Pandas, spies, poets and footballers… all these and lots more feature at Hotbed, Cambridge Junction’s festival of new writing, taking place 9-12 July.
Hotbed is an annual event showcasing theatre created by professionals and local schools alike, from far and wide. There will be workshops, readings and performances across the long weekend, before Hotbed ups sticks and heads for London’s SOHO Theatre for a week. Opening the festival in Cambridge this year is the international company NaPerone from Slovakia who present FASBUK, a play about modern living performed through a wonderful theatrical ‘mini mosaic’ of life in Eastern Europe. Challenging and funny, this will lay the foundations for what promises to be the most eclectic festival for years.
Renowned poet and actor Luke Wright will also present his new stand-up show, and there’ll be a chance to see commissioned work, Pictures of You, by Craig Baxter, who worked with neuroscientist Maria Di Simplicio and video artist Marc Atkinson. And we’re particularly intrigued by the play about the man in a panda suit, who feeds the pandas at London Zoo.
We’re particularly intrigued by the play about the man in a panda suit
Following on from previous successes in the What’s Up Doc? Series, Hotbed will feature three new plays which permeate the world between science and theatre. The new pieces explore life’s evolutionary cheats, surprising revelations on bipolar disorder and deep intrigue in the importance of the number 15. Working with some of the world’s leading scientists, Hotbed playwrights delve into strange new worlds with some surprising and entertaining results.
Serious drama at the festival comes in the form of Guest House (set in Great Yarmouth) and Trailer/Trash (set in Las Vegas). Equally dramatic, but with more comic twists and turns, come two new pieces – one about bank heists (The Vegas Five) and one about the history of women in football (see Offside!).
Expect a dazzling array of genres and themes, family events, workshops and competitions (don’t miss the one-page play contest!). What’s more, everything performed for Hotbed is a world premier: theatre doesn’t come fresher than this.
