Halesworth's INK Festival's 10th Year

Saturday, 21 February 2026 06:00

Helen Atkinson-Wood at last year's INK Festival Fun Day

Halesworth will once again become a hub for new writing as the INK Festival celebrates its 10th anniversary this April.

Described as the UK’s largest short play festival, the four-day event will stage 70 brand new short plays across a wide range of venues throughout the town — from traditional theatres to pop-up and outdoor locations including the Food Larder, Bowling Club, Scout Hut and even a community bus.

This year’s programme includes special commissions from Richard Curtis and Esther Freud. Curtis’s play Portrait follows a famous actress commissioning an artist to paint her for her husband’s birthday, while Freud’s Signs and Whispers centres on a couple encountering someone from their past.

The festival has grown significantly since launching with just 15 plays, now attracting more than 1,000 script submissions. Selected works will be staged as live performances, radio plays and rehearsed readings, performed by more than 50 professional actors and directors.

Alongside the core programme, headline events will include talks and performances from figures such as Hugh Bonneville and Sir Tony Robinson, as well as workshops, youth activities and a free schools’ day for students across the region.

Artistic Director Julia Sowerbutts said the festival has grown into “the world’s biggest carnival of new short plays” while remaining rooted in the local community.