The Comedy Club As Seen on TV Returns Don't Miss it ! Celebrating 27 years of bringing Laughter to Life! The Comedy Club is one of the most recognised and respected names in the comedy Industry and over the years has worked across the UK and Abroad with the best of the best. For Friday 17th February they have hand-picked some of their favourite Five Star Laughter makers in the UK and brought them together for you in one full show! Be prepared, get buckled up and get ready for one of the funniest nights of your life! We will bring 4 TOP Comedians right to your doorstep here in Colchester. Let's have a night of pure comedy and non-stop laughs. These Comedians Headline and play all over the UK to packed venues every week - DO NOT MISS!

Three-time Olivier Award-winner Sharon D Clarke is joined by Ncuti Gatwa ( Doctor Who; Sex Education ) in this joyful reimagining of Oscar Wilde’s most celebrated comedy. While assuming the role of a dutiful guardian in the country, Jack lets loose in town under a false identity. Meanwhile, his friend Algy adopts a similar facade. Hoping to impress two eligible ladies, the gentlemen find themselves caught in a web of lies they must carefully navigate. Max Webster ( Life of Pi ) directs this hilarious story of identity, impersonation and romance, filmed live from the National Theatre in London.

Roll over Beethoven, because the greatest tribute to Jeff Lynne's Electric Light Orchestra is here! In an all live show featuring soaring strings, striking vocal harmonies and playing all the much loved songs from ELO's hit-filled library including Evil Woman, Telephone Line and Don’t Bring Me Down. The ELO Encounter promises a night filled with rock, roll and Blue Skies that would make even Mozart mambo and Bach boogie! So Hold On Tight because Rock and Roll Is King in a show that is guaranteed to have you partying All Over The World. Not only flawlessly recreating the wonderful music of ELO, it’s a spectacular live show from start to finish. Stunning lights and special effects create an atmosphere that will have you fully immersed in the whole experience. As the ELO Encounter reel off ELO classic hit after hit, it’s guaranteed to have the hairs on the back of your neck dancing in time to the music!!

Seven-time BAFTA Award-winner Steve Coogan (Alan Partridge, The Trip) plays four roles in the world premiere stage adaptation of Stanley Kubrick’s comedy masterpiece Dr. Strangelove.

 When a rogue U.S General triggers a nuclear attack, a surreal race takes place, seeing the Government and one eccentric scientist scramble to avert global destruction. This explosively funny satire is led by a world-renowned creative team including Emmy Award-winner Armando Iannucci (The Thick of It, Veep) and Olivier Award-winner Sean Foley (The Upstart Crow, The Play What I Wrote).

Ipswich has been a River Port since the 7th Century, discover its history and recent redevelopment on this Waterside Walk, and hear tales of sailors and smugglers, shipbuilding and the Press Gang.

Oscar-nominated Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl, Saltburn) is Jessica in the much-anticipated next play from the team behind Prima Facie. Jessica Parks is a smart Crown Court Judge at the top of her career. Behind the robe, she is a karaoke fiend, a loving wife and a supportive parent. When an event threatens to throw her life completely off balance, can she hold her family upright? Writer Suzie Miller, director Justin Martin, and composer Self Esteem, reunite following their global phenomenon Prima Facie, with this searing examination of modern motherhood and masculinity.

Please note that this event is booked as a 10-part series and individual event bookings are not available From gentlewoman Celia Fiennes accounts of her excursions in the late 17th Century, via Daniel Defoe's best-selling book Tours Through the Whole Island of Great Britain in the 1720s, to the enormously popular 20th century King's England Guides of Arthur Mee this course charts more than 300 years of change in the landscape and settlements of the historic Shire of Suffolk. Using the original observations and recommendations of travellers to this area in the past combined with a wealth of period paintings, antiquarian engravings, vintage postcards and modern photographs, this will be a fascinating and unusual perspective on the countys history. Refreshments will be provided and there will be the opportunity each week to see examples from the archives. Please note this event is booked as a 10-part series and individual event bookings arent available. There will be a half-term break on Saturday 18 October. PART 1 Saturday 13 September PART 2 20 September PART 3 27 September PART 4 4 October PART 5 11 October PART 6 - 25 October PART 7 - 1 November PART 8 - 8 November PART 9 - 15 November PART 10 - 22 November

Join one of our team on a free behind the scenes tour of our Award wining archive building, whilst showcasing the amazing collections and resources available at The Hold, Ipswich.

Come along and enjoy a welcome glass of fizz, before enjoying a have a go arty evening in association with the Ipswich Arts Society. Come along with a group of friends or on your own to create your own canvas to take home.

Join Ray Clark for an illustrated talk on the fascinating history of pirate radio and its importance in the evolution of radio in the UK. Includes the local story of Radio Caroline, the pioneering pirate radio station broadcasting from ships anchored in international waters off the East coast. Ticket includes a tea or coffee on arrival.

Join Dr Tom Johnson from the University of Oxford, who specialises in the social and legal history of medieval Europe. He explores the social, economic, and cultural history of Suffolks rich maritime history during the Middle Ages. His first book, Law in Common: Legal Culture in Late-Medieval England, was published by Oxford in 2020. He is currently working on his second book, The Fishermen's Church: Reckoning and Ruin in a Medieval Fishing Village, an economic microhistory of the fishing village Walberswick during the 15th Century.

Join us for a behind-the-scenes tour of The Hold with our archivists. See our award-nominated new archive building and experience our collections in their natural habitat.

Ahoy there, shipmates. Shiver me timbers, weigh anchor and gather on the foredeck for some tales of salty seadogs, plundering pirates and treasured buried deep from long ago with storyteller the Yarnsmith of Norwich. Sit close and hear tell of savage sea serpents, miserable mermaids and even a seal woman in search of her fur. The session will last for one hour including a short comfort break.

Join Grethe Mangala Jensen aka Sandal Sticks Theatre for a morning of swashbuckling pirate and seafaring storytelling. There will be two 30-minute sessions with a short comfort break in between.

Come and enjoy some crafty family fun exploring sea legends such as pirates and mermaids.

Professional storyteller Hannah Brailsford joins us for a morning of seafaring and exploring themed stories. Keep an eye out for one or two pirates as well! There will be two 30-minute sessions with a short comfort break in between.

Accompanied by his ragtag crew, an enthusiastic pirate captain sails the high seas and dreams of besting his bitter rivals, Black Bellamy and Cutlass Liz. Questing to win the coveted title of Pirate of the Year, in this animated adventure from Aardman. Film rating PG, running time 1hr 28min.

In this 1995 musical classic Jim, a young orphan, and his friends join Kermit and crew and embark on a voyage to find treasure on a remote island, and go to war against ruthless pirates. Film rating U, running time 1hr 40 min.

Join the Silver Darlings Sea Shanty crew for an interactive workshop about the traditions and histories of sea shanties, and as a group learn how to sing two songs. Hailing from Southend on Sea, the Silver Darlings are a six-piece, all-female shanty crew singing traditional shanties and other songs of the sea. These girls skilfully blend two-three-part harmonies with a big dose of humour while also remaining true to the shanty tradition. They never fail to lift the spirits and get the audience singing along. Participants are then invited to join The Silver Darlings for a relaxed group performance of the songs learnt during the workshop, followed by a wonderful full set from The Silver Darlings themselves.

A new documentary by Suffolk-based filmmaker Tim Curtis (Life on the Deben, Stanley's War) delves into one of Britains most persistent Second World War mysteries thats divided locals, journalists and historians alike. Whats the truth behind the incredible and unexplained stories of the sea being set on fire, the bodies of dead soldiers on the beach and strange happenings in the night? The film examines how the Suffolk coast was a hub of military secrecy and is followed by a live discussion and Q&A.

What better way to welcome autumn than to decorate your door with some seasonal colours. Grab your glue gun and create your own wreath with glorious foliage and seasonal embellishments.

Join us for another of our popular Games Night Lates at The Hold. Therell be DnD sessions for beginners and experienced parties alike. Or bring a team and have a go at Bloodbowl. Therell be spaces to bring your own games and play too. Ages 18+.

As part of Heritage Open Days, join us for a special free performance by The Silver Darlings all-female Sea Shanty Crew. Join in and sing along to classic shanties telling the story of the sea.

Anchors Away explores Suffolks rich and swashbuckling maritime history. Discover tales of dashing local pirates sailing the high seas, terrifying smuggling gangs prowling the Suffolk coast, and fearsome sea battles won and lost on the waves. Feel the power of the sea through stories of disastrous shipwrecks, and courageous lifesaving efforts by local sea heroes. Understand Suffolks relationship with the sea today through the work of the countys vital lifeboat stations, pioneering boat builders, and huge ports shipping goods around the globe. Hoist the sales, batten down the hatches, and set sail into a summer of sea-faring adventures. Free Admission for All Ages Supported by Associated British Ports

Local historian Stephen Poulter recounts the challenges he faced when tasked with unearthing the history of a spacious Victorian villa on the Suffolk bank of the Waveney River which was totally destroyed by fire over a century ago. Hell outline the techniques used and manuscripts investigated which helped trace the ownership of the original Manor House from its acquisition by the mighty De La Poles in 14th century, through two centuries of ownership by a wealthy gentry dynasty one of whom was immortalised by Gainsborough to the expansion and subsequent alterations made by its two Victorian owners. Some of the original research documents will be available to view at the archive rummage.

Rick Lewis has worked on hundreds of local timber buildings over nearly forty years, gaining a rare insight into ancient carpentry practices and their regional variations. Rick will begin in the woodlands of Suffolk to look at how timber was produced and what tools and techniques were used in the conversion process. Looking at the standing archaeology in local buildings we can begin to see how a frame is cut and with manuscript images as a cross-reference we can begin to build a picture of how a timber framed building is actually constructed from start to finish.

Lady Anne Bacon (1528-1610) grew up as one of five scholarly sisters in a gentry family. She has for centuries been almost hidden from history, though renowned in her time for her learning and influence. Yet the surviving evidence, now brought out of the shadows, reveals a woman of incisive intelligence, courage and tenacity, who had a considerable impact on the Tudor era. A published translator by the age of twenty and committed to the cause of religious reform, Lady Anne Bacon lived through the great reverses and transitions of five reigns and was embedded in the network of power at the Tudor Court as a woman of the Privy Chamber, the inner circle of royal attendants, to both Mary I and Elizabeth I. Deborah Spring originally studied social anthropology at Cambridge, later gaining an MA in garden history, Birkbeck, University of London, and a further MA in biography at the University of East Anglia. Join Deborah Spring in a fascinating talk followed by a Q&A and a special book signing.

Olivier Award-winner Hiran Abeysekera (Life of Pi) is Hamlet in this fearless, contemporary take on Shakespeare’s famous tragedy. Trapped between duty and doubt, surrounded by power and privilege, young Prince Hamlet dares to ask the ultimate question – you know the one. National Theatre Deputy Artistic Director Robert Hastie (Standing at the Sky’s Edge, Operation Mincemeat) directs this sharp, stylish and darkly funny reimagining.

Olivier Award-winner Jack Lowden is joined by Emmy and BAFTA-winner Martin Freeman starring in the critically acclaimed and subversively funny new play by David Ireland. After years in the 12-step programme of Alcoholics Anonymous, James becomes a sponsor to newcomer Luka. The pair bond over black coffee, trade stories and build a fragile friendship out of their shared experiences. But as Luka approaches step five – the moment of confession – dangerous truths emerge, threatening the trust on which both of their recoveries depend. Finn den Hertog directs the provocative and entertaining production filmed live from @sohoplace on London’s West End.

Five-time Olivier Award winner Imelda Staunton joins forces with her real-life daughter Bessie Carter for the very first time, playing mother and daughter in Bernard Shaw’s incendiary moral classic. Vivie Warren is a woman ahead of her time. Her mother, however, is a product of that old patriarchal order. Exploiting it has earned Mrs. Warren a fortune – but at what cost? Filmed live from the West End, this new production reunites Staunton with director Dominic Cooke exploring the clash between morality and independence, traditions and progress.