Norfolk & Norwich Festival, the largest arts festival in the East of England and one of the four largest in the UK, has announced the first nine shows of its 2018 Festival, including three world premieres. The Festival will run 11 – 27 May next year, with the full programme for 2018 to be announced in February.
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 has been garnering acclaim since its first show looking at male friendship toured for over 18 months worldwide, and drew on the company’s background in circus, dance and parkour.
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, following their sell-out performance of Beethoven’s Symphonies 1 & 2 in 2017; 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 piece featuring 10 dancers and six musicians; and Stopgap Dance Company, which works 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.
The programme showcases an eclectic mix of international artists, UK companies as well as local artists, residents and indeed the landscape too. 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.