Take Your Pulse in 2010

Applications are being invited for the Pulse Fringe Festival 2010. This established multi-disciplinary event is seen as an opportunity for theatre companies to preview work which they hope to take on to the Edinburgh Festival and similar prestigious celebrations of the arts and is supported by Escalator, the Arts Council England East initiative which aims to identify, nurture and develop artistic talent. The focus is on developing new and innovative approaches to the arts by new and emergent companies and providing a platform for the development and presentation of new work by regional, British and international artists of vision, thus nurturing artistic ambition and excellence across a range of art forms. These include theatre, dance, comedy, music, event-led visual arts, participatory theatre, physical theatre and circus-led work.

In 2009 Pulse presented work by six Escalator-supported companies and 39 different events over a fortnight. Among those which went on to the Edinburgh Festival were Linda Marlowe’s The Wold’s Wife, Horse by Company FZ, King of the Gypsies by These Colours and Sound Journey by Adriano Adewale. Other highlights included performances by Gecko Theatre Company (which is now a New Wolsey Theatre associate), Paperweight by Top of the World, Bully by Theatre Tours International and The Caravan from Look Left Look Right.

Pulse 10 will run from 29 May to 13 June 2010 at multiple venues in and around Ipswich including the New Wolsey Theatre, the New Wolsey Studio and Sir John Mills Theatre. Programmes work at all stages of development, from rehearsed readings to tour-ready. Festival director Stephen Freeman says: “Pulse has firmly established its position on the cultural calendar locally and nationally and is generating profile and audiences from far beyond the immediate geographic area. I’m sure that Pulse 10 will be even bigger and I look forward to programming another diverse and challenging festival”.

He is keen to see applications which promote cultural diversity, disability-led work, gay-led work, contemporary writing and production styles, site-specific work, multi-disciplinary and cross-genre artists working in collaboration, work that promotes new ways of engaging its audience or aims to give the audience a unique experience and work which takes risks, pushes boundaries and challenges conventions. As a member of the Escalator selection panel, Freeman will encourage all participants to apply for Pulse 10, but is keen to point out that the application process is open to anyone who meets the festival’s criteria.”We may encourage people to apply but every application is judged on its own merits. This ensures that the process is entirely fair and maximises the possibility for new companies and artists to secure participation”.