20:00, Thu 25th June – Sat 4th July 2009 at The Junction Theatre
Summer Vacation

At the heart of the 2009 festival is the extraordinary Stand By Your Van by Anna Reynolds– an interactive competition play about hope, greed, endurance and a very big pick-up truck! Who is going to sacrifice the most to drive away with the prize?

There is something for everyone at Hotbed, from site-specific performances and live literature to experimental works-in-progress, including Chris Dobrowolski’s awe-inspiring Great Escape,about his adventures as artist-in-residence in Antarctica, and guest shows from visiting artists and companies from across the East of England.

Throughout the festival there will be premieres of new work, including one-act plays, full length readings and experimental pieces, featuring work by some of the UK’s best and brightest playwrights such as Janice Okoh with her comedy about Nigerian family life in London; Egusi Soup and Fraser Grace (Breakfast with Mugabe, RSC) with a new piece inspired by the life and work of Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya; Events From a Forgotten War.

And finally; the audience’s favourite … the legendary One-Page-Play-Competition-Athon! At Hotbed 2009, all the one-page-plays are inspired by the theme of “Competition”: to find out how to enter a play visit www.hotbedfestival.co.uk or just come along and help choose the winner!