New Ipswich arts festival In the Works celebrates emerging creative work

A new arts festival celebrating new and exciting creative work is taking place in Ipswich next month. In the Works, which runs from Monday 11th - Wednesday 27th May, was announced at Suffolk Community Libraries on the evening of Tuesday 31st March.

Featuring over 30 events spanning 8 venues across the town, including the New Wolsey Theatre, The Smokehouse, and Eastern Angles Studios, In the Works will involve theatre productions, new writing, film screenings, workshops, and music performances from distinguished local theatre makers, poets, filmmakers, comedians, and more. Nonprofit brand Brighten the Corners — who additionally run an eponymous annual festival in the town centre and operate three venues — and touring theatre company Eastern Angles are among the supporters of the new festival, which forms part of the the town’s bid to become the UK City of Culture 2029.

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Douglas Rintoul, chief executive and artistic director of the New Wolsey Theatre, called the festival “a statement about how we want to work as a town… Because if culture is going to thrive, we have to make space for the new. And we have to build audiences for it.”

Events at In the Works include Transactionland, staged by SPILL and hosted by artist–turned shopkeeper Rachael Clerke, a high street retail emporium in response to a collective fear of talking about the economy; a music-led hybrid performance of folk-infused songs and personal stories hosted by Brighten the Corners; and Drawn From Life, a collection of animated shorts celebrating everyday life to be shown at King Street Cinema. 

Find out more about In the Works here. 

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