Leicester’s New Work Festival returns to Curve this weekend

By Jayden Whitworth

RETRO: Teddy Hinde (left) and Barry O’Reilly pictured performing in ‘Is He Musical’. Photo credit: Ana Webb-Sanchez

Emerging actors, dancers, musicians and the cream of the Midlands’ creative artists will be converging on Leicester’s annual New Work Festival at the Curve Theatre this weekend. 

The festival begins on Thursday(MARCH10) with Carol Leeming’s The Dreadful Dance of Ms Iniquity and closes on Sunday with Dance Dhamaka returning after a two-year absence. 

More than 25 artists and arts organisations are set to showcase their talents over the course of the four-day festival.

The line-up will bring a variety of different performances, including plays, music, dance, and readings. 

The festival will bring the Notnow Collective’s Pepper and Honey (March 10) to the Curve alongside Nicole Acquah’s Sankofa (March 12) and Katie Arnstein’s highly acclaimed Sticky Door (March 12), among others.

‘Is He Musical?’ is a new musical comedy that is loosely inspired by real stories of LGBTQ+ people from 1930s London and is set to hit the Curve this Friday.

Jude Taylor, composer, lyricist, and writer of ‘Is He Musical?’, said: “We’ve had three exciting opportunities to present the show in different forms over the past month – digitally as a live-stream, in person in a full production and then in person again in London as a semi-staged concert. 

“It’s been great to bring this story to a range of audiences both locally and in London, and to highlight this often-neglected era of LGBTQ+ history. 

“Despite a few challenges (including Storm Eunice, of course), we’re really proud of what we’ve achieved, and the team have been fantastic to work with.”

With COVID restrictions in place for most of the last two years, Curve has been unable to present Leicester’s annual New Work Festival. 

Jude said: “It’s been fantastic to be back in front of live audiences once more.

“After the uncertainty, anxiety and many overwhelming challenges presented to us all in the last few years, there’s something wonderful about the magical way in which the experience of live theatre can unite us and bring so much joy to people.”

For ticket details visit: https://www.curveonline.co.uk

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