Holt Festival 2014 highlights

Theatrically speaking, the spotlight falls on the performance by John Hurt on 25 July of White Rabbit, Red Rabbit by the Iranian writer Nassim Soleimanpour.

It is a charity performance in aid of PEN International and production company Aurora Nova will subsequently taking it on tour both nationally and internationally. I saw the piece in a different production a couple of years ago; it's a gripping demonstration of the power of theatre to subvert authority.

The Bloody Ballad by Lucy Rivers from Gagglebabble was a well-deserved hit at Pulse in Ipswich earlier this year and comes to the Auden Theatre on 21 July. On 24 July it's the turn of Lucy Hopkins and Le Foulard with the scarf in question taking centre stage in this piece of physical theatre.

Curious Directive offer Pioneer, a joint production with the Norfolk & Norwich Festival and Watford's Palace Theatre, on 26 July. On the same day, over in Swanton Novers Wood, Hugh Luton and Tim Sandeson contrast several legends – from Russia and also much nearer home. They are The Firebird & the Horse of Power and Tales of the Triumph of Light, concerning Norfolk folk hero Tom Hickathrift. For younger audiences the Children's Festival in Gresham's Prep School hall is free of charge.

That is true also for the Street Festival which occupies the town centre on 20 July between 12 noon and 4pm. If that whets your appetite for the slightly off-beat, then one or other of the cabarets may intrigue. Kit & McConnel are at the Auden on 19 July and Meow Meow takes the stage on 22 July. There's an evening of stand-up at the Feathers Hotel on 24 July.

Holt has always featured writers talking about their work. Lord (Roy) Hattersley looks at the history of the Cavendish family (who became the Dukes of Devonshire) on 22 July, David Starkey puts the Tudors into context on 23 July, Diana Quick is in conversation with novelist Raffaela Barker and Sean O'Brien reads from his poems – both on 24 July. These events are all at the Festival Club at the Lawns Hotel.

Novelist Salley Vickers has a question-and-answer session on 25 July at the Festival Club and Sandi Toksvig talks to the chief executive of the Norwich Writers' Centre Chris Gribble on 26 July at the Theatre in the Woods. That is also the venue for what promises to be an interesting exchange of views between Melvyn Bragg and Richard Dawkins on 27 July.

The Holt Festival runs between 19 and 27 July.