Felicity Goodall: The life of Suffolk writer & naturalist Mea Allen
Felicity Goodall is a former journalist who worked on regional newspapers before spending several years as a freelance foreign correspondent in Norway. She has also worked in radio & television, most recently as a BBC Radio 4 producer. She made the first programme about the life of Anne Lister, Gentleman Jack of Halifax broadcast in 1993 & produced such programmes as “Poetry Please!” & “A Good Read”. She has written 6 books of non-fiction. These include, “We Will Not Go to War”, based on interviews with men & women who took a stand against conscription, & “Exodus Burma: The British Escape Through the Jungles of Death 1942”, which told the story of half a million people who walked from Burma to India when the Japanese invaded.
“Seeking Mea Allan – Fleet Street’s Forgotten Pioneer”, published by The History Press in July this year, is her first biography. Mea Allan was a star reporter on Britain's biggest-selling daily paper, the first woman on a Fleet Street news desk & to be permanently accredited to the British Army as a war correspondent, & the only woman to report from newly liberated Bergen-Belsen concentration camp & cover the subsequent trials. She was once so famous that her name was used to advertise Horlicks – & yet she has all but disappeared from history. “Seeking Mea Allan” interweaves past & present as we travel from London to Glasgow, from Paris to Hamburg & beyond, to answer the questions that still linger: was Mea written out of history because of her sexuality? Or was something more subtle at work?
Unreserved seating.
An entertaining evening of new short plays, long-listed for INK Festival 2027. Professional actors, script-in-hand, in a relaxed cabaret setting. Drinks, free nibbles and a chance to vote for your favourite play!
Hot on the heels of Brighton, Camden and off-West End success, 1816 heads to Southwold for one night only. It’s Byron and Shelley, as you've never seen them before. In this Friends meets Frankenstein comedy-drama musical, from the same company that originally launched SiX: 1816 is the ultimate origin story of the first modern vampire novel and Frankenstein, where a group of five Romantics get tra...
Niki (Woodall) works as a piano tuner under the mentorship of Harry (Hoffman), and the two of them bond over their work and their shared love of music. Niki has hyperacusis, an allergy to loud noises, and when Harry falls ill, Niki, desperate to help pay the hospital bills, gets tangled up in crime, discovering that his condition qualifies him as an exceptional safe-cracker. Meanwhile, he develops...
Following a sell-out run at the Tabard Theatre, Fever and Fire comes to East Anglia for a strictly limited tour. Written and performed by Adam Preston, Horatio Nelson, Fever and Fire is a powerful one-man show exploring the life, loves and legacy of Britain's greatest naval hero. Drawing on extensive historical research, the play goes beyond the familiar legend to reveal the man behind the myth. ...
The Demeter leaves Romania on its final voyage to England, it is loaded with cargo and passengers looking to start a new life. But Captain Atkins has discovered a monster aboard. The creature has been locked in the brig and away from prying eyes, but discontent can spread like the plague and when you are on the open water with no sign of land, what can you do? Who can you trust? Growing Theatre's ...
It's All Done with Mirrors This science magic show explores how magicians use science and engineering in their magic tricks. A visually appealing show with unusual props, demonstrations and tricks that illustrates how real-world science and engineering is often invisible, hidden or taken for granted. It reveals surprising links between classroom concepts and spectacular stage illusions. Audience...
Get ready for a spooktacular science adventure! Meet our Mad Nutty Professor as they bring Halloween magic to life with crystal plasma balls, shocking electrical demonstrations, bubbling dry-ice potions, fizzing sweet experiments, ghostly balloon inflation and glowing science surprises. Packed with hands-on excitement, laughter and spectacular reactions, this interactive workshop is the perfect wa...
The Little Witch Halloween Story Show Join the Little Witch on a magical Halloween journey as she flies across the world to collect special ingredients for a mysterious Halloween potion. Along the way, children will meet fascinating animal friends from the rainforest, desert and treetops, learning fun facts about millipedes, snakes, tarantulas and tree frogs. Filled with storytelling, adventure, ...
Jim Laws is a Fellow of the Association of Lighting & Production Design. He will lead us in a practical exploration of Colour Music; the visual realisation of the sentiments behind pieces of music, using theatrical coloured lighting techniques. We will create Colour Music together. Part of the Southwold Science Week STEM programme.
This workshop will explore the difference between chemical & physical reactions and is ideal for children aged 6- 10. The children will analyse a variety of household chemicals and drinks to find their acidity or alkalinity using colour changes of an indicator solution. We will discover how acids can be used to create electricity, how chemical reactions can create forces and launch rockets and how...
by Thomas Hardy Under the Greenwood Tree follows members of the village choir as they are replaced by a church organ, set against the backdrop of a humorous love story. The book explores themes of love, social class, and the nostalgia for disappearing village traditions. The performance is a wonderful combination of spoken word, by renowned actor Mark Carey, and live music from the highly acclai...
You want the BEST... y ou have Found the BEST! With the largest Unique and EXCLUSIVE Range of Presentations; A SEND-friendly accessible walk-in Dome! Step inside the award-winning Auriga Star Dome at Southwold Arts Centre and embark on an immersive journey through space. Explore planets, stars, galaxies, and the wonders of the Universe in a unique, presenter-led experience. Suitable for all ages...
Cocoons around stars, the Sun and Earth: the zodiacal light, 1816, and global warming. In the 1970s infrared surveys showed that many stars are surrounded by clouds of dust. In 1982 scientists began to worry about the prospect of nuclear winter, severe cooling caused by dust thrown up during a nuclear war. Dust from the 1815 Tambora volcanic eruption resulted in ‘the year without a summer’, 1816....
A context workshop suitable for GCSE and A Level Students to tie in with “1816” a musical that brings the Romantic writers to life. What happens when the writers you study in the classroom become real people? This immersive workshop brings the world of the Romantics to life, connecting the poetry and prose studied by GCSE and A Level students with the extraordinary lives, personalities and relati...
VSTEAM Education will host a space-themed STEM workshop, allowing children to explore the wonders of our solar system through a range of exciting hands-on activities. Students will drive mini gesture-controlled robots, create stunning water tornadoes to investigate forces and motion, and design and take home their own glowing star constellations. Outcome The workshop encourages scientific enquir...
'The Lover' by Harold Pinter, also featuring 'Landscape'
Fri 6 Nov
Before leaving for work, a man wishes his wife well for the planned visit of her lover during the afternoon. It is a long-term arrangement which apparently leaves the husband free to see his mistress. But is it? All is not as it seems in Pinter’s hilarious and quirky comedy of marital capers. Also on the bill during an evening with Pinter is Landscape, the playwright’s classic study of the failur...
WCB Comedy Stand Up In Southwold: Headliner Geoff Norcott
Sat 7 Nov
?? THIS SHOW WILL SELL OUT. ?? For one massive night of stand-up, comedy heavyweight Geoff Norcott takes the headline spot—and when Geoff’s name is on the bill, tickets disappear in a heartbeat. One of the UK’s most sharp-witted and in-demand comedians, Geoff is a household name from Live at the Apollo, The Last Leg, and Backstage with Katherine Ryan. His unique, fearlessly funny take on the wo...
Tickets gives you entry to : Friday 13th November 2026 2.00pm Felicity Goodall 3.30pm Erika Clegg 5.00pm Kevin Crossley-Holland Saturday 14th November 2026 10.00am Robert Ashton & Matt Gaw 11.30am Robert Colls & Ronald Binns 2.00pm Alexander Ballinger 3.30pm James Aldred & Alistair Carr 5.00pm Stewart White Sunday 15th November 2026 ...
Felicity Goodall: The life of Suffolk writer & naturalist Mea Allen
Fri 13 Nov
Felicity Goodall is a former journalist who worked on regional newspapers before spending several years as a freelance foreign correspondent in Norway. She has also worked in radio & television, most recently as a BBC Radio 4 producer. She made the first programme about the life of Anne Lister, Gentleman Jack of Halifax broadcast in 1993 & produced such programmes as “Poetry Please!” & “A Good Rea...
