Suffolk’s most exciting new theatre festival, HighTide, will launch its programme for the 2008 festival, featuring the best emerging new writing, devised theatre and the inaugural HighTide Film Festival.

Returning to The Cut in Halesworth between 1 and 5 May 2008, this year’s festival looks set to be even bigger and better than 2007’s inaugural year.

Following an overwhelming response to a call for scripts from playwrights, the HighTide team have been reading every single script of the 450 submitted, and, on Thursday 28 February, will launch the programme for this year.

HighTide is committed to finding the next generation of playwrights. Nestling into Suffolk’s artistic and cultural landscape, alongside the region’s plethora of festivals, theatre companies and venues, HighTide is unique in its dedication to showcasing the very best new writing alongside the mentoring and support of established industry professionals over the May Bank Holiday weekend. To compliment the theatre programme, HighTide 2008 will also feature comedy, masterclasses and talks from high-profile guest speakers.

Patron Bill Nighy said: “The HighTide Festival is crucial because it constitutes one of the few ways in which young playwrights are given the opportunity to see their work performed.”

This year, for the first time, HighTide will also be showing work by a devised theatre company, acknowledging the growing importance and popularity of non-scripted theatre.

The launch event for HighTide’s programme will be attended by Mary Allen, one of HighTide’s Board of Directors, who was previously Chief Executive of the Royal Opera House and who is a hugely successful arts management consultant, broadcaster and writer.

Also in attendance will be Robert Fox, director of a string of British box office hits including Atonement, Notes on a Scandal and Closer. Fox has recently come on board as an Artistic Advisor for HighTide, particularly to support the inaugural HighTide Film Festival, which will run alongside the theatre programme during 2008’s festival.

The launch will take place at the Adam Street Club on The Strand in London at 11am, and will be followed by a party in the evening hosted by HighTide patron Sir David Hare and co-hosted by actress Lindsay Duncan, shortly to play Margaret Thatcher in a major BBCTV drama about the former Prime Minister’s life.

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