The New Wolsey Theatre’s autumn season goes on sale today.

East Anglian Daily Times: New Wolsey autumn season, GetinthebackofthevanNew Wolsey autumn season, Getinthebackofthevan (Image: Archant)

One of the highlights is September’s Midsummer Songs, produced by the theatre and written and directed by its artistic director Peter Rowe with music by Ben Goddard

It focuses on a group of friends who celebrated the end of their university life with a wild week in a barn half-way up a mountain in West Wales, recorded on a C90 cassette and buried in a biscuit at the top of a hill with a pledge – wherever they are in 25 years time they’ll return on Midsummer’s Eve and create the B-side.

“It all started when we wrote a song called Angel of Soho for a show called Mods and Rox and decided we should write a full musical together. It’s the first thing I’ve written that doesn’t involve a pantomime fairy tale or a dead rock star - an original story that talks about what concerns us in the middle of our lives - written for a company of seasoned and experienced actor-musicians who have worked with Ben and me at various stages of our own journeys,” says Rowe.

“Midsummer Songs is an opportunity to celebrate the talent of these singers and songsmiths and to explore what matters most, when there’s more road already travelled than left up ahead.”

The theatre will be taking part in a global commemoration to remember the lives of those who lived, fought and died in the First World War including an adaptation of Michael Morpurgo’s Private Peaceful and Ernest Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms. Alongside these will be events focusing on how the war affected Ipswich and its community.

It will continue to develop and support new, emerging and experimental theatre making via PULSE presents with three shows from companies who have showcased work within the Festival in previous years.

The New Wolsey’s own Youth Theatre will take audiences down the rabbit hole with Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland while the Young Company present Four Knights in Knaresborough, a tale of four knights going through the worst year of their lives.

The theatre joins in with the SPILL Festival in October with The Live Art Community Music courtesy of Getinthebackofthevan.

Other productions include An Audience with Rationale, Custom/Practice, Romeo and Juliet, the Olivier Award nominated Eric and Little Ern, Three Men in a Bot and new Tim Firth musical This is my Family.

Also on sale now is the New Wolsey’s Open Season, which runs from June 11-July 28 and features original work from new companies and some familiar faces. More information on both is available from www.wolseytheatre.co.uk