Theatre / Dance / Music / Art

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Artathon

Artathon is a map that provides routes around Ipswich’s public sculptures at a range of different distances.

The sculptures represent Ipswich’s maritime, industrial and sporting heritage, both through the artwork and the landscape that you pass through. The trail offers a variety of environments to enjoy, including Christchurch Park, the regenerated Waterfront and the town centre.

The map has five rings linked loosely to the five Olympic rings to tie into London 2012.

Routes are designed to be walked, jogged, run or cycled.

If you click on this link: http://www.ipswich.gov.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=1043 You will be able to download the Artathon Booklet and find the different routes etc.,

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Corn Exchange
History of Ipswich Corn Exchange:

In Mediaeval times the Cornhill, or Market Hill as it was also known, became the centre of trade and local government in Ipswich. This market place was the site of the mediaeval pillar-cross of stone, erected about 1510. The Cross itself was replaced in 1628 by another more elaborate structure as a result of a bequest in 1610. The new market Cross, which stood towards the east side of the Cornhill, lasted until 1812.

The first recorded building in the area was the Flesh Market, or shambles, mentioned in 1346 and reconstructed in 1378 and 1583. The upper part on the last Shambles building was in the form of an open gallery, which provided a vantage point for viewing public occasions on the square below. The Rotunda, which replaced the Shambles in 1793, lasted only until 1810, when the first Corn Exchange was erected by the Corporation.

The Corn Exchange, built at a cost of £33,000 and opened in March 1812, has a forbidding appearance. Its exterior was jail-like, the openings in the walls being grated with heavy iron bars. The interior was open to the sky and merchants and others were sheltered from the rain merely round the sides of the buildings.

In July 1849 a number of merchants asked the Council to heighten its walls, roof it with glass, convert the iron gratins to windows and clear away the corner shops. A schemer costing about £1,100 was eventually agreed, which involved a virtual rebuilding since the walls were taken down to ground level.

During the 1860′s the Corn Exchange was becoming crowded on market days and the Council began to consider various alternatives, including the possibility of converting the Public Hall. In 1879 the Council decided to acquire the King Street site at the rear of the Town Hall for £12,000.

This time the Council did not get into any difficulty over the architectural competition as there was widespread agreement in favour of the design (one of 15) entered by Brightwen Binyon under the nom-de-plume “North Light”. Building started in the autumn of 1880. The foundation stone was laid on 22nd October 1880 by Mayor D. H. Booth. The cost of the building was £25,000. In July 1882 the hoardings round the new Corn Exchange were cleared away and although the roadway at King Street had not been surfaced the public footpath was open. It was opened on 26th July 1882 by Mayor Frederick Fish.

In August 1888 the fruit and vegetable market was transferred from Falcon Street to the Corn Exchange where it remained until November 1970. The last Corn Market was held at the Corn Exchange on 29th June 1972.

During 1971 it was decided to remodel the Corn Exchange. The main requirements were for meeting, exhibitions, shows and other spectator events. The cost of remodelling was £800,000. The ‘new’ Corn Exchange was opened by the Duke of Gloucester on 22nd September 1975. The Grand Hall is used for live shows by touring companies and local groups, keep fit, discos, dances and dinners, an annual beer festival in September, etc. The Robert Cross Hall is used mainly for craft fairs, exhibitions (art and photographic) and late night musical entertainment.

The Corn Exchange is on King Street, Ipswich – For information about forthcoming shows visit: www.ipswichregent.com or Tel: 01473 433100

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DanceEast

Contact Us : DanceEast, Jerwood DanceHouse, Foundry Lane, Ipswich IP4 1DW

Website: www.danceeast.co.uk/ : Tel: 01473 295230 : Fax: 01473 639236 : Email: info@danceeast.co.uk

Box Office opening times : During the DanceEast term the Box Office is open at the following times:

Monday – Thursday:   8.30am – 9.30pm (booking line is open until 9.00pm)
Friday:  7.00am – 8.00pm (booking line is open from 7.30am)
Saturday: 9.00am – 5.00pm (booking line is open until 4.30pm) – 9.00am – 8.00pm Performance Days
Sunday: 10.00am – 5.00pm (booking line is open until 4.30pm)

How to find us : Ipswich classes, courses and workshops take place at the new Jerwood DanceHouse, unless otherwise stated. The DanceHouse is situated on the former Cranfields Mill site on the Ipswich waterfront, close to Stoke Bridge.

Visit our website www.danceeast.co.uk/ for details of all our shows, classes and much more!

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Eastern Angles

Eastern Angles is the regional touring theatre company for the East of England.

Formed in 1982, Eastern Angles has blazed a trail across the East of England, becoming a national model of excellence for rural touring before expanding to include national touring, Edinburgh Festival visits and site-specific work. Most recently it has extended its work to Peterborough and is working on delivering a five year plan for theatre development in the city.

Its current annual programme includes: a community tour to village halls in the Spring with new writing, often with a regional flavour; Platform Peterborough in the Autumn; and a unique comic extravaganza in the Sir John Mills Theatre and Seckford Theatre over the Christmas season. In between, we commission new plays, tour shows nationally, present new work by BME writers during Black History Month, and workshop new scripts.

The Sir John Mills Theatre is home to Eastern Angles and is also regularly booked for other company and community group production. For information on these please see our website.

Sir John Mills Theatre, Gatacre Road, Ipswich IP1 2LQ – Box Office: 01473 211 498 – Email: administrator@easternangles.co.uk : Website:  www.easternangles.co.uk

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 Ipswich Art School

The Ipswich Art School is an exciting new gallery with a changing programme of modern and contemporary art exhibitions. 

For details of current exhibitions please visit our website at www.ipswich.gov.uk/museums

Throughout the year Ipswich Museum offers a fun and lively special events programme, which is suitable for all of the family.

• Join the mailing list today : call 01206 282938.
• FREE Admission
• Open: Tuesday – Sunday, 10am – 5pm
• 1 Upper High Street, Ipswich, IP1 3QH

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Ipswich Art Society

The Ipswich Art Society is one of Suffolk’s foremost exhibiting organisations for painters, sculptors and printmakers and one, which has played a distinguished role in the cultural life of Suffolk’s county town for a century and a quarter. Indeed, outside of London itself, it can claim to be one of the longest established art-societies in the country.

Founded in 1874 it has amongst its members many talented professional and amateur artists.

The Society plays an active role in the visual arts in East Anglia organising exhibitions, lectures, and social events for its Members, Friends, and for the public. Many of the great names in Suffolk painting were among the Members of the club. In this connection the name of Sir Edward Packard is pre-eminent but many other well known personalities appear among the membership in the early years. F. G. Cotman, D.Tollemache, E. R. Smythe and his younger brother Tom, John Duvall, W. R. Symonds, Harry Becker and Sir Alfred Munnings – the only East Anglian artist to have become President of the Royal Academy – and who were all contributors to the annual exhibitions.

Given the lineage of the Society and the breadth and quality of its current contemporary Members the Annual Open Exhibition is one of the most prestigiously held visual arts events in the region.

A history of the Society, a sample view of Member’s work and how to join as a Friend can be accessed here: www.ipswich-art-society.org.uk

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New Wolsey Theatre

The New Wolsey Theatre is a local theatre that has a national profile and is a vital asset for the public and cultural life of a region.

Regional theatres make an essential creative and economic contribution to cities and town centres. This is of mutual interest and benefit to all. A successful regional theatre creates employment, engages communities, businesses and other organisations in active dialogue; encourages growth and development of the talent pool and develops new, artistic work.

The New Wolsey, one of the region’s major producing theatres, is leading the way by programming culturally diverse performing arts, promoting new talent and attracting a broader audience.

Re-opened in February 2001 and supported by funding partners Arts Council England, East, Suffolk County Council and Ipswich Borough Council, The New Wolsey in Ipswich has been extensively refurbished over the last three years to benefit the people of Suffolk and surrounding areas.

The theatre produces quality performing arts productions and welcomes touring shows, co-produces drama and musical theatre with other regional theatres and hosts Pulse, an annual fringe festival showcasing new and emerging talent. It is nationally recognised for nurturing diverse talent. Co-productions with professional UK and international companies explore new forms of work, combine resources, experience and skills; and create innovative and imaginative performances. A recent additional development is the creation of production opportunities for trainee directors and producers.  This has provided opportunities for diverse artists to produce work for mid-scale theatres.

Our increased investment will enable The New Wolsey to develop artists and commissioning and expand their collaborative partnerships for own productions and touring work of the highest quality and maximum diversity.   As a significant partner in regeneration projects in the local area, the theatre will build on its national profile for developing creativity, celebrating identity and exploring difference.

The New Wolsey has strong links with local communities which are demonstrated through high quality education and outreach programmes and creative learning opportunities and projects in outdoor spaces and schools. This has increased their geographic spread of audiences; widened the range of what people see; increased attendance to their productions and developed culturally diverse audiences. The arrival of University Campus Suffolk (UCS), presents a unique opportunity to form a close working alliance with the Suffolk School of Arts and its performing arts courses, by providing facilities and professional interaction with this new student population. The theatre’s commitment to developing relationships with both individual artists and emerging companies, together with its partnerships, plays a key role in developing a strong theatre culture for tomorrow’s audiences.

The New Wolsey is a great facility for the town of Ipswich and the wider community, within Suffolk and beyond.  Its eclectic programme appeals to a wide range of people, and the imaginative model of combining top-quality in-house productions with a range of excellent touring work ensures that the programme is always fresh, lively and challenging.  The culturally diverse programme has introduced many new artists to the town and ensured that new audiences are constantly coming through the doors, while the Creative Learning initiative will ensure that young people will be given a range of opportunities to engage with the theatre on a number of levels…… As someone who started their own theatre career at the former Ipswich Arts Theatre, I am personally delighted to be involved with the New Wolsey at such an exciting time in its development – David Edwards, Chairman New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich

The New Wolsey Theatre is at Civic Drive, Ipswich IP1 2AS – You can find out more and what’s on by visiting their website: http://www.wolseytheatre.co.uk/

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Red Rose Chain

Red Rose Chain is a dynamic theatre and film company based in Suffolk. Entirely independent and self-sustaining, we create original productions that confront social concerns, often working with overlooked or hard-to-reach groups to create powerful and insightful stories that demand to be told.

For us, working with the community isn’t just an add-on thing we do to show we care. It’s the heart behind all of our work and fuels everything that we do.

Whether we’re performing Shakespeare or developing new writing, we are always finding ways of engaging and involving youth groups, schools and hard to reach audiences who might not normally have the chance to experience the arts.

We create new plays and films through a unique process that involves working with all sorts of people to develop candid and authentic stories. We’ve collaborated with prison inmates, young people in care, single parents and members of drug rehabilitation projects to name but a few. Whatever we do, we aim to give these people a voice through original work and a chance to experience high quality art without barriers, without prejudice and without patronizing them.

Across the board our productions strive to challenge thinking, to encourage debate and to raise the expectations and ambitions that we have of ourselves and those around us.  For more information visit: http://www.redrosechain.com/

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Regent Theatre
History of the Regent Theatre:

The Ipswich Regent opened in 1929 as a cine-variety hall. At 7.00pm on Monday November 4th, the entrance doors of the new Regent, Ipswich opened and into its spacious foyer crowded nearly 2,000 Ipswich people who had come to witness this momentous occasion.

Outside the theatre a large queue had formed, filing past Botwoods Garage. As a Ransomes steam lorry tooted its whistle, the staff of the Regent lined up for their first inspection by the manager, Albert E. Crabb who checked their ‘electric’ torches.

On the stage, the Mayor of Ipswich, Dr Hossack, performed the opening ceremony; musical numbers were played on the brand new Wurlitzer organ by the resident organist Frank Newman F.R.C.O. that included the Merry Wives of Windsor by Otto Nicolai. The film chosen to open the venue then began – “The Last of Mrs Cheyney” starring Norma Shearer and Basil Rathbone – an ‘all-talking’ picture with front circle seats costing 2s / 4d.

The luxurious Regent restaurant enhanced a visit to the theatre and, if desired, tea could be served in any of the fourteen boxes at the rear of the stalls. The boxes combined with the fact that the venue had a Manager cottage at the rear of the theatre made the Regent unique.

During the period prior to World War II the stage was not used to any great extent, although up to the mid-1930′s, the 18 piece Regent Orchestra, under the direction of Louis Baxter frequently entertained the audiences. Most theatre orchestras were disbanded in the late 1930′s and the organ then became the principal musical attraction.

During the war the Regent played its part in providing much needed escapism and helped to sustain public morale. After the war, The Regent flourished and enjoyed an attendance boom. Also during this period, the stage was employed in the presentation of Ipswich Civic Concerts – previously held at the Public Hall that was gutted by fire. The stage was also used for the presentation of Sadler’s Wells Ballet, Carl Rosa Opera and one-night band shows.

The popularity of cinema in the halcyon days of the 1930′s and 40′s was so great that another cinema in Ipswich, The Ritz, was opened in 1937. But the advent of television in the 1950′s proved a testing time for cinemas up and down the country and even the highly successful Regent, by now known as the Gaumont, did not survive intact. To allow the cinema to become more profitable, the restaurant was closed down and replaced by the Victor Sylvester Dance Studio.

In the late 1950′s the ‘pop’ music phenomenon exploded. Buddy Holly and the Crickets started off the craze at the Gaumont and since then thousands of international artists have graced the theatre’s stage including the Beatles, Tina Turner, The Bay City Rollers, Tom Jones, Chris Rea, Status Quo and many of today’s top artistes.

From 1958, local musicians and dramatic societies were encouraged to perform at East Anglia’s largest theatre. These included the Ipswich Operatic Society, the Gilbert and Sullivan Society and later the Co-op Juniors who still present their Christmas shows. The programme has since included a wide range of productions including professional touring theatre, opera, ballet, comedy and even full-scale orchestras.

By 1965 the proprietors, The Rank Organisation, were sufficiently confident of the future to spend £50,000 on a major modernisation and redecoration programme. But by the 1970′s, the large cinemas that had been so successful in the 30′s and 40′s proved to be less economically viable.

The Gaumont’s dance studio was converted to a luxury 200-seat cinema, which could be rented out for use by the local business community. Also in line with their policy throughout the country, Rank also proposed to convert the main auditorium to a multi-screen complex. However, after a great deal of persuasion, Rank’s plans were abandoned because the auditorium was established as the only local venue of sufficient capacity to stage live shows and concerts despite its limited performance facilities.

The theatre was re-launched in September 1991 after Ipswich Borough Council successfully negotiated the ownership from the Rank Organisation and NCP. Today, Ipswich Borough Council continue to fund the running of the theatre as part of its arts and entertainment portfolio that also includes the Corn Exchange and Ipswich Film Theatre.

Based on an article written by David Lowe, Manager 1958-1989.

Ipswich Regent is at 3 St Helens Street Ipswich.  Visit their website for more information and details of forthcoming shows: www.ipswichregent.com or Tel:  01473 433100

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The John Russell Gallery

The Contemporary art gallery on the Waterfront of Ipswich, Suffolk.

The John Russell Gallery has over forty years of expertise, specialising in the works of contemporary East Anglian painters and sculptors.

The Gallery offers monthly changing exhibitions and a wide selection of original prints, paintings and sculpture by established artists and up and coming talents.

The Gallery also offers the area’s longest established, highest quality, bespoke conservation framing and restoration.

4-6 Wherry Lane, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP4 1LG – Tel: 01473 212051 Email: a.coe@artone.co.uk  – website: www.artone.co.uk : Gallery opening hours: Monday – Saturday 9.30am – 5.00pm

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The Suffolk Craft Society @ Gallery 2

The Suffolk Craft Society was formed in 1970 to support and promote the work of contemporary designer crafts people in Suffolk. The aims of the Society are to promote the value and importance of the crafts and to support individual craftspeople in the creation of their work.

You can find the Suffolk Craft Society at Gallery 2, The Town Hall Galleries, Ipswich.  Located in Cornhill, right in the centre of Ipswich,  the grand 1868  building in yellow coloured Bath stone, red Sandstone and Limestone is unmistakable.

The finest sales outlet for contemporary designer crafts in East Anglia with a changing display of members work, the standard of excellence of the work is ensured by our rigorous selection for membership. See our website for examples of members craft work that is available in Ipswich.

Each month we focus on the work of a particular maker. On one Saturday during the month the maker will be in the gallery to talk informally about their work and answer questions from the public. This will be on a ‘drop-in’ basis and admission is free.

• Open Tuesday to Saturday 10.00am to 5.00pm

• Lift access is available through the side entrance in Princes Street

• There is ample parking in the town centre and park-and-ride bus stops are only a couple of hundred metres away.

• Gallery 2 is operated in partnership with Visual Arts Ipswich.

For more information Tel: 01473 432865 Email: development@suffolkcraftsociety.com or visit:  http://www.suffolkcraftsociety.org

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Town Hall Galleries

The Town Hall Galleries is a dedicated visual arts venue in a beautiful historic venue – right in the heart of Ipswich.

The Galleries present a changing and varied programme of visual arts, as well as fascinating community and heritage projects.

The venue is proud to showcase local artists, as well as bringing the best of contemporary art to Ipswich from the region and beyond.

At the Galleries, visitors can experience and participate in a range of contemporary exhibitions and events. There is often a range of activities to join in with to complement the exhibitions.

• FREE Admission
• Open: Tuesday – Saturday, 10am – 5pm
• Town Hall, Ipswich, IP1 1BH
• The Town Hall Galleries, Ipswich is run by the Colchester and Ipswich Museum Service www.ipswich.gov.uk/museums

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Waterfront Gallery

The Waterfront Gallery is an innovative and exciting exhibition space for the University Campus Suffolk (UCS).

The Waterfront Gallery is situated at: University Campus Suffolk, Waterfront Building, Neptune Quay, Ipswich IP4 1QJ.

It is open to all: Monday – Friday 9.00am – 8.00pm and Saturday 11.00am – 3.00pm

Visit our website to find out more including current and forthcoming exhibitions: www.ucs.ac.uk/waterfrontgallery