The Autumn Festival of Norfolk launches its full programme today. Rebecca Chapman, Founder and Artistic Director of signature project Total Ensemble, looks forward to the 15th Festival
Who are you and what do you do?
I’m Rebecca Chapman, Performance Artist, Freelance Arts Practitioner and Artistic Director/Founder Total Ensemble.
Are you Norfolk born and raised? What do you love about living and working in the county?
I was a regular visitor to Norwich when I lived and worked in London. I liked it so much that I had a feeling I might live here one day and moved here in 2005. Ooh that’s 20 years – just realised that!
I grew up in the West Country which I love and miss greatly. I trained as a classical ballet teacher, did a degree in contemporary dance and performance arts and trained as an actor at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. I lived and worked in London on and off for over 20 years performing, teaching, learning life the hard way and enjoying some wonderful opportunities: No.1 tours, small scale tours of musicals, comedy on the fringe and transfers to the Edinburgh festival. It was brilliant.
Then the cultural and arts scene in Norwich and Norfolk called me. I love being a theatre practitioner, devising with and directing ensemble casts and more recently have reconnected with my dance background which had been left to one side somewhat. There is a very talented, energetic and supportive community of professional and amateur movers, dancers and choreographers in Norfolk.
I have been fortunate to work as a freelancer with many Norfolk education and arts organisations over the time I have been here but my favourite time of all has been with the Autumn Festival of Norfolk.
How long have you been involved with The Autumn Festival and how does being the Founder of Total Ensemble fit in with that?
From its very first iteration in 2010 I have worked very closely alongside founders Peter Barrow and Stash Kirkibride. When I left London where I was working with Chickenshed Theatre one of the founders, Jo Collins, encouraged me to create an integrated, inclusive theatre company as part of the festival here in Norfolk. I had never considered setting up a company and running it top to bottom, but I am glad I did!
What an exciting, enriching, joyful and challenging 15 years it has been. Total Ensemble quickly became a creative hot spot for many people of all ages, backgrounds and learning styles. By taking part in an activity that provided hands-on experience of equality and collaboration through working as an ensemble many have been introduced to different styles of theatre, creative processes, public performance opportunities, companionship, camaraderie, diversity and authentic celebration of difference.
There have been many exciting commissions fulfilled since 2011 for the Autumn Festival of Norfolk, the Norfolk and Norwich Festival, the BBC and it has provided a launch pad for many. Visit the website to see beautiful photographs of all the productions and performances created over the years.
Total Ensemble has worked extensively in an educational capacity, offering workshops across Norfolk to those who would otherwise find it very difficult to enjoy such activity.
The arts landscape has changed and developed greatly, of course, since I set up Total Ensemble and much as I fully intend to make more devised theatre pieces and explore my own artistic enquiries further, I am keen to hand the baton on to the next gen. There is a healthy number of inclusive dance groups in Norfolk but not so much theatre. It’s a different ball game altogether. Frozen light, the Common Lot and Total Ensemble have led the way for many years in very different ways with very different approaches, always putting the community first. It is uplifting that recently there are more people returning to Norwich having trained away. Emballage Ensemble is a great new addition. They recently delivered a physical theatre workshop to a group that Total Ensemble has nurtured and established in Gorleston over three years with the support of local trusts. We are grateful for continued support without which we could not deliver the work.
How would you describe the Festival? Where does it mostly take place?
The Autumn Festival of Norfolk takes place primarily in Norwich. It all started when Stash Kirkbride and Peter Barrow (PBSK Partnership) walked into the Hostry, Weston room and fell in love with the space. The Hostry building, ‘the welcome area’ of Norwich cathedral, Tombland, was redesigned and modernised by Hopkins Architects blending wood, metal and original stone and opened in 2010 by her majesty Queen Elizabeth.
Peter wanted to return to acting and Stash wanted to play his songs live. This they did in 2010. It was such a success that it became the Hostry Festival in 2011. Stash was keen to get the local community involved more. He moved into his role as Artistic Director directing the annual ‘central production’, programming the festival at large and producing.
The central production is a play cast every year from professionals and amateur actors from the Norfolk Actors Company and set in the Weston Room – the upper level of the Hostry building.
Over the years since 2011 the festival has grown and burst the seams of the one-week event with programming spanning the entire autumn, hence the name-change to the Autumn Festival of Norfolk. The volunteer base is extraordinary with many coming back every year to help make it an enjoyable, safe and friendly experience for audiences, artists, guest speakers and performers alike.
The Norfolk Arts Awards is just one of its annual signature projects. Patrons of the festival include Braimah Kanneh-Mason and Melvyn Bragg.
The Blake Studio at Norwich School hosts the brilliant Kanneh-Mason family every year and Dance into the Fall will be held at the Drama Studio at the UEA.
What’s happening for this year, the 15th anniversary?
Dance into the Fall 2025 will open the Autumn Festival with a bang on Saturday 18th October. A partnership with Total Ensemble Arts Initiative and professional movement and dance artists that work across the county of Norfolk and beyond. Dance into the Fall celebrates dance in many forms. We offer and welcome this opportunity to work alongside others in a live dance platform. This is open to local groups and participants of all ages, some performing for the first time. Subject to enquiry we are inviting expressions of interest from movers, dancers, dance groups to join us this year. Please contact us at rebecca@totalensemble.org by the 8th August.
How can people find out more about/support this year’s Festival?
To find out more about the festival our new brochure will be out and about on stands throughout Norwich and beyond from August and is also accessible via the website
The Autumn Festival of Norfolk opens on October 18, 2025, with Dance into the Fall. Visit autumnfestivalofnorfolk.org and Total Ensemble Theatre Company.
Featured image of Rebecca Chapman by Anita Staff
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