - Saturday 9.30am - 8.00pm)
Online: www.hightide.org.uk
In Person: Tickets can be purchased from The Cut, Halesworth, 2nd - 12th May inc.
Ticket Prices: £5-£18

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