The fifth Latitude festival more than delivered on its promise to be more than just another music festival. 

Some 35,000 people made the journey to Henham Park in Suffolk; while they were rewarded with beautiful weather, some incredible bands and two Tom Jones appearances, the performing arts were a cut above.

Anyone who had any doubts about the demand for performing arts at a festival just had to take a look at the Theatre Tent queues – which stretched for over 100 metres. Established companies such as the RSC, Sadler’s Wells and the Royal Opera House sat easily side-by-side with new and emerging talent. Highlights included It’s About Time by Nabokov Theatre Company, Pleasure’s Progress performed in the woods by the Royal Opera House and an eerie performance by The Medicine Shop, inspired by a UFO landing in 1980. Pleasure’s Progress was perfectly pitched for a festival audience: lively, funny, and about booze and boobs.

While the music acts were brilliant, they were usually at a distance – but shows like I-Confess by Firehouse Creative Productions and Tangled Feet offered a physical closeness that couldn’t be matched. When you can feel the actor’s breath on your neck, the theatrical experience can only be heightened.

Meanwhile, new areas of woodland were opened this year, and were brilliantly used by companies such as the NSDF, with a version of Wind in the Willows, which journeyed from the river’s edge to a clearing in the woods. The performance itself was rather weak, but I don’t think the kids minded too much – they were just pleased to see a toad tearing about and making a lot of noise.

Local companies and performers such as writer Joel Horwood, Hightide, and The Medicine Shop were showcased in abundance, which was refreshing, considering that Latitude is ostensibly a corporate festival. While all the big festival trademarks were present – such as rubbish food, expensive beer and constant wristband checks – it was clear there was an eye on supporting the artists who live and work in Suffolk. 

Festival organisers are becoming increasingly conscious of the dimension that theatre adds, while companies, poets and performers are beginning to see events like Latitude as a platform in itself, rather than just a way to get a free ticket. The shows that had the best responses offered audience members the opportunity to get involved, such as Firehouse Creative Productions and Tangled Feet. Sadler’s Wells presented the best of the dance (by a long way) with act II from Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake, which was a real treat: with beautiful costumes and stunningly graceful dancing.

Over at the poetry tent, the roof was raised by Kate Tempest, who drowned out the crowd at the main stage with her standing ovation, and left many first-timers shell-shocked with her quick-fire style and hard-hitting verse. Her performance was so honest and heart-wrenching that I was left feeling I would never see anything as powerful on stage again. Having said that, I’ll be back next year to prove my theory wrong.

By David Wright

Image courtesy of Marc Sethi