Norfolk & Norwich Festival Announced First Shows of 2018

Norfolk & Norwich Festival, the largest arts festival in the East of England and one of the four largest in the UK, has today announced the first shows of its 2018 Festival. The Festival will run 11 - 27 May with the full programme for 2018 to be announced in February. The programme will be the first presented under the new festival directorship, as Daniel Brine takes over from predecessor William Galinsky in January of 2018.

In 2018 the internationally acclaimed UK circus company, Barely Methodical Troupe will headline the Adnams Spiegeltent with the world premiere of Shift, a gravity defying performance following their previous hits Bromance and Kin. The company have been garnering acclaim since their first show looking at male friendship toured for over 18 months worldwide and drew on the company's background in circus, dance and parkour.

At Norwich Puppet Theatre, one of the UK's most inventive theatre companies Improbable, will present the world premiere of their new production The Paper Man, seeking to explore what we do when fascism comes to town. Inspired by the unexplained death of Austrian football star Matthias Sindelar in 1939, who humiliated the Nazi regime by refusing to throw a football match, the production follows Middle aged, white British, Football addict-in-recovery and Improbable co-founder, Lee Simpson in his search for answers. Improbable have been making theatre for over 20 years, always highly original and entirely unpredictable.

Another large scale world premiere for 2018, Wayfaring is inspired by the present landscape and ancient routes of the Icknield Way. Wayfaring will see artists And Now: (Ben Rigby and Mandy Dike) create a series of artworks in Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty inviting audiences to think about how we inhabit, protect and leave a space. Using found materials the artists will craft an installation on Wells Beach, and on the final weekend illumination, music and performance will transform the installation in a rousing, free, celebration.

Other artists and productions set to feature in the 2018 programme include: multi-platinum selling singer/songwriter Ben Folds with a programme of his best-loved songs and recent compositions; Thomas Adès and Britten Sinfonia return, following their sell-out performance of Beethoven's Symphonies 1 & 2 in 2017, to continue their journey with the perennially popular Symphonies No 4 and 5, alongside the music of Gerald Barry featuring Nicolas Hodges; Grammy-nominated Ladysmith Black Mambazo, one of the world's greatest and most distinctive groups return to Norwich Theatre Royal; Robert Trevino will conduct the London Philharmonic Orchestra in a programme of Mahler and Rachmaninoff with pianist Arseny Tarasevich-Nikolaev; following the success of Political Mother at the Festival in 2015, internationally celebrated choreographer Hofesh Shechter returns with his latest work, Grand Finale, a bold and ambitious new featuring 10 dancers and six musicians; Stopgap Dance Company, who work with disabled and non-disabled artists, will collaborate with a cast of local dancers to bring to life the music of acclaimed contemporary-folk band, Moulettes in The Seafarers. Part gig, part spectacle, the 50-strong cast will perform the free event in Great Yarmouth.

On the 2018 programme, Daniel Brine, the new Festival Director said: "We are hugely excited to be able to announce some of the first shows for the 2018 Festival. The programme showcases a fantastic mix of International Artists, exciting UK companies as well as local artists, residents and indeed our landscape too. I look forward to being in position in February 2018 when we announce the full Festival programme."

The flagship arts festival for the East of England, Norfolk & Norwich Festival showcases some of the world's most renowned International Artists alongside regional talent, drawing audiences from across the UK.

Full information on all Norfolk & Norwich Festival events at www.nnfestival.org.uk.

For more information contact Maisie Lawrence at The Corner Shop PR on 020 7831 7657 or email maisie@thecornershoppr.com.

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