Events Archive
Events
Event Date: 20260529
Event Price: Advance Prices - £6 UoE Students / £10 Concessions / £15 Full. On the Door Prices - £8 UoE Students / £12 Concessions / £16 Full
Re-Write 2026
The Theatre Arts Society present their annual new writing competition.
5 short plays go head to head in front of a live audience and panel of judges!
Written and performed by Theatre Arts Society members, five 20-minute plays will feature in a bumper line-up on the Lakeside Theatre’s main stage.
More about the competing shows soon!
Event Date: 20260619
Event Price: Advance Prices - £6 UoE Students / £10 Concessions / £15 Full. On the Door Prices - £8 UoE Students / £12 Concessions / £16 Full
KAYFABE
Sofia Guardià is the greatest wrestler in the world. Tomorrow, she defends her championship title at the nation’s biggest stadium. Only one woman stands in her way: Megan Crush – the heel, the bad guy, her challenger.
Playing on the literal meaning of Kayfabe (to maintain the portrayal of a wrestler’s persona and character) and transphobic social narratives which suggest that gender dysphoric people wear the mask of illusion, Kayfabe asks the question, should the illusion remain when the rights of trans-woman are on the line?
Written as a response to the Supreme Court Ruling on the definition of sex, one year later Alice K. Stephens brings her rage and sharp sense of humour back to the stage through the world of wrestling entertainment.
Cast
- Josephine Long as Megan Crush
- Marina Cusí Sanchez as Sofia Guardia
Crew
Shuttle Skull Productions presents KAYFABE
- Written by Alice K. Stephens
- Directed by Isobel Sheard
- Poster Photography by Maddy Pierce
- Poster Design by Joe Eason
- Music Composed by Joe Eason
- Produced by Alice K. Stephens, Joe Eason, Marina Cusí Sanchez and Hanna May Jones
Event Date: 20260620
Open Day
Join us at the University of Essex Open Day on Saturday 20 June to find out more about acting courses from East 15 Acting School and drama courses from the Department of Literature, Film and Theatre Studies!
We will be open for tours and workshops, please see the Essex Open Day schedule for more info.
Event Date: 20260411
Open Day
Join us at the University of Essex Open Day on Saturday 11 April to find out more about acting courses from East 15 Acting School and drama courses from the Department of Literature, Film and Theatre Studies!
We will be open for tours and workshops, please see the Essex Open Day schedule for more info.
Event Date: 20260713
Graduation 2026
University of Essex Graduation!
Join us at the Lakeside Theatre as we screen the graduation ceremonies taking place in the Ivor Crewe Lecture Theatre Live for guests and supporters of University of Essex Graduands.
Our café will be open 8.30am to 6pm daily, service hot and cold drinks and snacks.
Explore the Summer 2026 Graduation Ceremonies.
Event Date: 20260613
Event Price: See Essex Book Festival website for prices
Essex Book Festival: The Writers Room
Eva Verde, James Canton, Holly Pester, Ben Pester, Rebecca Perry
Saturday 13 June 2026, 11am to 8pm
Lakeside Theatre, University of Essex
Essex Book Festival and the University of Essex are hosting an exciting one-day programme of writers’ and writing events.
Events include author talks and workshops, multi-genre panel discussions, and The Pitch (a 10-minute speed-date with an industry professional). Plus, an opportunity to engage with and explore the J.A. Baker Archive.
Day Pass Tickets: £25 / £15 concessions – includes five events (individual event tickets are £8 / £5)
Book a Day Pass at Eventbrite.co.uk.
The Pitch
A 10-minute speed-date with an industry professional. More details coming soon.
J.A.Baker Exhibition
11.00am – 5.00pm
J.A. Baker was passionate about the Essex countryside and was best known for his first and most successful work, The Peregrine (1967), summarising his ten-year observations of the bird. Held in the Special Collections at the University of Essex, Albert Sloman Library, the archive includes Baker’s letters, early manuscripts, unpublished works, ornithological diaries, photographs, and binoculars among other items. As part of The Writers Room day, selected items from the archive will be on display in the Special Collections Reading Room.
What it takes to Make a Book – Eva Verde in conversation with Sabah Khan
11.00am – 12.00pm
Identity, class and female rage are recurring themes in Eva Verde’s work. She has published three novels including Them Girls, and will be discussing with Sabah Khan, publicity director at Simon & Schuster Books, what it takes to write and publish a book.
Tickets: £8 / £5 concessions (students, under 27s and unwaged)
Box Office: eventbrite.co.uk
Writing the Archive Workshop with Andrew Burton
12.30pm – 2.30pm
Ignite your creative imagination. Join us for a practical writing workshop using the J.A. Baker Special Collection as a catalyst. Everyone welcome – no experience necessary.
Tickets: £20 / £15 concessions (students, under 27s and unwaged)
Box Office: eventbrite.co.uk
The Writing the Archive workshop is not included in The Writers Room Day Pass
Nature Memoir: What Next? – James Canton
1.00pm – 2.00pm
In the last decade from H is for Hawk to Raising Hare via The Salt Path, nature memoir has witnessed a meteoric rise. Where does the genre go from here? Join our panel, chaired by James Canton, author of The Oak Papers and Renaturing, to discuss what the future holds for this compelling genre.
Tickets: £8 / £5 concessions (students, under 27s and unwaged)
Box Office: eventbrite.co.uk
Breaking the Mould – Holly Pester, Ben Pester and Rebecca Perry
2.30pm – 3.30pm
Granta Books is renowned for championing challenging and innovative ground-breaking literature. Join three acclaimed Granta authors Holly Pester (The Lodgers), Ben Pester (The Expansion Project) and Rebecca Perry (May We Feed The King) as they discuss their individual and shared writing processes.
Tickets: £8 / £5 concessions (students, under 27s and unwaged)
Box Office: eventbrite.co.uk
Freedom to Write, Freedom to Read – English PEN
4.00pm – 5.00pm
Join English PEN, in partnership with Essex Book Festival, for a conversation between writers on the relationships between literature, place, and movement. How do experiences of home, migration, diaspora, and safety inform and shape what, how, and why we write? And how do they shape what, how, and why we read?
Tickets: £8 / £5 concessions (students, under 27s and unwaged)
Box Office: eventbrite.co.uk
How to Become a Peregrine – The Cabinet of Living Cinema
6.30pm – 8.00pm
Join the Cabinet of Living Cinema for the world premiere of its new film How to Become a Peregrine inspired by J.A. Baker’s The Peregrine, and accompanied by a soaring and immersive live soundscape by composer Kieron Chissick.
Tickets: £8 / £5 concessions (students, under 27s and unwaged)
Box Office: eventbrite.co.uk
Event Date: 20260514
Event Price: Advance Prices - £6 UoE Students / £10 Concessions / £15 Full. On the Door Prices - £8 UoE Students / £12 Concessions / £16 Full
The Importance of Being Earnest
The Theatre Arts Society present a trivial comedy for serious people
Directed by Daniel Casey with Assistant Director Tom Mumford
The Theatre Arts Society returns to the Lakeside Theatre main stage with their 2025 Summer Show, bringing to life the classic Oscar Wilde play, The Importance of Being Earnest.
The Importance of Being Earnest is a farcical comedy following the exploits of Jack Worthing, a young, eligible bachelor about town, and Algernon Moncrieff, A languid poser of the leisure class. While assuming the role of dutiful guardian in the country, Jack lets loose in town under a false identity. Meanwhile, his friend Algy takes on a similar facade.
Unfortunately, living a double life has its drawbacks, especially when it comes to love. Hoping to impress two eligible ladies, the gentlemen find themselves caught in a web of lies they must carefully navigate, the results of which are highly comedic throughout. Their carefully constructed facades begin to crumble as the truth edges ever closer to the surface, forcing them into increasingly absurd situations. Each desperate attempt to maintain their deceptions only deepens the chaos, leaving both men scrambling to keep their stories straight before the whole elaborate charade collapses around them in spectacular fashion.
However, beneath the play’s deeply unserious exterior lies a sincerely heart-warming story of self-acceptance, as Jack is forced to learn that “Earnest” is less about striving to be something, and more about stepping into the power of what he already is.
Show Guidance
- Age guide: 12+
- Content warnings: sexual innuendo, frequent smoking/drinking and casual mentions of death
Follow TAS
- Instagram: essextas
- Facebook: @essextas
- LinkedIn: essex-tas
Event Date: 20260505
Event Price: FREE
Launch Festival 2026
The Department of Literature, Film and Theatre Studies present the annual Launch Festival!
Our undergraduate Drama students present their final degree shows in a four day festival across both of our stages.
Tickets to this event are free and open to all, advance booking is recommended. Tickets are day tickets and will get you into all the performance on that single day (with the exception of closed performances). Please book a day ticket for each day you wish to attend.
Schedule
Tuesday 5 May
12:00
A Memory of a Life Lived
By Lara Wazaney and Charlotte Palmer
When home and love are lost, what remains?
A Memory of a Life Lived is a story that follows the life of an Arab refugee dealing with survivors’ guilt and is haunted by war and the loss of his wife Nayla. The play showcases a blend of the past’s harsh memories and present-day moments, that reflect the many hardships that refugees are faced with and the overall struggles of displacement. Naseem goes through therapy sessions, a visit from his social worker Ali as well as an unpleasant and awkward academic interview, all while attempting to not allow people around him to reduce his humanity to a story.
As Naseem navigates his way through these complex instances, the themes of grief, identity and belonging are captured throughout the play, highlighting the silent yet tireless effects of loss and the battle of rebuilding a life in a country that he does not call home. Naseem is an individual that has lost everything that has defined him as a person, so what do his future hold?
Cast and crew:
- Written and performed by: Lara Wazaney, and Charlotte Palmer
- Directed by: Lara Wazaney and Charlotte Palmer
- Tech by: Harry Harris and Samuel Button-Bell
Content guidance:
- Sounds of explosives.
- Sensitive topics.
- Age guide: 16+
13:15
Too Damp For A Spark (CLOSED PERFORMANCE)
By Ari Senthil
Have you felt broken after many failed attempts at dating/sex? Look no further.
TOO DAMP FOR A SPARK is a young coming-of-age story that explores themes of cheating and betrayal. When Aoife finds out her partner cheated on her, she has to find ways to move on and along the way, she has some shocking revelations about herself. This one-person show navigates the challenges that come with dating soon after a breakup as well as dealing with unsupportive friends and family members.
Cast and Crew:
- Written and performed by Ari Senthil
- Tech by Samuel Button-Bell and Harry Harris
Content guidance:
- Explicit language, flashing lights
- Age guide: 18+
- Run time: 25 minutes
14:00
The Unapologetic Voice
By Summer Eytle-Rock
No grey areas, just BLACK!
A live podcast brought to you by a black female creative. I share my own personal experiences, I share your personal experiences, I give advice and I educate my audience with an unfiltered voice on the beauty of being authentically black.
Cast and Crew:
- Written, performed and directed by Summer Eytle-Rock
- Tech by Samuel Button-Bell and Harry Harris
Content guidance:
- Controversial topics
- Age Guide: 16+
- Run time: 30 mins max
14:45
A Peek Behind the Curtains
By Matthew Duffield
Have a look behind the scenes of theatre
This show allows the audience to have a small glimpse into the world of theatre making. Showing some of the options for light, sound and set that directors have and how they might be used, with live demonstrations. Prepare for A Peek Behind the Curtains.
Cast and crew:
- Written and performed by Matthew Duffield
- Tech by Harry Harris and Samuel Button-Bell
Content guidance:
- Loud noises
- Flashing lights
- Age guide: PG
- Run time: 20 minutes
15:30
A Man's World
By Georgia Pike-Turner
This is a man’s world; women just live in it.
A MAN’S WORLD is a solo performance exploring the everyday realities of embedded patriarchy and its cumulative impact on women’s lives. Through the character of Ella, the piece examines how repeated behaviours, expectations, and interactions with men — often dismissed as normal or insignificant — gradually shape a woman’s sense of self.
Moments of humour, dismissal, control, and contradiction begin to overlap, revealing patterns that are difficult to name but impossible to ignore. As Ella navigates these experiences, she adapts, justifies, and internalises, reflecting how patriarchal values are not only imposed, but absorbed over time.
The performance interrogates what it means to exist within a system so deeply ingrained it often goes unquestioned, highlighting the quiet, accumulative nature of patriarchy — and the lasting impact it leaves behind.
Cast and crew:
- Written and performed by Georgia Pike-Turner
Content guidance:
- References to sexual harassment
- Strong language
- Age guide: 16+
- Run time: 20-25 minutes
Wednesday 6 May
12:00
Blame it on the Weather
By Lucy Carpenter
A Realm Of stories, Science and Wonder
Have you ever just blamed the weather, the only thing we cant control… or can we…? Meet beau, a peculiar being, not sure how she got here, not sure why she’s here. All she knows is Surrounded by 118 boxes and her cloud producing machine The 2071. Every box contains a memory, those memories and moments can be altered just by a single rain cloud. Beau explores memory, good deeds and the purpose of life. Join beau on her scientific journey to finding her purpose. This is a one woman show, including stunning imagery and live vocal musical combinations.
Cast and crew:
- Written and performed by Lucy Carpenter
- Tech by Harry Harris and Samuel Button-Bell
Content guidance:
- distressing talk, mention of Death
- Age guide: 16+
- Run time: 30 minutes
12:45
Intuition
By Bethany Hughes
You can’t escape what you already know.
Short copy: Intuition follows Bella, a young woman with an unsettling sixth sense that allows her to predict danger before it happens. Her ability to predict the future, which once felt like instinct becomes something far more overwhelming, disrupting her ability to live a normal life. Struggling to balance her intuition with everyday reality. Bella is pulled into isolation, panic, and a growing sense of guilt as the consequences of ignoring her intuition.
Through poetic monologues, voiceovers, and immersive soundscapes, the play explores the burden of knowing too much, the tension between fate and choice, and the emotional cost of living in constant anticipation. As Bella’s world begins to close in around her, one question remains: is her intuition a gift… or something she was never meant to control?
Cast:
- Written and performed by Bethany Hughes
Content guidance:
- Death, Spiking, Strong language
- Age: 16+
- Run time: 25 mins
13:30
I Am Not Your God
By Robyn Edgington
Could you face God?
I Am Not Your God is a solo tragic comedy piece about meeting god after death.
They decide to sit in on your welcome to the state of limbo, while they try to remember why they hate humans as their mind is too full of knowledge to remember.
Cast and crew:
- Written and performed by Robyn Edgington
- Tech by Harry Harris and Samuel Button-Bell
Content guidance:
- Flashing bright lights
- Swearing
- Mentions of death
- Age guide: 18+
- Run Time: 20 minutes
14:15
After Joy
Hailey Park
Would you dare to live through death?
After Joy is a heartfelt monologue about facing death and learning to let go, exploring the values of life. The gut-wrenching, compelling journey of emotions leading to peace in the end will allow you to rethink the way you live every day. This performance illustrates a physical and emotional struggle inspired by the writer‘s personal experience, providing a powerful and genuine monologue. Experimenting with some Oulipo constraints, it will offer a unique mixed form of theatre to the audience as well. What will happen after Joy? Would you dare to live through death?
Cast and crew:
- Written and performed by Hailey Park
- Guest Starring Dominic Kanssen
- Directed by Hailey Park
- Tech by Harry Harris and Samuel Button-Bell
Content guidance:
- Suicide
- Swearing
- Age guide: 15+
- Run time: 25 minutes
15:00
Ashes to Ashes, Lust to Lust
By Dan Casey
A funeral you’ll never forget
Daniel Casey is dead! Or at least his love life is…
Join us as we congregate at the hole-y Church of Homosexuality to remember a life gone too soon. With a eulogy befitting of such a degenerate: filthy, vulgar, and camp beyond belief. Performed by the only person up to the task, himself, Ashes to Ashes, Lust to Dust, is an all-singing, some-dancing celebration of self-deprecating humour and an exploration of confidence and self-worth within the 21st Century gay dating scene.
Will you take away some profound message that will change your outlook on life? Eh, maybe. Will you laugh until your sides hurt? Almost certainly.
Credits:
- Written, directed and performed by Daniel Casey
- Choreography with assistance from Kayleigh Gregory
- Also starring Kayleigh Gregory, Bryony Witt-Davies, Ecemsu Bilen, Ashley Bailey
Content Guidance:
- References to death, sexual themes, strong language, homophobia, fatphobia
- Age Guide: Strictly 18+
- Run Time: 25 Minutes
Thursday 7 May
12:00
A Man's World
By Georgia Pike-Turner
This is a man’s world; women just live in it.
12:45
A Peek Behind the Curtains
By Matthew Duffield
Have a look behind the scenes of theatre
13:30
The Unapologetic Voice
By Summer Eytle-Rock
No grey areas, just BLACK!
14:15
Too Damp For A Spark (CLOSED PERFORMANCE)
By Ari Senthil
Have you felt broken after many failed attempts at dating/sex? Look no further.
15:00
A Memory of a Life Lived
By Lara Wazaney and Charlotte Palmer
When home and love are lost, what remains?
Friday 8 May
12:00
Ashes to Ashes, Lust to Lust
By Dan Casey
A funeral you’ll never forget
12:45
After Joy
Hailey Park
Would you dare to live through death?
13:30
I Am Not Your God
By Robyn Edgington
Could you face God?
14:15
Intuition
By Bethany Hughes
You can’t escape what you already know.
15:00
Blame it on the Weather
By Lucy Carpenter
A Realm Of stories, Science and Wonder
END OF FESTIVAL
Event Date: 20260520
Event Price: FREE
Scratch Night
Join us for our monthly Scratch Night, at the Lakeside Theatre bar!
Whether you’re a performer or an audience member, join us for a lively evening with a café full of friendly people.
Our compère will be the amazing Alice K Stephens!
There’s no theme and work in all stages of development are welcome, think Open Mic Night, but with a more performative focus!
Everyone is welcome to attend, and this is your chance to shape the performing arts scene on campus!
Request your performance slot or turn up on the night!
Event Date: 20260429
Event Price: FREE
Scratch Night – CANCELLED
Due to unforeseen circumstances, we have had to cancel the Scratch Night on 29 April. Please join us for our next Scratch Night on 20 May!
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Join us for our monthly Scratch Night, at the Lakeside Theatre bar!
Whether you’re a performer or an audience member, join us for a lively evening with a café full of friendly people.
Our compère will be the amazing Alice K Stephens!
There’s no theme and work in all stages of development are welcome, think Open Mic Night, but with a more performative focus!
Everyone is welcome to attend, and this is your chance to shape the performing arts scene on campus!
Request your performance slot or turn up on the night!