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Pulse was founded in 2001, and it 'fringes' the more mainstream events that take place all year round at the New Wolsey Theatre itself. The venues include the New Wolsey Studio on St George's Street, the Sir John Mills Theatre, the Regent's Circle Lounge, the Town Hall Galleries and the Steamboat Tavern.

Stephen Freeman, who's the Festival Director, said it's a dream job: "It's about providing a high calibre of work for Ipswich - work that people wouldn't normally get to see here, certainly not for a fiver or even Β£3 for some events.

Stephen Freeman

"It's incredibly exciting and a cultural highpoint in the region. To be able to make decisions about what work to show - who wouldn't want to be involved in setting it up?"

The organisers say they're trying to emulate the Edinburgh Fringe Festival - and they use the Scottish festival as to book new talen.Μύ They say it works both ways as well.

The 2007 Pulse opener Story Of A Rabbit started at the New Wolsey Studio, then went on to Edinburgh and the world (including Bogota in Colombia) and now it's back in Ipswich at the New Wolsey Theatre during this year's Pulse.

Stephen said that's what Pulse is about: "Some of the work we show is still in the development stage and we can watch it grow. For people who attend readings or early versions it's a great insight into watching how theatre is created."

He said Pulse is now well established and has a high standing: "Far higher than we thought it did. We sent the message out that we were looking and we got applications from across the country - especially from Brighton."

Beachy Head

The 2008 Festival opener is 'Beachy Head' - Analogue's mixture of play, animation and 'object manipulation' based around the suicide hotspot in Sussex. It's the second part of a trilogy and is the follow-up to last year's Mile End play.

Analogue's Liam Jarvis says they've put a lot of research in to it: "We've met with pathologists, social psychologists and Samaritans. It's a difficult show to market - but it's about the life of one man who jumps and the ripples created through his friends and family."

The Ornate Johnsons' scriptwriters return with the a sixties-influenced comedy called Spy, Tim Simpson's play One, Nineteen looks at the threat of a flooding catastrophe on the East Anglian coast, local singer Andi Hopgood brings her Quartet to town and The British Ambassador's Belly Dancer tells the story of Craig Murray who spoke out about torture in Uzbekistan and then left his wife for his mistress.

For full details visit the Pulse Fringe website.

A new crowd

Stephen Freeman says they're still trying to tackle the idea that going to the theatre is for 'posh' people: "Nobody wears a tuxedo to come to the New Wolsey! You can wear tatty jeans and flip-flops and you wouldn't feel out of place.

"There's still a misconception however. It's about dispelling the myth about who theatre is for. We work with lots of youth groups and they're using internet sites such as Facebook and Beebo to talk about what they do."

Measuring success

Stephen said it's not all about profit: "We do need bums-on-seats to a certain degree and every show will reach the financial targets that are set.

"However, we also gauge success on the sort of feedback we get. We encourage audiences to take part in 'talkbacks' and if they've taken a risk and gone to see something they wouldn't normally go to, and enjoyed it, then that's what it's all about."

Pulse's marketing manager Sharon Jenkins says it's an interactive process: "Unlike the usual post-show talk where the audience ask questions of the performers, throughout Pulse the performers will ask questions of the audience - did that work? What did you think was happening there?

"It's feedback that's actually going to be used and will inform the development of the work."

Write here, write now

And you could be part of that feedback using this website! If you'd like to write a review of any of the events then get in touch with us here at the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Suffolk website asap. In return for your piece, you won't get paid, but you will get two free tickets for the event and the thrill of seeing your own byline!

For full details of all the shows visit the Pulse Fringe festival website or ring the box office number 01473 295900.