WHAT’S ON AT INK FESTIVAL 2022
Every ticket holder will be given a programme, free of charge, on arrival at the venues which will contain details of all performances and timings. There is also a box office at The Cut and in The Thoroughfare should you have any questions.
For timetable click here
THE KING’S THEATRE
Capacity 50
Inside Alan
directed by Paul Schlesinger
by Mitch Day
Malcolm Collins is a superfan. Whilst rehearsing for group therapy he recounts the best day of his life: the day he went to his idol’s house.
Michelle and Little Fish
directed by Paul Schlesinger
by Sarah Baxter
Michelle and Little Fish is a story of a woman with a disability and the battle for her unborn child.
Who Needs Stephen King?
directed by Rob Jarvis
by Ben Mead
Peggy and Pat have been partners for many years, but health problems are putting an intolerable strain on a remarkable friendship.
Cast:
Ann Bryson
Hilary Greatorex
Rob Jarvis
Amber Muldoon
MUSEUM THEATRE
Capacity 25
THE SIGNALMAN
directed by Seán Butler
by Martin Wade,
Adapted from Charles Dickens’ classic ghost story about a railway signalman, a mysterious stranger, and a sense of impending doom.
Cast:
Francesca Baker
William Kempsell
Joe McArdle
Museum Exhibition: The Blythburgh Hoard (Gold Coins) + Halesworth Railway Heritage
RIFLE HALL STAGE
Capacity 60
Cuckoo
directed by Jane Zarins
by Martha Loader; mentored by Lucy Kirkwood
A special INK commission touring schools and colleges after the Festival.
A brother’s desire to fit in and his sister’s yearning for a more edgy lifestyle, have unforeseen consequences for both siblings.
Elvis & Me
directed by Madeleine Wynn
by Gavin Petrie and Jan Etherington
March 1960. Rab and Tony learn that Elvis Presley’s plane is making a short stop in Scotland. Are they in the right place to meet The King?
The following two shows will alternate:
Consent
directed by Madeleine Wynn
by David Butler
Danny and his ex-girlfriend are forced to examine their consciences when they find themselves on opposite sides of a rape case.
OR
Stay Call!
directed by Jane Zarins
by Kevin Cuffe
The success of a robbery starts looking dicey after one of the lads uses a burner phone to call his mum.
Cast:
Flora Douglas
Jack Forsythe-Noble
Charlie Mackay
Joseph Reed
THE CUT THEATRE
Capacity 208
THE INKREDIBLES
directed by James Christopher
Five well-known friends with East Anglian ties accepted the challenge of writing a short play. Elliot Cowan, Will Gompertz, Miranda Hart, Arthur Smith and Judy Upton have fashioned five original plays on the subject of passports.
Additional scripts by Griff Scott and Zoë Wells add local spice to the mix.
THE MOST IMPORTANT JOURNEY DOESN’T NEED A PASSPORT
by Miranda Hart
Going on holiday with your parents is bad enough without the passports going missing in the airport lounge.
PASSPORT
by Will Gompertz
A young backpacker tries out his sense of humour on a British customs official.
PUT OUT THE LIGHT
by Elliot Cowan
A struggling actor finds himself in an unusual audition with a manipulative casting director.
THE SPANISH FRIEND
by Judy Upton
UK Border Force takes issue with a young holidaymaker who is trying to smuggle a cardigan into Spain.
OH HAZEL
by Arthur Smith
A woman muses and puzzles over cryptic notes in her diary. A small perfectly formed tribute to Smith’s mother.
ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE
by Griff Scott
A grumpy cleaner humours a man who is unusually early for a meeting.
UNCONSCIOUS BIAS
by Zoë Wells
A bag of chocolate peanut M&Ms is the short fuse to an almighty argument in the cinema stalls.
Cast:
Sally-Ann Burnett
Keith Hill
Isabella Inchbald
Samuel Lawrence
Justin Marosa
INK YOUTH presents
JUBILEE
70 years of royal magic, chaos and change seen through the eyes of young storytellers who devise this play in a day. Prepare to be startled.
directed by Amy Wyllie
assisted by Lucy Farrant and Joseph Connolly
BAREFACE THEATRE COMPANY presents
FIX US (16+)
directed by Paloma Oakenfold
by Tom Palmer
The story of three fantastically talented actors engaging with their own disabilities – Zara (CHARGE syndrome), Lee (Autism) and Kirsty (Cerebral Palsy) – and defying the labels with which they’ve been burdened.
Cast:
Kirsty Adams
Zara Jayne
Lee Phillips
Producer:
Fauve Alice
WHITE SWAN THEATRE
Capacity 40 (with steep stairs)
PRESS PRAY
directed by Holly Ashman
by Seth Freeman
A lonely church. A gritty night in the city. A desperate soul seeks help from above. But the Almighty has his wires crossed.
RAGHEAD
directed by Chris Larner
by Tom Coash
Nick, a New York City firefighter, is surprised when he meets up with the blind date he’s been texting.
THE CROSS OVER
directed by Ben Elder
by Erin Cooper
Special places come in all shapes and sizes. A park bench provides one for a father and his curious daughter.
THE SHOOTER
directed by Ben Elder
by Kimberly Kalaja
Is buying a gun enough to make Keller feel safe on the NYC subway, when what scares her most is something no one can shoot at?
TWO STATES (16+)
directed by Chris Larner
by Gary Ogin
When frisky Izzie meets David at a party, they are mad for each other, but crossing the border might require a treaty they weren’t expecting.
Cast:
Holly Ashman
Ben Elder
Chris Larner
RADIO PLAYS
THE CUT RADIO STUDIO
Capacity 60
Group A:
MONSTER
by Rebecca Speller
A stubborn friend discovers the squidgy reason why a young recluse prefers their own company.
RE: MY SPACE
by Alex Freimuller
A polite gripe about an office parking space escalates into something quite different.
SHARP SCRATCH
by Mark Donald
Catching the wrong eye of the wrong bloke in the wrong club leaves a lasting mark on one poor punter.
THE LADYBIRD BOOK OF TIME TRAVEL
by R. E. Crawley
We shuttle between the 1950s and the 2020s to see how Mr and Mrs Average and their two children cope with the peculiar challenges of each decade.
TOO MANY HANDS
by Linda Burgess
Young Ralph’s day is full of hands that cause excitement, pain, and magic.
Cast/Directed by Isabella Inchbald with:
Sally-Ann Burnett
Keith Hill
Isabella Inchbald
Sam Lawrence
Justin Marosa
Group B:
THE BRUMMIE ILIAD PART 4: THE GODS GO TO WAR
adapted and directed by Roderick Smith
Scenes from a magical Brummie version of Homer’s timeless account of blood, power, and lust as chronicled in The Iliad.
Cast:
Richard Blaine
Charlotte Parry
Ashleigh Sendin
Roderick Smith
Group C:
BEING ANTI-MATTER
by Dixe Wills
Life would probably be okay if it wasn’t for that Professor Brian Cox and positively charged particles.
CHECKMATE
by Ashleigh Sendin
Prime suspect, Jo Abbot, is haunted by the ghost of her missing and meddlesome husband.
HOLD MY WINGS
by Christine Foster
A Recycled Soul must decide whether to stay in Paradise or return to Earth… by taking a quiz.
NIGHTJARS
by Stephen Mollett
A pair of twitchers are captivated by an elusive twilight bird.
10,000 Feet
by Lorna McCoid
Dave’s first skydive isn’t going well. To add insult to injury his dismal life starts to flash before his eyes.
THE SIT-DOWN PROTEST
by Phil Butcher
Doris takes the fight against global warming to her local park bench.
BIRDS
by Anna Thomas
Reg has a confession to make to his friend and bird-watching companion of 30 odd years and it has nothing to do with Muscovy ducks.
FINGERTIPS
by Nikki Wright
Busy fingers weave all sorts in the fabric of life.
EARLY MORNING RUN
by Geraldine Alexander
This play began after listening to a programme about how domestic abuse was exacerbated by Lockdown. The character is running away from and towards danger.
MUGGED
by Martha Loader
Where’s the Great in Britain when you can’t help a man who had his keys stolen and his credit cards maxed?
THE STARS AND I
by Luna Jarvis
Looking back at the past, at the stars, at the sky, at the daily grind of the office, and the girl in HR.
Cast/Directed by Richard Blaine with:
Richard Bates
Richard Blaine
Charlotte Parry
Ashleigh Sendin
PLAY READINGS
THE ANGEL STAGE
Capacity 30
Organised by Griff Scott
Script and glass-in-hand pre-dinner rehearsed readings. A collection of some of the best plays from INK workshops and the disrupted Festivals of 2020 and 2021.
THURSDAY
IN THE WAKE OF ODYSSEUS
by Heather Newill
Mike is all at sea on Christmas Day as he tries to enjoy lunch. The only problem is, he misses his wife…
SYLVIA
by Dave Proctor
Sylvia’s new career as an art school life model has put a naughty twinkle back in her eye.
OUTGROWN
by Amber Ward
Anne and Dave struggle to salvage their marriage after years of pubs and “Pointless”.
Cast/ Directed by:
Ann Bryson
Hilary Greatorex
Rob Jarvis
FRIDAY
BEAR HUNT
directed by Roderick Smith
by Lucy Flannery
A middle-aged couple struggling to communicate are not quite the cosy item they appear.
Cast:
Ann Bryson
Flora Douglas
Hilary Greatorex
Rob Jarvis
Charlotte Parry
Ashleigh Sendin
Roderick Smith
A REAL CONNECTION
directed by Rob Jarvis
by Ed Ngai
What happens to love on the Internet when you are forced to reveal a truth you never planned to share?
YOU’LL BE FINE
directed by Roderick Smith
by Jan Etherington
A new commission between ARC East of England, The Pear Tree, and INK highlighting the importance of close relationships in helping us live well until we die and reducing the fear and stigma surrounding the end of life.
A worrying prognosis is not the only problem that troubles Lynda. The way her family digest the news proves almost as challenging.
SATURDAY
DADDY’S GIRL
by Juliet Corbett
Two sisters unearth old grievances as they plan the funeral of their father in his presence.
Cast:
Holly Ashman
Francesca Baker
Simon Harvey
Director: Griff Scott
INDIGNITAS
by Jonathan Skinner
Tomorrow’s world. Philip wants to sort out a burden-free future for his daughter by signing up with a popular assisted-suicide clinic on the High Street.
SUNDAY
THE GLOBE
by Martin Keady
The rude realities of touring Puritanical England prompt Shakespeare and his company of players to up sticks and head for London.
NUMBERS
By Simon Thackray
A married couple are trying to sort out their sex life when it transpires the husband has been secretly keeping the score for years.
GOING DOWN DOWN UNDER
by Al Tilby
Alf and Trixie charter an aeroplane to take them to Brisbane. Events take an unexpected turn when the pilot is taken ill.
Cast:
Helen Atkinson Wood
Flora Douglas
Jack Forsythe-Noble
Simon Harvey
Charlie Mackay
Joseph Reed
Director: Helen Atkinson Wood
PERFORMANCE POETRY
POETRY @ THE WHITE SWAN
Capacity 30
Thursday
JAMES McDERMOTT
Wry witty performance poetry exploring East Anglian life from James McDermott whose writing credits include EastEnders, Beached (INK 2015) and Steam (INK 2016).
Friday
JIMMY LIVINGSTONE: MONDAY NIGHT SKY-DIVE 16+
A powerful, new voice drags us through the rocky landscapes of ageing and cosmic bewilderment. It’s dark, it’s funny and it doesn’t pull any punches.
Saturday
LUKE WRIGHT: THE BALLAD SELLER
Luke Wright revisits the scandal sheets and doggerel of Georgian London to show us how little has changed since Hogarth stalked its filthy streets. One of our finest young poets gives the old rhymes new licks.
Sunday
MOLLY NAYLOR: WHATEVER YOU’VE GOT
Molly Naylor makes her INK debut with a selection of work from her new book, Whatever You’ve Got (Bad Betty Press). Funny, frank and heart-warming, Naylor’s work reflects on life’s tricky bits as well as the parts that bring us joy.
THE CUT THEATRE
Capacity 208
Sunday
THE REMAINS OF LOGAN DANKWORTH
Performed & written by Luke Wright
Logan Dankworth, columnist and Twitter warrior, is determined to take part in the battle for his nation’s soul but at what cost to those nearest and dearest. The final part of a trilogy of political verse plays.
THE CUT THEATRE
Capacity 208
CONVERSATIONS WITH…
Saturday
Helen Atkinson Wood in conversation with PETER FINCHAM
One of the most inspired and controversial producers in British broadcasting talks to actress Helen Atkinson Wood about a career that spans classic comedy from Alas Smith and Jones, Alan Partridge, and Da Ali G Show, to running the BBC, ITV and producing Amazon’s hit series Jeremy Clarkson’s Farm.
Sunday
Tracey MacLeod in conversation with JOHN MORTON
The marvellous wit behind the BBC television series People Like Us, 2012, and W1A as well as his new series 10% – the English version of the French Lockdown hit Call My Agent – is interviewed by arts journalist and agent Tracey MacLeod.
THE CUT THEATRE
Capacity 208
COMEDY NIGHTS (14+)
Thursday
DOES MY MUM LOOM BIG IN THIS?
Performed by Arabella Weir
A show for anyone who has had a mother, been a mother, or inherited a mother. Arabella’s first solo comedy is a scathingly honest version of Mommie Dearest.
Friday
AN EVENING WITH SHAPARAK KHORSANDI
The inimitable comedienne returns to the INK Festival with more tales of the unexpected. She has been delighting audiences with her offbeat stories about what it is to be alive and English on the radio, television, and in numerous theatre venues across the country.
Saturday
LAUGHS, STORIES, A SONG AND A POEM
Performed by Arthur Smith
The comedian, playwright, and radio institution chooses some tall tales and rude jokes from his very large book of life. He also sings. Quite well actually.
Sunday
EVERY LITTLE THING’S GONNA BE ALRIGHT
Performed by Mark Steel
A show that is guaranteed to make the world seem even more mental than it is. But don’t worry – every little thing’s gonna be alright.