Latitude Festival Reveals Theatre and Dance Programme

The multi-award-winning Latitude returns to the stunning grounds of Henham Park, Suffolk, on 20-23 July 2023 with Pulp, Paolo Nutini, George Ezra, Young Fathers, Yard Act and Siouxsie plus comedians Ed Gamble, Romesh Ranganathan, Sara Pascoe and Bridget Christie topping an eclectic bill where music and the arts spectacularly collide Celebrating creativity, diversity and inspirational talent, Latitude Festival adds yet more names to an arts bill without boundaries, transforming Henham Park into the ultimate playground of artistic expression. Weekend and day tickets are on sale here

Genre-defying, show-stopping visual arts and theatre in all forms take centre stage at this year's Latitude. In the Theatre Arena, highlights include The Super Special Disability Roadshow, a characteristically funny and provocative performance created by Birds of Paradise Theatre. Written and performed by Robert Softley Gale, co-starring and with original songs by Sally Clay, and introducing Oona Dooks and Oliver Martindale, this show exemplifies the company's vision of a culture where disabled artists are recognised for the excellence of their work and celebrated for the stories they bring to the stage. Drawing on stories and experiences of disabled children and adults, the show will explore what it means to be disabled and how we all feel about our identities, with characteristic humour, heart and honesty.

Political comedian Mark Thomas is bringing a work in progress of his one-man show England and Son by award-winning playwright Ed Edwards. With some deep, dark laughs - and some deep, dark love - along the way, England and Son emerge from characters Mark knew in his childhood and Ed's lived experience in jail. Prepare for Mark to take you on a kaleidoscopic odyssey where disaster capitalism, Thatcherite politics and stolen wealth merge into the simple tale of a working-class boy who just wants his Dad to smile at him.

Spoken word star Luke Wright returns to the festival in celebration of 25 years of service on the literary frontline. He has won an unprecedented four Saboteur Awards (national awards for spoken word), a Stage Award, and a Fringe First. He's sold out shows across the world and regularly tours with John Cooper Clarke and The Libertines. but ends up taking a deep dive into himself and the England that raised him. Luke Wright's Silver Jubilee is an excavation of lives lived and not lived with new poems on class, excessive consumption, love and adoption delivered the directness and pathos that has made him one of England's most popular live poets.

Celebrating breathtaking circus and performance art from around the globe, Latitude Festival-goers will have the unmissable chance to see Winner Overall Best Circus and Physical Theatre at Adelaide Fringe 2023, Party Ghost. Cirque, theatre, death and drag come together in this exquisite macabre production. Festival goers can expect to see a wild mix of dismembered limbs, ghosts and all sorts of outrageous and disturbing shenanigans. Fans of high-level circus and dark comedy will find Party Ghost refreshing, jaw-dropping and hauntingly hilarious!

Winners of the Overall Circus Award at Perth's FringeWorld 2023 Laser Kiwi also makes a spectacular festival debut with The Rise of the Olive. Latitude attendees are invited to join this surreal, sketch, award-winning circus troupe on a wild ride as they bring people closer together, one olive at a time. Expect bizarre ideas, a high-level circus which is hilarious and impressive in equal measure!

Adelaide Fringe Best Emerging Artists, YUCK Circus also join the Latitude bill. This crowd-favourite cast of elite circus artists is bringing their true stories of womanhood to the stage. Using impressive acrobatics and aerial performance they get into the grotesque of beauty standards, bougie art, and gender misconceptions. Presenting their real experiences in full comedy, YUCK makes 'gross' topics as inclusive as they are entertaining.

Rising Queer comedy star, Dan Wye also brings their legendary and hilarious must-see mystic drag character Séayoncé to Latitude, summoning history's greatest spirits to the festival in Res-Erection with music extraordinaire Lesley Anne (Robyn Herfellow). This fusion of stand-up, cabaret and drag elevates alternative comedy and queer performance to a cosmic level.

Across the weekend, award-winning clown Britt Plummer will present her new work, Fool's Paradise, a delicately powerful journey of storytelling, clowning and physical comedy and Grumms transforms into a horrible squid monster in Something in the Water with spellbinding video projection, puppetry and laugh-out-loud physical comedy. And Remember We Care... return to Latitude for their 14th year and are bringing two shows - British Corruption - The Gameshow! as well as audience favourite - Danny Does The Crossword! Danny's doing the Guardian Cryptic Crossword and they need the Latitude audience to help him. Liv Wynter's politically charged How to Catch a Pig also makes a Latitude debut featuring theatre, drag, music, performance

Firm Latitude favourites Duckie will be bringing performers from their incredible Duckie Homosexualist Summer School to this year's festival. Expect short, sharp shocks from the New Young Queers filled with DIY subterfuge, illegitimate entertainment, pop art and poncing.

The World's Best Fringe Theatre Winner 2022/3 (International Fringe Encore Series, New York) Afghanistan Is Not Funny is performing at Latitude after a successful run at the legendary off-Broadway venue, the Soho Playhouse in New York. In 2002, whilst researching a comedy, triple Fringe First winner Henry Naylor and twice Scottish Press Photographer of the Year Sam Maynard went to the Afghan warzone. An extraordinary tale ensued: they were threatened by a war criminal, captured by Mujahideen and nearly blown up by the Taliban. Performed by Naylor himself in front of Maynard's extraordinary photos.

Darkfield presents Eulogy, a surreal journey through a dreamlike, labyrinthine hotel that exists entirely in your mind. Performed over 30 mins in complete darkness, this intense and exhilarating ride uses 360-degree binaural sound and speech recognition technology to transport audience members through rooms, down corridors and into the bowels of this strange and not altogether comfortable hotel. Over 30 minutes, the Latitude audience will be invited to take part in a mass experiment, to lie down together and imagine a new collective reality.

Latitude's stunning Waterfront Stage is globally renowned for showcasing the best talent in dance productions and companies. This year marks the continuation of a powerful partnership with DanceEast who present an eclectic programme of world-class dance in all its forms including Matthew Bourne's world-renowned New Adventures, Avant Garde Dance, one of the most exciting Hip Hop contemporary companies in the UK and leading classical contemporary dance company Joss Arnott Dance. Also performing is Birmingham-based performance company Fatt Projects who focused on advancing queer joy and empowerment and the Vanhulle Dance Theatre who create high-energy performances centring around explosive physicality and human connection. 16 talented, young international dancers from Jasmin Vardimon Company's JV2 programme will premiere works by long-standing Jasmin Vardimon Company associates Mafalda Deville and Sabrina Gargano.

The Place, London's creative powerhouse for dance development continues to also push creative boundaries, with an inspirational showcase of outstanding new work. This year they present Birdgang, an interactive hip-hop dance adventure for all the family and Look, Mum, No Hands! - a tender story about friendship and growing up. Using striking physical imagery, it playfully explores the idea of independence vs interdependence, vulnerability and strength.

Across the weekend, Almost Synchro, a group of Bristol-based swimmers, united by a passion for outdoor swimming perform at the festival. National Youth Dance Company (NYDC) also return to Latitude this year with an excerpt from Novacene - a brand-new work for the company created by guest artistic director Wayne McGregor CBE - that highlights the power and creativity of young people from all dance styles and backgrounds.

DJ Monski Mouse and her dancers are bringing their multi-award-nominated, epic kids' session of bopping, bonkers, beautiful and fun. Expect high-energy smiling to retro beats and thumping nursery rhymes. There will also be a special performance of the heartwarming children's book Luna Love Dance, followed by a family disco. Latitude favourite Disco Yoga also returns with yoga moves and disco grooves.

To post a comment, you must register and login.