PULSE festival 2014 is upon us, with events at the New Wolsey Theatre and other local venues, spanning across ten days of mayhem, music, movement and hopefully happy memories.

A mix of regional, British and international artists from a variety of genres will be taking part. Each day will offer new and innovative contemporary theatre and performance and fresh energy to match.

Keep an eye out for the Suitcase Prize Day on Friday May 30, where acts will be thinking in an environmentally and economically sustainable way. 10 work-in-progress performances will be presented that must be brand new and able to travel on public transport in luggage carried by those taking part, with the best act bagging a cool £1000. At just £15 to attend the whole day, each performance is also economically friendly, working out at just £1.50 each!

For the financially frugal, PULSE has several free events, including Greg Wohead’s The Backseat Of My Car (And Other Safe Places). This is an interactive storytelling piece catering for one audience member at a time that takes place in a parked car. Naturally the venue is a car in a car park, and the event is free to attend on Saturday May 31.

Since its inception, PULSE has embraced collaboration and this year is no different. Don’t miss the first-ever Dance Night, where the festival will be relocating to the Jerwood DanceHouse on the Waterfront on Monday June 2. Performances include an intriguing work in progress called Words Into The Dark by Wendy Houston, where stand up meets vaudeville eccentricity.

IP1’s festival tip is Greg McLaren’s Icon For Ipswich, which sees our beautiful town chosen as the beneficiary of a new type of socio-industrial experiment! Performed at the New Wolsey Theatre on Saturday May 31, tickets for this are just a fiver. Can you afford to allow your curiosity to miss this?!

Probably most exciting of all, though, is the evolution of music at this year’s PULSE, which sees some humdinger local artists (Horse Party, Mick Squalor, Brooches, Keep Up, LemonParty) line up together for what can only be described as a free mini music festival in Ipswich.

‘Tickets please!’, we hear you hark.

Fear not, theatre lovers and festival friends, PULSE tickets start at free, yes FREE, and the most expensive performances are only £5 if you’re under 26. So, bag yourself some quality live entertainment for the price of less than a cinema ticket.

Talking of which, tickets go on sale today – hooray!

Words: Emily Godden