In May 2010 Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth officially opened the new Hostry Welcome and Exhibition Centre at Norwich Cathedral. By October of that same year we were the first people to book the Hostry for an arts project for a full week, transforming it into a working theatre and performance space. We had been searching for a building with no history in which to deliver high quality community based activities. The timing was perfect. The Cathedral and Chapter recognised that the festival would help put the Hostry on the map, bringing a different audience to the Cathedral; we in turn had found the perfect venue to “pursue happiness through the pursuit of excellence”.
And so began the first year.
Enjoy your tour of our history so far, and we look forward to welcoming you at the festival soon.
Stash Kirkbride & Peter Barrow
Co-founders of the PBSK Partnership and Hostry Festival, The Autumn Festival of Norfolk.
To get in touch at any time throughout the year email: Info@hostryfestival.org
CENTRAL PRODUCTION 2010
Our first Production was the staging of Tennessee William’s rarely seen play Night Of Iguana, a truly giant story of human behaviour with a cast of 16 actors from Norfolk. Working professionals, amateur actors, and those with little or no performance experience formed an inclusive company, something that has remained our ethos. The play received unanimously positive feedback, and we gained support from Norfolk businesses Rainbow Wholefoods and Dogfish Catfish. We remain grateful to both our first business connections, for all their support and encouragement in the early fledgling years.
OUR FIRST LIVE MUSIC CONCERT 2010
Our first festival Commission was a singer/songwriters concert. Norfolk composer Chris Ellis performed a 40 minute improvised piano piece and ten years on he will close the 2021 festival with a new concert improvising on the works Beethoven, who’s 250th birthday is being celebrated throughout our 10th anniversary. Sharing the stage that night was James Frost (singer/songwriter, and Jon Mudd, cellist, + Stash Kirkbride, who sung 6 original compositions.
All photos for 2010, credited to Robin Watson.
