The newly renamed Play on Words Festival, formerly known as the English Riviera Literature Festival, returns for a third year from Thursday 25 to Saturday 27 April at the Palace Theatre in Paignton.
The literature festival includes a stellar cast of well-known and emerging Southwest based authors and writers, and the programme has expanded to include more workshops to stimulate and inspire festival goers along their own creative path. This year a festival day ticket has been introduced providing great value for money so that visitors can enjoy all the talks taking place throughout the theatre. There’s also the option of buying tickets for individual day time talks and a new, buy two get third one free ticket offer.
As well as welcoming back some of the theatre’s firm favourites such as esteemed authors, Dr Todd Gray and Rachel Trethewey to name just a few, this year’s lineup includes even more themed talks on a range of subjects with guest authors including award winning British writer of horror fiction, Adam L.G. Nevill and bestselling, crime fiction author and creator of BBC detective drama South of the Border, Susan Wilkins.
Sarah Hemingway, Marketing and PR Executive at the Palace Theatre says, “Following on from the success of last year’s literature festival we have expanded our programme even further to provide something for everyone, with a wonderful mix of entertaining talks on various themes, workshops for adults and children and some first-class productions – all with a literary context”.
For history buffs, there’s fascinating presentations about local and Devon History, and historical fiction as well as a researching and writing your own Family History workshop. Other highlights include health and wellbeing talks incorporating the romantic novel, wild swimming, mindfulness in fiction, the loss and the restorative power of the natural world and a light-hearted whistle stop talk of music, humour and memories of the 1950s.
Writers looking to turn their hobby into a business or exploring self-publishing for the first time can take part in an interactive workshop and hear from authors sharing stories of their own journey.
The Palace Theatre’s resident creative writing group, led by tutor, Chris Woodhouse will read a series of short written stories and musings and there’s a free creative writing taster workshop. There’s something for the little ones too with award-winning children’s author Clare Helen Welsh who has published over 40 illustrated books, providing a fun-filled, Saturday morningstorytelling and crafts workshop.
Also as part of the festive weekend, Bijou Theatre Productions bring the classic Victorian thriller, Gaslight to the auditorium stage from 24 to 27 April and Enid Blyton – Noddy, Big-Ears & lashings of Controversy, a one woman show by visiting theatre company, Liz Grand of On a Role Limited in Stage Left on Thursday 25 April.
To see the full programme and to book tickets please visit the Palace Theatre website: www.palacetheatrepaignton.co.uk or call the box office on 01803 665800 (normal opening hours, weekdays 11am-3pm).
You can join us on our social media pages, follow us on Facebook, X (formerly known as Twitter) and Threads where you can keep up to date with whats going on in South Devon.
Got a news story, blog or press release that you’d like to share or want to advertise with us? Get in touch via email admin@wearesouthdevon.com
