Duncan Grant: Worlds Through Desire brings together artworks, stories and poetry from different generations to explore the ways LGBT+ people have sought friendship, community and intimacy across changing times and [...]
Essex artist Simon Carter transforms Firstsite's gallery with From the Landscape, an immersive exhibition inspired by the Essex coast and countryside. Carter has spent more than 40 years walking, drawing [...]
This October, the New Face for Leprosy exhibition comes to Colchester Library for a free, month-long public exhibition exploring the lives and experiences of people affected by leprosy. The project was conceived in 2019 by Emeritus Professor Diana Lockwood to challenge some of the myths and misconceptions surrounding the disease. Working with photographer Tom Bradley, [...]
Bridging Dreams By Sakai International Community Arts 2 to 29 October 2026 Level Best Art Gallery, Colchester This October, Level Best Art Gallery welcomes Bridging Dreams, a special international exhibition connecting artists in Sakai City, Japan, with the Level Best community in Colchester. Founded in Osaka in 2019, Sakai International Community Arts is an inclusive [...]
What does it mean to grow up by the sea today? From ambition and creativity to isolation and inequality, explore intimate photographs and firsthand accounts that document what life is [...]
What does it mean to grow up by the sea today?From ambition and creativity to isolation and inequality, explore intimate photographs and first-hand accounts documenting what life is really like [...]
Out of Line: Banksy and the Art of Dissent brings a major exhibition of street and urban contemporary art to The Minories in Colchester. The exhibition features 28 original artworks [...]
7 pm on Saturday, 24 October – 9 am on Sunday, 25 October 2026Ever wondered what Colchester Castle is like after dark? Now’s your chance to find out! Meet the [...]
Explore expressive landscape painting in this hands-on oil painting workshop inspired by the bold colour, movement and energetic brushwork of early Expressionism. Looking at artists including Vincent van Gogh and Edvard Munch, you’ll discover how colour, shape and brushwork can transform a landscape and communicate mood and emotion. Working from the view at Firstsite, you’ll [...]
Second Thoughts follows Clement Achebe, a once-successful Lagos professional who leaves behind a stable life in pursuit of greater opportunities abroad. What he hopes will be a journey toward a brighter future quickly becomes a confrontation with harsh realities, cultural shocks, and the emotional weight of having to start over. Told as an intimate one-man [...]
Wu Zetian, the only woman in Chinese history to rule as emperor in her own name, has been judged by history for centuries. What happens when she finally answers back?Now, she is summoned to stand trial before history.From Mei and Meiniang, names given to shape the woman she was expected to become, to Zhao, a [...]
With stories Gods, Ice Giants and Monsters fighting for power, join in with an interactive storytelling of a difference, will you play Thor and get to wield the mighty Mjölnir, or be Loki with cunning and guile. Find out all about the Gods and Goddesses of Norse myths.Winner of Best Children's Show at Buxton Fringe [...]
Free AdmissionDoors 1.30pm, show 2pmThis event is for a seated audienceA Recitation The Monica Ross Archive and friends are inviting people to join 80 tribute readings across the world to mark the 80th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 2028. Colchester Arts Centre is delighted to host this recital. It is a shared process, you [...]
Sparkling, dizzying, and deliciously potent, Fallen Angels, Noël Coward’s champagne-fresh comedy of bad manners, shocked and delighted audiences at its 1925 premiere.Two upper-class wives, their husbands away for the day, share a few toasts to their pre-marital dalliances – with the same man, who just may be en route from France to visit.Old rivalries and [...]
#SHORN presented by the highly talented Elsa McTaggart. Celebrating 15 years of touring and five-star Fringe performances, this show features original song, eclectic musical styles, loop-pedal and spoken anecdotes. Drawing on a lifetime of music-making, Elsa performs with warmth, humour and artistry. #SHORN signifies a coming of age, shedding the old and embracing the new. [...]
In her debut show Miss Ann Thropp guides you through just some of the many causes of the death of originality within the musical theatre. Taking songs from a range of musical theatre shows she presents live vocals combined with critiques of various issues within the Musical Theatre Industry. Colchester Fringe Festival. Performance venue: Coda.Age [...]
We may fall… but can we rise?” From international acclaim to near-total isolation, this 5-star, award-winning solo show is a deeply moving, autobiographical journey of survival and creative rebirth. Written and performed by world-class composer and songwriter Mark Glentworth (celebrated collaborator of Steven Berkoff), the production chronicles a sudden, devastating breakdown that left him mute [...]
From the writer and producers of last year's sell-out show, Wonky Hearts Collective present a brand new collection of monologues Four new women. Four new toilets. Four new stories. In the most private of public spaces the masks drop and from behind the cubicle doors the women reveal their innermost thoughts. Once again, the stories [...]
An ageing woman resists her daughter's mission to get her to declutter her house, against a past that continues to haunt her. A playful, yet poignant, look into the significance of one woman's possessions. Original play by Penny Benedetti with music by singer/songwriter Sally Theobald. Colchester Fringe Festival. Performance venue: Headgate Theatre (Rehearsal Room).Age Suitability: [...]
(God) Help The Aged is a light-hearted play that looks at the ageing process. It will take you down memory lane reminiscing about how things have changed including our bodies!! It tells how we are, how the world see us, but most of all, how we see ourselves as we begin to reach our mature [...]
Rebekah Wallace-Brown returns with I'll Share the Fire But Not the Ashes—a deeper, brasher exploration of Boudica's history and the raw reality of modern womanhood.She unpacks who Boudica really was: the flogging, the rebellion, the survival. Then she brings it home—to menopause as a sacred forge, to claiming boundaries, and to the stubborn act of [...]
“It’s the strangest feeling to be laughing out loud but feeling a burning rage bubbling inside me.” ★★★★ Perth Happenings The most thrilling play you’ll see, and it’s just a lectern and a slide show. This multi-award-winning lecture-performance takes you on a wild ride as it investigates consent in the digital age with wit, dark [...]
In the 1950s, gay men travelled to liberal European cities in search of freedoms that were denied to them at home. Places where they could explore their sexuality, find companionship and immerse themselves in homosocial worlds beyond the reach of British convention.Alan Turing was one of those men.Quietly rebellious and ahead of his time, Turing [...]
Robert Brown joins us at the Victoria Inn, bringing his soulful voice and rich acoustic sound to a mix of blues, folk and Americana. A singer-songwriter and guitarist, Robert combines his own heartfelt songs with influences drawn from across those musical traditions. This is a free gig, with no tickets required. Donations are encouraged to [...]
Tickets £12 25th October: Doors 5.45pm, show 6pm 27th October: Doors 6.45pm, show 7pmThis show is for a seated audience Following the success of the sell-out show Hebridean Fire, multi-instrumentalists Elsa and Gary return with Celtic Tales, enchanting audiences with myths and legends of the Scottish Highlands and Islands. This dynamic duo masterfully blend heartfelt ballads with high-energy jigs [...]
This is the true story of Reed Peggram. In 1939 the brilliant young Black scholar from Boston, travels to Paris so that he could live a life beyond America’s racial boundaries. There, he falls deeply in love with Arne Hauptmann, a Danish scholar. As Nazi Germany advances across Europe, Reed refuses to abandon the man [...]
After wowing Colchester Fringe with their smash hit adaptation of Shakespeare's WORST play, multi award-winning Rendered Retina return, only this time their bringing his LEAST-KNOWN work, Timon of Athens. Follow Timon, a wealthy and incredibly generous philanthropist who finds himself broke, and the many weird and whacky characters he meets in his story. Expect a [...]
A old legend as never before seen in this outlandishly entertaining one man epic. The lone performer creates sound, stage, set, props, lights and characters to breath new life into the Arthurian tales. Created by the team behind the off-broadway 5-star hit BEOWULF!King Arthur, Merlin, Lancelot & Guinevere. Many tales, adventures & sagas. One man [...]
Sid Delicious presents the weird and wonderful world of love and sex in the animal kingdom. A scientific lecture meets late night cabaret where you can learn everything you've ever wanted to know about sex in the animal kingdom, along with some things you'd rather forget! From who's packing the biggest- and strangest- equipment to [...]
Are you feeling evil? Do you love a catfight? Well hot off the success of Sunday Roast @ Colchester Fringe Summer Weekender we’re bringing you a double helping of Sunday Roast across two weekends of the main Colchester Fringe festival! We're gathering some of Colchester's funniest people to tear each other apart in a series [...]
Sale Dates and Times:Public Onsale : Fri, 28 Nov 2025 at 10:00 AMTicketmaster Presale : Thu, 27 Nov 2025 at 10:00 AM
Test your knowledge of horror films, and help raise money for an incredible cause! - £3 a head (CASH ONLY)- Maximum 6 to a team- Food served throughout - Book now: https://tinyurl.com/7j5kk5vIf you book and then decide not to attend, please CANCEL YOUR BOOKING.Please attend with the number of people you book for. Please arrive [...]
Bea was a gifted child. Her reading age was three years ahead, her poem published in the local newspaper. A future she was sure was already secured. Now she’s 25, unemployed and lying awake at 2AM, wondering what went wrong.As Bea struggles to keep up with a world that demands constant productivity, she starts to [...]
Colchester Fringe debut of dark comedy following hit Edinburgh Fringe run! Mary Kennedy, yes one of those Kennedys, third cousins twice removed; all of the tragedy, none of the money stars in Hail Mary, None of the Grace. No Irish Catholic story is complete without a mention of a good Irish funeral! Join Mary as [...]
With one foot in stand‑up comedy, the other in TED‑style presentation, this one‑person musical ride dives into Eurovision’s history, queer joy, fandom culture, and identity. Expect big music, big humour and heartfelt reflections woven through slides and song. ★★★★ - Edmonton Journal, ★★★★★ - Hamilton Hammer, 2025 Calgary Fringe Award Winner, “McLean has broken the [...]
Chris Sainton-Clark is the Bardtender. Join him for an hour of witty, highly lyrical comedy observational tales of bar work, british pub culture and beyond. Since embarking on his journey as a storyteller, Chris has played Glastonbury Festival, won 12 theatre awards, and sold out his Pub Tales tour in New Zealand. He blends comedy, [...]
New work from an award-winning idiot. Join Beth Anne (a woman!), a middle-aged beauty queen (almost!), who has spent her life shape shifting into what she thinks others want, only [...]
Before Ella, Tina, Billie, or Beyoncé – there was JOSEPHINEJosephine is an international award-winning off-Broadway one-woman biographical musical that combines cabaret, theatre and dance to tell the story of the [...]
Rhys James has made a discovery that could fix everything.It's been staring him in the face the whole time, in a mirror held behind his head.If he can ignore his [...]
Last here performing as a member of the Joni Reimagined Quartet, when she wowed the audience with her superb vocals, be prepared once more to be mesmerised and captivated by [...]
"We are in a time of paralysis.And nobody can understand why.We all know that something is deeply wrong within our society.But we're unable to act.We are increasingly interconnected. Yet power [...]
Step into the joyful and absurd world of Francisco de Nata: A Giraffe. In A G-String. With a job to do! In this silent clown show featuring audience interaction, puppetry [...]
A late-night cabaret packed with some of the finest talent from across the festival and right here in Colchester.As the lights go low, expect a night of bold, captivating performances [...]
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